Well, I invite you to turn with me to the book of 1 Timothy. We'll be in 1 Timothy chapter 6. We're continuing our sermon series, going verse by verse through the epistle. And this week we come to verses 17 through 19. So we'll have a total of, Lord willing, three more sermons for the book. So we're going to finish it, Lord willing, next week. And then we're going to do our bird's eye view or the jet tour through 1 Timothy. So let us give attention to the reading of God's words starting in verse 17 of chapter 6. As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. This is God's holy and inspired word. May he add his blessing to it. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the epistle of 1 Timothy. And we thank you how we can learn how you want the church to be run and how it speaks to all manners of life. Lord, be with us today as we seek to learn from your word, illumine our minds to understand it by the power of your spirit and impress to us Christ in his holy name. Amen. If someone were to ask you, what do you find your hope in? Or better yet, what do you find your security in? What would you say? Maybe it's the good paying job. Maybe it's the 401k. Or maybe it's the hope of, you know, once I finally have this. What would that be? What do you place your hope in today? Paul wants us to know that our hope as Christians should not be in our money, it should not be in a job or a car or even family. But our hope ultimately should be placed on the Lord, should be placed on God. And our pastors today will reflect that, and what he wants us to understand is how we use our money should show and manifest who we truly have our hope in. And so for background on where we have been, Paul is charging his young protege, the pastor Timothy, to have the church be run in a way that is pleasing to God. He says in 1 Timothy 3, he says, I hope to come to you soon, but I'm writing these things to you so that if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and the buttress of truth. And so as we've been going chapter by chapter, verse by verse, we've been seeing how the church is to be run according to God. We are not to run in the church according to what is popular, according to what might fit our appetites and desires, but according to what God desires. And so he lays out in 1 Timothy what that is to look like. Recall in chapter 1, he exhorted him to confront false teachers. He needs to tell them to stop, they've infiltrated the church, they brought false doctrine. Paul then tells Timothy, this is a charge that I'm giving to you. It is a war, Timothy, so wage the good warfare. And then as we continue in the book, in chapter 2, he exhorts him to pray for all people. He also talks about proper rules for men and women in the church. In chapter 3, we then saw about qualifications for elders and for deacons. And then towards the end of chapter 3, he talks about the mystery of godliness. The mystery of godliness. How can a man be godly who's a sinner in the sight of God? Well, he tells us it's the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. It's through the gospel that godliness comes. And then from that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can see it manifest in our life. So from chapter 4 to the rest of the epistle, Paul is saying, here is how we manifest godliness in our different situations. And we saw in chapter 4, he talked about, but there's going to be some who pervert this truth, who want to teach, well, it's about things you refrain from, or it's about laws, they want to add to it. And Paul says, this is nothing more than doctrines of demons. They're perverting the gospel. And they pervert that. Paul then exhorts Timothy, here's how you be a proper man of God. Strive for godliness, pursue it. In chapter 5, he talked about then, here's how you are to do family relations in the church. You are to treat older men as fathers, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters. He then said, as Christians, we are called to care for our family. We're to call for the widows of the church, to care for them. He then said, if you want to manifest godliness, you're going to show it in the way you care for your elders, too. And then in chapter 6, he talked about slave-master relationships, or worker-employee relationships, as we see today. He encourages them, teach these things. Teach this good doctrine. Strive for this, Timothy. And he revisits and says, there are some, these false teachers, who are all in it for the money. They want to have godliness as a means of financial gain. But you, Timothy, flee these things as we saw the last time. He's to flee from the evil, pursue the righteous. And then from there, he told Timothy again, fight the good fight. And that just now brings us to our text today. Paul's going to return to the subject of money. And he wants us to know this, because our God provided our redemption through Christ and provides for all our needs, we should use the money God has given in light of eternity that awaits us. So we're going to see three ways to do this. First, we must be cautious in our attitudes and reliance towards riches. Second, we must see God as our provider of all we have. And third, We must use the money we've been given in light of eternity. So let's consider the first point. We must be cautious in our attitudes and reliance towards riches. Look with me at verse 17. He starts off, "...as for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches." Paul now is transitioning from his exhortation to Timothy, and he goes back and wants to remind them. He had already talked about money earlier in the chapter. He talked about those who have a love for the money, that they're willing to do whatever it takes. Look in verse 6, he says, But godliness with contentment is great gain. There is true gain to be had if you pursue godliness, but you're content. But these false teachers, they were not. They were striving for riches. He says, But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. So he goes, If you're in it for profit, Timothy, like these false teachers, you're in it for the wrong reasons. The love of money will make people do all sorts of things. It'll drive them to do things that are unimaginable, to cheat, to steal, to lie, just for their gain. He goes, you, Timothy, you flee from that. Paul now wants to turn his attention again to money, but instead of addressing those who desire to be rich, who love money, he addresses those who are already rich. You see, Ephesus was one of the wealthiest cities in that time. And so as Paul comes and he plants a church there, it's no wonder. that there's people who are converted who are also wealthy, who are rich. He talked about slave-masters relationships. So there are some who are in the congregation who were in the same congregation with their masters, who were wealthy and rich. So Paul has exhorted the slaves in there, and now he wants to exhort those who are rich. He turns his attention to them. So naturally, as he wants to address all different situations in the church, he needs to address those who are wealthy. The word for rich here means to have an abundance of earthly possessions that exceeds normal experience. It's to have more than what you need. It's to have a surplus, we could say. It's not a sin to be rich. It's the love of money that's the sin, as we saw earlier. When you pursue money more than you pursue the Lord, that's when it becomes a sin. Remember, there are many people in Scripture who were wealthy, who were rich. Think of Abraham. He was wealthy. Job was wealthy. David was rich. Lydia, or recall Paul who came and preached in Philippi, the first convert, Lydia, she was a wealthy lady who ended up providing her house for the church to meet. So it's not a sin to be wealthy, it's not a sin to be rich, not to let it control you. You're to use it for God. So Paul now addresses those who are rich. So you might be here and you'd be like, all right, well, yeah, you tell them, Paul. You preach to those rich people. You tell them what you want. And so the temptation might be, well, let's check out here. This isn't to me. But I want to argue that's not the case at all. We tend to measure our wealth, our economic status, by our American cultural context. We think of, well, yeah, there's the Bill Gateses of the world, the Tom Cruises or the Russell Wilsons, soon to be maybe Patrick Mahomes. But that was for Jeremiah there. When we compare ourselves to these people, we can say, oh yeah, they're the rich ones, not me. But when we zoom out and we see it from the perspective of the rest of the world and how they see us, we are rich in the world's eyes. In fact, we're one of the richest nations in the world. The average annual household income for the world is less than $10,000 a year. One article said that I read, Americans do not have to be extremely wealthy in order to claim a spot among the world's top 1%. According to Global Rich List, a $32,400 annual income will easily place American school teachers, registered nurses, and other modestly salaried individuals among the global 1% earners. So in the eyes of the world, We are rich, whether we realize it or not. Yes, there are different degrees of wealth in American society. We can compare ourselves with others, like the Bill Gates, but in the rest of the world, in their eyes, we are rich. If you have a car, a house, running water, food in the fridge, you are better off than the majority of the world. When's the last time you really questioned, man, am I going to have my meal? When am I going to have a meal? When's the last time you really wondered, where is that meal going to come from? Or, how will I get to work? Or, will I have enough clothes this week? When's the last time you thought of that? If you've never thought of that, consider you are rich compared to the rest of the world. So what I'm arguing is what Paul has to say to us today applies to us. So don't tune out. Paul addresses rich and how we are to live as Christians. Notice what he says in the text. He says, as for the rich, in this present age, this phrase present age here implies the riches, the money is temporary. Literally, it can be translated the age that is now. So there's a time to be rich, there's a time to have wealth. When we zoom out and view it from eternity, the time we have here to acquire wealth is very temporary. In the present age, there are great limitations to our riches. You cannot take it with you. You can be rich, you can be wealthy, but in the end, You can't take it with you into eternity. You can be the richest person in the world, yet we're all going to leave the same way. We read it this way in verse 7, So they're not going to last in the age to come, our riches. James 1, 9-11 says, Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass, its flower falls and its beauty perishes. So will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. So money is temporary. It is not lasting. You cannot take it into the age to come. But this present age is also full of different temptations as well. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4, "...for Demas, in love with the present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica." So one of the followers of Paul was so intertwined with the world and the riches and the pursuits of the world, he left gospel ministry altogether. Notice Paul gives a warning to the rich. Look at the text. He says, "...charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches." This word for charge here is the same word we saw in verse 13, where he says, I charge you in the presence of God. It means to give direct instructions with authority. It's a military term to convey instructions from a superior. And he goes, Timothy, just like I charged you in the presence of God in Christ Jesus, just like I charged you there to hold to the good confession that you confessed, you in the same way, you come with that authority to those who are rich and you charge them this. Command them with great authority. Don't just give a suggestion, don't just give advice, come with the authority of the Word of God. Notice what this charge is. He says, charge them not to be haughty. In other words, he goes, check your attitude when you come through the doors. For you who have riches, it's easy to fall into the trap of being haughty. To be haughty means to be marked by an arrogant superiority, to have lofty or exalted thoughts of yourself, to be high-minded. In other words, to be proud, to be conceited. And when you're haughty and you're rich, you tend to look down on others who maybe doesn't have the same amount as you have. So Paul says, Christians are not to be thinking that. If there's the wealthy among you, Timothy, tell them, command them not to think this way. Don't let them think they're more valuable than anyone else. Proverbs 16, 18 says, Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. That's how the world acts, right? Money earns privileges, it earns special status and recognition, right? The more money you have, the more things you're able to do, the more people look at you as superior to others. And Paul says, if there's rich among you, don't let that come into the church, that attitude. We're all one in Christ. Don't let that attitude of superiority come into the church. Christians, though, are to behave differently. Romans 12, 16, live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. He goes, Timothy, command those who are rich, who are wealthy among you, not to look down on others and see them as inferior, not to think that they have this attitude of superiority. This is not proper amongst saints. Jeremiah 9.23 says, "...thus says the Lord, let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts, boast in this, that he understands and knows Me." that I am the Lord, and practice steadfast love, justice, righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord." He goes, Timothy, command these people not to boast in their riches and their economic status, but to boast in that they know me, that they are united to me by faith in Christ. When one boasts in their riches and is prideful in that, they want to show it off in maybe the way they dress. Maybe the name brand clothing, the cars, the house. Always wanting to gain and have more and live the American dream. But wealth can hinder us and distract us from pursuing the Lord. Matthew 19.23 says, Again, I tell you, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. He's not saying there, hey, yeah, there's this needle gate in Jerusalem that we walk through and it's hard for camels to go through that. No, he's saying literally the eye of a needle. It's easier for a camel to go through that than a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Riches can distract us from pursuing God. But the hope in that is what happens right after that next verse. We see a rich man, Zacchaeus, who comes to know the Lord. So with man it's impossible, but with God things are possible. And so there are rich in the congregation. Paul says, you address them to watch their attitudes, not to be arrogant. Don't let their riches get to their heads and think they're superior. Notice what else he says. So he gives two warnings. First, watch their attitudes. Second, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches. This idea of setting your hope is to have a confident expectation or trust in something. Hebrews 11.1 says, Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. So we can say, some may place their faith in money or riches. Some may place their trust or assurance in them. He says, you command the rich not to do that. Notice he says there, the uncertainty of riches. Riches are not certain, they're not going to last. One may think they have hope and security in what they've accumulated. That they always have enough, that they always can provide for themselves. But Paul goes, money is uncertain. You can have it one day and it can be gone the next. Proverbs 11, 28, whoever trusts in riches will fall. So when one places their hope in riches, they're not going to place their hope in God. Proverbs 23, 4-5, Do not toil to acquire wealth, be discerning enough to detest. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings and flies like an eagle towards heaven. So the proverb is saying, look, you have money here, but then you look one direction, and the next thing you know, it's gone. It's fleeting. It's uncertain. So why place your hope in that? Back then, they lived in a culture in which nations could come and conquer. You could be a wealthy person, a nation comes and conquers you, and the next day you're a slave. Riches were uncertain, it's fleeting. So he goes, don't put your hope in that, that is foolish. We tend to, what we put our hope in, we tend to worship and rely on, right? And so Paul goes, look, make sure they're not putting their hope in their riches. Jesus said it this way, no one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he'll be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. You cannot worship it and serve money and then worship and serve God at the same time. So don't put your hope in the uncertainty of riches but on God. You can have great investments, you can have a solid stock market, You can have a good car, but the stock market could crash. The cars could break down. They can wreck. A natural disaster can come and take your home. You can have something today, and the next day it'd be gone. But if we hope in that, we're not hoping in God. But this is the temptation here in America, in this consumeristic culture. We want more and more. We want to keep amounting for things. And the more we do that, the more we depend on ourself rather than God. Jesus said in Mark 4, talking about the seeds that are sown, He said, There are some sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires of other things enter and choke the word and it proves unfruitful. She goes, Timothy, you command them to set their hope on things that actually matter. On things that will actually last. Not on the uncertainty of riches. The more and more wealth we possess, the more and more temptation grows to trust in that. To think we're self-sufficient. So what is your attitude in regards to money? Or what are you hoping in today? Are there certain things you're placing too much trust in? So Paul gives his first caution, be cautious in your attitude and reliance towards money. Do not let it get to your head and be haughty and do not place your hope or trust in it. Look at the next point, what we will see is we must see God as our provider in all we have. Look with me at the second part of verse 17. He says, but on God who provides us with everything, So don't place your hope, command them not to place their hope on riches, but place your hope on God. Riches may fail, but God will never fail. Don't put your hope in riches that you'll have one day and the next they could be gone. They're fleeting, they're uncertain, but God is certain. He is unmovable, He is stable, He is true. Psalm 146, blessed is He whose help is God, whose hope is in the Lord, His God. So the psalmist there saying, look, I hope in God despite all the hardships and trials and situations I might find myself in, my hope is on God. He's the one who provides for me. 1st Timothy 4.10, for to this end we toil and strive because we have our hopes set on the living God. So when times get hard, when there's trials and hardships, Is your hope ultimately on God? Psalm 43, 5, Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God. So when we're tempted to be overwhelmed by the temptations, like the psalmist preached to your soul, hope in God. He's the provider. Notice the reason he gives. Look at the text. Who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. So God's the one who cares for us. He provides for us. He sustains us. Everything that is good comes from His hand. Notice God is not against us having things. He's not against you having possessions. He's not against you having riches. He's just saying, don't let that control you. Don't worship those things over the one who gave it to you. James 1.17, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of lights. When we take pride in the things we have, we're tempted to forget this, that it comes from God. We can be tempted to think, well, it's because of my hard work. It's because of my talent. It's because of my dedication in school. But we should remember like Deuteronomy 18, You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may confirm His covenant He swore to you and your fathers on this day. So he goes, you're not to become haughty or prideful, because it's God who gave you those abilities. It's God who gave you the privilege it is to be born in a wealthy nation. To give you the health and ability to work, to be able to have the mind to be able to go to college and different things and learn and have good jobs. It's God who knits you together. He's the one who gave you the abilities. So realize it all comes from Him. Zoom out and look at it from God's perspective. 2 Corinthians 4. Verse 7 says, "...one of you may be puffed up in favor of one against the other. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?" So he goes, why are you boasting about having this ability to earn this kind of wealth when it's God who gave you that? Realize it's from Him. Put your hope in Him. Depend on Him. Paul knew this, right? He says, I'm not speaking of being in need as we studied in Philippians 4. He says, I've learned in whatever situation to be content, because I realize God is my provider. He sustains me. And then he says in verse 19, My God will supply all your needs, according to His riches and glory in Christ. Our God is a providing God. He is provided throughout all of Scripture, as we see. Think of just the ways He's provided for you. Think of all the ways He's provided for His people. In the very beginning, He clothed Adam and Eve. He provided a way of escape for Noah. He provided a lamb for Abraham as a substitute so he didn't have to sacrifice his own son. God provided for Israel in the wilderness. Nehemiah 9.15 says, You provided bread from heaven and for them, for their hunger. You brought forth water from a rock. for them, for their thirst, and he told them to enter in order to possess the land which he swore. He says in verse 21, Indeed, forty years you provided for them in the wilderness, and they were not in want. God is a providing God. He's provided abundantly. He's been faithful in scripture, but he's provided our greatest need we can possibly ever have. He's provided your redemption. He's provided your salvation. Romans 8.32, He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not freely and graciously give us all things? If God has given you Christ, His beloved Son, He's going to supply all your other needs. He gave us Christ because we were unable to meet God's righteous demands. We were sinful, we were depraved, we were dead, we were deserving of hell. But God, knowing He is a great providing God, provides our greatest need, Jesus Christ, born like one of us to represent us, born under the law, perfectly obeys the law, goes to the cross, dies a gruesome death to earn your redemption. God is a providing God. And not only that, He then provides the Holy Spirit to cause you to walk in His statutes, to love His law. He's adopted you into His family and given you a great inheritance that awaits. God is a providing God. If God can do all that and provide for our greatest need, shouldn't we then trust He'll provide for our everyday needs? Therefore, he deserves our hope, not to be on our riches and our possessions, but ultimately on God who provides us with everything we need. And notice what else he says, with everything to enjoy. This idea of enjoy means to be satisfied or to take pleasure in. So God is not a cosmic killjoy. He's not wanting you to have a good time. God wants your joy. He gives things for the purpose of you enjoying them. Now, the ultimate goal isn't for you to just merely enjoy the gifts, but ultimately to enjoy and love the giver. God wants you to love and worship Him. Parents, you guys know this, if you give, you know, one of your kids a nice gift and they go out and they just run around and they don't respect you, they don't honor you, they're just more concerned with their gift, are they really loving the giver of the gift or the gift itself? In a similar way, God gives us good gifts so we can love Him in return, not to worship the gifts. We should be motivated more and more to love and worship Him by what He gives and provides for us. He has given us all things to enjoy. What is the chief end of man? As the catechism states, to glorify God and enjoy His gifts forever? No, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The greatest joy for the believer is to glorify God and to enjoy Him. And now the believer, having his greatest needs met, then wants to take these good gifts and use them to glorify God his Father. So the greatest joy for the believer, the reason he was created, is to give God the glory. So He goes, you command them to hope in God. Not trust in the uncertainty of riches, but to hope in God who provides you with all things for your enjoyment. You cannot fully enjoy God's gifts until you fully enjoy the giver of the gifts. Don't be like the rich young ruler who wanted to pursue God but was so occupied by his possessions and his riches that he loved money more, that he'd rather have those. So do you treasure the gifts God has given you? And do you seek to use them to glorify God? Or are you rather indulging them for yourself, to hoard up and to build your own security? Do you cherish the gifts more than the giver? How can you use the material riches God has entrusted to you to glorify Him here and now on this earth? So do you see God is richly providing for you? Enough to say with Paul, with these things we'll be content. Maybe you feel like you're so set on a certain way of living that you can never have enough, and you begin to neglect seeing how God has abundantly provided for you. May we not place our hope in the riches, but on God who gives us all good things to enjoy. So we've seen we must be cautious in our attitudes and reliance towards riches. We've seen we must see God as our provider of all things. Now let's consider we must use our money we've been given in light of eternity. Look with me at verse 18. He says, They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, through us storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. If God blesses you with all your needs, your basic needs are met, and you still have other things, use those for His glory. Use everything He's given you for His glory. We've heard the saying that, so much one receives, much is required. So use the thing we have been given to glorify God. Notice he says, they are to do good, to be rich in good works. So Paul has said, here's Timothy, I want you to command the rich this. First, here's two things they must not do. They must not be haughty, and they must not put their hope in the uncertainty of riches. Next, here are two things you must do. You must hope in God, who is the provider of all things. Second, they are to do good and be rich in good works. This idea of to do good means that which benefits others. This is a unique word here in scripture, it's only used one other time. And it's used in Acts 14, 17, describing God's action towards us. It says, for He did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. It's referring to God's common grace to people. God's common grace that He gives to all people whether they deserve it or not. He goes, you in a similar way, you who are rich, you who are wealthy, you do good like your Father in heaven does good to others. Matthew 5, 45, He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, sends rain on the just and unjust. He goes, you Timothy, you command those who are wealthy, those who are Christians, those who have possessions, to do good with their possessions to others around them, those in need. Do things that are noble and honorable to God. Do good things with your money that benefits others. And Paul has already detailed in this book how we are to do that as a way of revealing our godliness. Right? We're to provide for our families. We're to honor and care for the widows. We're to honor and care for the elders. We're to care for those who have needs amongst us. So he says, to be rich in good works. Do good deeds to be rich. So he plays on that word. You who are rich, you don't seek to be known by your riches, but be known by what you do with your riches. Be rich in good works. Riches, true riches in God's eyes are not money and possessions. but on good works and good deeds that are done for His glory. Calvin said, a man's ability to do good increases with his riches. So the more you have, the more you're enabled to do good for others. Not to store up and stockpile all for yourself, but to use it to glorify God and His kingdom. If God has given you more money than someone else, you have more responsibility to glorify Him with it. One person said, your money won't follow you to heaven, but your good deeds will. And so we're to be generous, we're to be ready to share, he says. The best way to show that you truly hope in God, that you have your hope set on Him and not in riches, is to recognize it's ultimately from Him, and then to entrust that you're going to be generous and willing to share what you've been given, because you recognize it's not from you, it's ultimately from Him. Having more resources is an opportunity to do more good things for the Lord. And when we give generously to church and the ministry of the Word, it reveals the true dependence you have in God. When we see needs around us and we see needs amongst the body, we can help with one another and it reveals the true faith that you have. James 2.14 says, What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith and does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, Go and be in peace and be warmed and filled. Without giving the things that he needs for the body, what good is that? So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. And James is talking about a faith that reveals you have true faith. What that looks like. So when we fight against having a haughty attitude, when we fight against placing our hope in riches, this is a natural outflowing response. It's one of generosity, one of being willing to share. And who do we ultimately see this example in? Jesus Christ. We see this ultimate generosity in Christ Himself. He is provided for our greatest needs. Therefore, we as believers who have wealth and extra are to use that for His glory. 1 John 3, 16, By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and truth. It says, as you're one who has been redeemed by Christ, now out of love and thankfulness you want to use your goods as a way to glorify God. When you see those in need, he says, help as Christ did. When we're generous and rich in good works, and we want to benefit and help others, we show we're following Christ's example. 2 Corinthians 8 verse 9 says, though he was rich, For your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might be made rich. Christ, the King of all heaven, who had all the riches He could ever want, came down, took the form of a servant, became a slave, and did it for the purpose of redeeming you and me. So now out of love and thankfulness, the motivation is we want to glorify Him with our lives, with our money, with our possessions. So when we consider the generosity of Christ towards us, that should be motivation to be generous with what we've been given. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 9. 2 Corinthians 9, starting in verse 6, we are called to also give towards the advancement of the kingdom through local church ministries. We're to give in a way that shows we're depending on God and not our own possessions. In 2 Corinthians 9, starting in verse 6, we read this, The point is this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things, at all times you may abound in every good work. As it is written, He has distributed freely and has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others. So, out of love and thankfulness for what Christ has done for us, we're to give in a way that shows we want to glorify Him with what we've been given. So we use our money to do good, to be generous, because God has been generous to us. Notice the last motivation He gives. Look at verse 19. "...through us storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life." Paul goes, when you use your money, God has given you for the good of others in order to glorify God. You're truly making your money work for you. We all want our money to work for us. We all seek, you know, what is the best investment that's secure that can grow our investment. And Paul says, the best investment you can do is invest in eternity. This is the best and wisest investment. The idea of storing up treasure is to keep safe that which is great value. And we all want good return in our money. We all want it to work for us. But Paul goes, the best return for your investment is to invest in eternity. Use your money in a way that shows you have eternity in mind. Be generous, be willing to give, and use it for God's glory. Do good with your money generously here and now, and the profit in eternity will be tremendous." So he says, if you really want to make a wise investment, invest in eternity. As you give up treasure, you're investing in eternal treasure. Mark 6. As we read, it says this, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, where thieves can break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, or where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Being generous with our earthly treasures is storing up and gaining a heavenly treasure that will last eternity. And he goes, Christians are to live in the here and now in this way. Not to be haughty, not to set their hope and assurance on their own possessions, but ultimately on God, knowing He provides for all things, for our enjoyment, and so we want to use it for His glory, to make much of Him, not us. So if we invest in this way with eternity in mind, we will be rich in eternity, is the promise. But if you live it up here and now, you live it for yourself, in eternity you will be poor. Christians are to live in this world here and now for what we've been given in light of eternity, knowing that Christ has provided our greatest need. And notice what else he says, so that you may take hold of that which is truly life. This is completely contradictory to living your best life now. But if you want to have true life, it's not about, you know, gaining possessions, but about using them for God's glory. Now, Paul is not saying, hey, the more you give, you can actually buy your way to heaven. There's only one way to heaven, right? It's through Christ, through faith in Him. It's through His righteousness as we've been singing. So He's not saying, you know, the more you give, the more you can earn your way. But how you live now, generously now, shows you're living for eternity. It reveals this is not my true home. My eternal home is in heaven with God. My hope is in Him, not in my possessions. And you're investing in the ultimate investment. So if you have a true faith, If you are in Christ and you have been blessed and having riches, He says, show your generosity by what you've been given, because you have been given much. You have been redeemed from your sin. God has given you a great inheritance through Christ. So use what you have now to glorify God, and your investment in eternity will be great. This is what living for God in light of eternity looks like for those who are wealthy. And as we said, in the rest of the world's eyes, that is you and me. So this is important for us. So how are you making your money work for you today? What are you laboring to store up for yourselves? Is it to have that secure retirement? Is it to have that great 401k, the great car, the dream house? Or does it show you're actually living for eternity? Do you recognize everything you have is truly a gift from God? That He's the one who provides for you, even though you may work hard and do these things, He's the one who gave you the ability for that. So, understanding that, now how can you use your goods you've been given as a way to bring glory to Him? As we said, there is no amount of money you can give to earn your way to heaven. You must embrace God's greatest gift, Jesus Christ. Have you done that today? Can you say, I am in Christ and I can be in heaven because of what Christ has done. I am in by grace alone through faith alone, in Christ alone. But now out of love and thankfulness, I want to show that love. I want to see my faith manifest by how I treat my money here and now. If that isn't you, if you think you can earn your way by your own effort, by your own profit, as we said, the standard is absolute perfection. You will fall short and you will be poor for all eternity unless you embrace Christ. So, if you haven't done that, the plea, the command is to repent and believe. and trust in Christ for your salvation. And then, out of love and thankfulness, you can then use what you've been given as a way to give glory to Him. Because you're not living for the here and now, you're living for eternity. So because God provided our redemption through Christ and provides for all our needs, we should then use our money God has given in light of eternity. that awaits us. Remember the three ways to do this. We must be cautious in our attitudes and reliance towards riches. We must see God as our great provider of all we have. And lastly, we must use the money we've been given with eternity in view. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time. We thank you how you richly, abundantly provide for us, and you have ultimately done that, giving us our greatest need, providing for our greatest need in Jesus Christ. We thank you for his life, death, and resurrection on our behalf. We pray if there's any of those who do not know you as know Christ as their Lord and Savior, we pray that you would grant to them repentance, that you would soften hard hearts, that you would open blind eyes and open deaf ears to hear and receive the good news of the Gospel. Because it's truly in Christ. that we can say we are rich. Help us then out of love and thankfulness to want to do what this command says to us today. Help us not to be haughty, not to set our hope on possessions or things we have or riches, but fully on God who supplies for all our needs, for our enjoyment. And we thank you that you have done that for us in Christ. We pray this in his name. Amen.