 1 Timothy 6, beginning at verse 13, I urge you in the sight of God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless, until our Lord Jesus Christ appearing, which he will manifest in his own time, he who is the blessed and only potentate, the king of kings, and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power, amen. So Paul is concluding his letter to his young protégé, a young man by the name of Timothy. Timothy is a pastor of a church there in the mighty and powerful city of Ephesus. And he's been giving final orders to him, urging him to flee from a variety of things. And as we've been going through this chapter, we've seen the things that he told Timothy to flee from. He's to flee from pride, from disputations, from arguments over words. He's to flee from envy and strife and reviling evil suspicions, useless wranglings. He's to flee the greedy manipulation of people's faith in order to make personal financial gain. And the reason he tells them to flee these things is because ultimately in ministry especially, but in life in general, character matters. God is busy transforming man into his image. God intends us to be transformed and conformed into the image of Christ. And so character matters if you're gonna have ministry. In Romans 8.29, for whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. And so God is in the business, if you will, of transforming man's character. So you're to flee certain things and pursue others. Now that is something we need to understand because our way of life represents the kind of God that we serve. So a minister is to have a good character because the minister represents the kingdom of God. The minister ultimately actually represents God himself. And he's righteous. And because God is righteous, his kingdom is a kingdom of righteousness. That would mean those who represent the Lord and his kingdom must pursue righteousness themselves. And that's why Paul urged Timothy to flee certain things and to pursue others. The things that he's to pursue are virtues. They're not what false teachers pursue. So he tells them pursue righteousness, pursue godliness, faith, love, patience, pursue gentleness. You see, in contrast to the greedy, manipulative, self-centered teachers, Timothy, you're to be godly. As we looked at the pursuit of righteousness, that simply speaks of being in harmony with the law of God. And being in harmony with the things of the Lord results in godliness or a holy life. And it will produce love and patience and gentleness. And those virtues reveal a relationship that we have with God. And it contrasts with the character of a false teacher. So with that as foundation, Timothy will be able to fight what is called a noble fight for men's souls. That's what he said in verse 12 when he said fight the good fight of faith. He is fighting what is called the virtuous or the noble fight. You see, character gives him the platform that enables him to be effective. It creates a platform that credibility is built on. It earns the respect of those who are listening to him. So if you want to be used by the Lord, Timothy, and by application, if I want to be used by the Lord, my character counts. Character does matter. Now, Paul included his list of Christian virtues with patience. Where to have patience and gentleness. And he included in his list patience because the sense is that the fight is not over immediately. So Timothy, you need to continue to fight. You're to continue to flee the vices of your opponents and you're to continue pursuing virtue. And as you continue this warfare, remain aware that it's a fight. It's a fight of faith. You see, as a minister, you must be aware that there is a cosmic war that is being fought. You're combating the spirit of the age, a spirit of the age that denies and rejects the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's why Jude 3 tells us to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. In his day, as is true in our own, the overwhelming majority rejected Jesus Christ. And what happened is false teachers would take elements of the gospel message, but they would add to it or subtract from it. Though the messages may be different, they all had one thing in common. They rejected Jesus Christ as Messiah. We saw in 1 Timothy chapter four, verse one that Paul referred to their teachings as doctrines of demons. In 1 John chapter four, verse three, it says every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come into flesh is not of God. This is the spirit of the antichrist which you have heard was coming and now is already in the world. So by gutting the gospel, they're eliminating its saving power. Romans 1.16 says to us, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Colossians 2.8 through 10 says, beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit. According to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world and not according to Christ, we're in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and you are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. You see, the gospel of Jesus Christ is not intellectual alone. It contains elements that are intellectual and the most brilliant mind, you could have the most brilliant mind and still miss the point of the gospel because it's not simply intellectual. It isn't just a philosophic message in it. It is not a message that if you try hard you're gonna make it. It has intellectual elements and it's very deep but it's also a moral message. You need to understand, we need to remember as Christians that the gospel is a moral message. It appeals to the conscience of man. Every one of us has a God shaped hole in our heart that only God himself can fill. We have questions and we wonder and we go through life and we have trials and we can have no hope and we can have no faith and we can have no joy, we can have no peace and we wonder why and the gospel supplies the answer. The gospel says well it's because you are hostily opposed to God. It's because you're at war with God. There's a cosmic conflict that has taken place. God says something is black. You say it's white. God says something is sweet. You say it's sour. God says something is forbidden. You say that's what I want to do. There's a war that's going on and until you surrender through the gospel until you surrender you're going to remain at war with God and have no peace. So the gospel is more than philosophy. The gospel is a moral message intended to speak to the heart of man to awaken within that man or that woman the reality of a lost condition and an emptiness of soul. That's why Paul said I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God unto salvation to anyone who believes and therefore I'm going to go out and preach that same message. I'm not going to add to it. I'm not going to detract from it. I'm going to just give it. And Timothy as a pastor in a very powerful city that is filled with immorality, was filled with so many things that God is opposed to but God wants to heal. Make sure that you don't compromise the faith contend earnestly for it. You see in fighting this good fight you're getting a firm grip on everlasting life. He had said that in verse 12 when he said lay hold on eternal life. You're getting a firm grip on everlasting life. And everlasting life is more than length of days. Everlasting life speaks of equality. Everlasting life can manifest itself. Now it does so in holiness and love and peace and joy. It's really the fruit of a fellowship with God. It is being filled with God's presence with his spirit. And so lay hold of that and live in that way Timothy because that develops a credibility for you to be able to continue to minister and reach these people who are lost. And so as he's been sharing with him he moves into verse 13 and he says, I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate that you keep this commandment without spot, not blameless until I Lord Jesus Christ's appearing. So Paul urges Timothy to remain faithful to the master and to remain faithful to his message. You see Timothy, you confess Jesus before many witnesses so you must be faithful to him. He had said in verse 12 when he had said, you have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Remain faithful. In Romans 10, 9 and 10 Paul said it like this. He said, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead you will be saved for with the heart one believes unto righteousness with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. So what is going to encourage Timothy to hold fast to God to be faithful to his word? Well, notice what he says again in verse 13 when he says, I urge you in the sight of God one who gives life to all things in the midst of your ministry remember God is with you. He doesn't leave you nor does he forsake you. Jesus on one occasion prayed and said, now I'm alone and yet I'm not alone for you are with me. My God does not leave me nor does he forsake me. So in the midst of the trials in the midst of the affliction in the midst of a rejection sometimes the persecution remembers something remained firm and steadfast because God is with you. You need to remember that even in suffering and unto death God is your help. In Matthew 10 28 do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul rather fear him who's able to destroy both soul and body and hell. So you preach a message of hope for eternity and embrace this message yourself because it's in this hope that will keep you strong in your times of adversity and we go through adversity we sometimes when we get saved we think well now it's all done no more problems is that true? No. I wish I could stand up there and say listen man all you need to do is get right with God and you will giggle yourself to sleep every night and you'll wake up with a it's not that way is it? It seems more difficult day by day because the climate is much more oppressive in rejection of Christ day by day. So he's saying hold fast to your confession in the midst of the affliction in the midst of the trials in the midst of the rejection in the midst of the oppression in the midst of all that you go through hold fast to the Lord Jesus Christ and don't let go make sure you remain tightly with him somebody said Timothy is exhorted to fight his good fight ever mindful that he is in the presence of that great being who could and would even if Timothy's faithfulness should lead him to danger and to death still preserve him on earth or in paradise hold tightly and don't let go it is God who gives life to all things hold fast to him and he says before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate so remember that Jesus witnessed the good confession now remember Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate was a Roman governor who Jesus whom Jesus stood before on the night that he was sentenced to the cross and remember that as Jesus was there before this Roman governor and he was conversing with him that the conversation a part of that conversation is recorded by John and Jesus was there and remained steadfast even before this man John in chapter 18 of his gospel verses 36 through 38 records how that Jesus answered my kingdom is not of this world if my kingdom were of this world my servants would fight so that I should not be delivered to the Jews but now my kingdom is not from here Pilate therefore said to him are you a king then? Jesus answered you say rightly that I am a king for this cause I was born for this cause I've come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth everyone who's of the truth here's my voice Pilate said to him what is truth? what is truth? and so Jesus there even in the face of a man who didn't even know what truth was a hardened man who'd been in various places undoubtedly had heard a lot of philosophies spouted standing before truth himself Jesus who said I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father but by me as Jesus is standing before him and says the ones who hear the truth are mine he said what is truth? and a lot of people to this day say the same kind of thing so Paul is saying to Timothy remain steadfast remain faithful Timothy to the end even to the point of death Jesus was faithful to the end so don't grow afraid he didn't neither should you now that was the ministry of Paul that was his mentality remember in Acts 21 verses 10 through 14 how Luke recorded this Luke said a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea when he had come to us he took Paul's belt bound his own hands and feet and said thus says the Holy Spirit so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles now when we heard these things both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go to Jerusalem Paul answered who do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? for I'm ready not only to be bound but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus so when he would not be persuaded we ceased saying the will of the Lord be done why are you breaking my heart with your tears? don't you understand that for this cause I was sent into the world to proclaim the gospel of Jesus don't you understand that's my calling? and if I go to Jerusalem and they bind me and they put me in jail and ultimately I die I'm willing to do that God has not given to us a spirit of fear but a power and love and a sound mind and so Paul is saying Timothy you need to use the example of your Savior Jesus Christ who witnessed that good confession notice verse 14 that you keep this commandment without spot blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ appearing so this encourages him to hold fast to the very end as he looks unto Jesus so Paul tells him keep this commandment without spot blameless the words without spot speak of it being untainted blameless speaks of being without reproach so the command is for him to teach the message of the gospel properly it is not to be given in any form with compromise it is to be given in its fullness it is to be spoken with faith and example with a life and that allows the gospel to have its proper work there are sadly there are many who don't understand this at this time and I pray that they over time will of course when you first get saved you're not fully mature yet yes it takes time it takes days, weeks, months and years to begin to mature and to get to the point where you begin to understand some of the things that the Lord that are really transforming truths and all you get saved and you have some basic elements of the gospel and certain things seem to happen more rapidly certain sins seem to fall away and then others are besetting they seem to remain they become the things that you wrestle with more regularly and so what you have to do is you have to hold fast to these things and to walk in this truth and to grow and God's word begins to work within you and God's word begins to confront certain things that you at one time thought were okay and then you ultimately begin to realize that they're not the gospel's work is to confront and to cure moral ills in Hebrews 4 verse 12 it says the word of God is living in powerful sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow it's a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart there are things that you think are okay then you read the word of God and God says they're not and you say oh again I must be misinterpreting scripture because they're pet sins you like those sins but you know what happens man after a while the Lord begins to work in your life your delight begins to be in his law and it's what you meditate day and night on it changes you from the inside and your life begins to radically be transformed and conformed into the image of Jesus and your friends who know you the best will look at you and they'll begin to say something happened to you something occurred in you and I've been watching you and I've seen this and I respect you for it because God is real and that's what happens so Timothy if you're gonna be used by the Lord let God conform you into the image of Jesus Christ and by the way serve the Lord with anticipation of being with him because Jesus Christ promised to return notice again in verse 14 keep this commandment without spot blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ appearing Jesus said let not your heart be troubled you believe in God believe also in me my father's house or many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go and prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I'll come again into you and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also Jesus promised to come and take us to be with him one day and it's coming soon somebody has asked what is the next prophecy that needs to be fulfilled before the return to the Lord for the church and the answer biblically is there is no other prophecy that needs to be fulfilled so it can happen at any moment in the twinkling of an eye we'll be gone and be with him and therefore we ought to be living as if we anticipate that and that's what Paul is saying live in anticipation to be with Jesus Christ he promised and he will return because the return of the Lord is to spur us to a godly life we're not supposed to say oh our Lord delays his coming and then begin to drink and beat the other servants that's the evil one that's the evil worker the one in anticipation is the one who's awaiting because he can come at any moment and we want to be prepared for him as he does in Titus 2, 11 through 14 it says the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age looking for the blessed, hoping, glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people zealous for good works in the King James it's his own peculiar people so I prefer special I've already been peculiar I'd rather be special so he says Christ's return verse 15 is returning verse 15 which will manifest in his own time he who is the blessed and only potentate the King of kings and Lord of lords who alone has immortality dwelling in unapproachable light whom no man has seen or can see to whom be honor and everlasting power amen so he says he will manifest this in his own time God is going to provide an incredible future for believers in heaven so hold on prepare yourself faithfully await the return of the Lord Jesus he's returning at the time appointed by the Father so he's saying wait for him you see the key is living as if he can return today my own pastor Chuck Smith once said if you knew that Jesus was coming this evening what would you do differently today if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'll be home he'll be coming to take us home at eight o'clock what would you do differently today if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'd be there at that time and then he lets us think for a moment then he says then why don't you do that live as if you expect him to come at any moment and that's what the Bible teaches us to do to hold on and to wait at 1st John 3 2 and 3 it says dear friends now we are children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known but we know that when he appears we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure Revelation 22 20 says he who testifies these things says surely I come quickly amen and then John has to add even so come Lord Jesus come Lord Jesus he is so blessed that he actually is closing with what is called a doxology a doxology is a hymn of praise the song of praise so he speaks of the Lord in this way he says he is the blessed and only potentate when's the last time you use the word potentate we don't use it very often unless it's a wife speaking to the husband but normally the word potentate speaks of a possessor of power a ruler he's saying God is the ruler in Daniel 4 35 all the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing he does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and peoples of the earth no one can hold back his hand or say to him what have you done he is the potentate secondly he is king of kings Lord of lords he is the sovereign ruler over heaven and earth he's the king of all kings he's the Lord of all lords he is the ruler in Deuteronomy 10 17 the Lord your God is God of gods Lord of lords the great God mighty and awesome who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes third he has he alone has immortality he is not subject to death God has what is referred to as inherent immortality he is by essence of him being God he is life itself he has immortality within himself we receive from him eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ we receive that but he has that inherently fourth dwelling in unapproachable light that speaks of his shekinah glory I used to think it was his shekinah glory but it's not it's his shekinah glory just kidding he is pure he is holy in 1st John 1 5 this is the message we have heard from him and declared to you God is light and in him there is no darkness at all Psalm 104 verse 2 he wraps himself in light as with a garment he says fifthly whom no man has seen or can see no man can see God in all his fullness and glory as a human being here on the face of the earth sometimes we have said to the Lord I'd like to see you show yourself to me no you don't want that there's a man in the Bible by the name of Moses who's said exactly that Lord show me your glory and God said no man can see my glory and live no he dwells in a light that is unapproachable there's no way a human being could look at God in his glory anymore than a human being could stare at the sun from 10 feet away and survive he is unapproachable so what did he do? he took upon himself human flesh and manifested himself to us as Jesus walking on the face of the earth so that we could see God incarnate that's how it worked Moses says show me your glory God says no man can see me and live and so God hides him in a cleft of a rock and passes by Exodus 33 and 34 he passes by and he gives his name the Lord the Lord God and he begins to speak his name because it's within his name that you have a revelation of his glory and he begins to speak concerning who he is so that Moses can understand why it's not possible for him to have a full on eye to eye relationship with God there has to be something between us that causes you to survive no human eye can see God in his full glory but we will see him when we receive our glorified bodies and when we see him you know there are people who say oh when I see God I'm going to ask him questions what an arrogant thing to say really yeah you're going to put God on the witness stand right so I just want to know why my dog died when I was eight do you honestly think that do you really think that that you're going to have questions in heaven do you really think that you know the question you're going to have is how'd I get here oh it was through Jesus that makes me laugh because people every once in a while I'm going to ask God oh really really you're going to ask God you wouldn't even speak to your principal when you're in elementary school but you're going to talk to God no it's not going to be that way at all no it's not what we're going to do is we're going to fall before him and we're going to praise him and worship him forever if you don't want to worship God forever you're not saved because that's why we were created to have relationship with God the Bible makes it very clear in Revelation 7 9 through 12 after this I looked in there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation tribe people and language standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb they were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands and they cried out in a loud voice salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures they fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God saying amen praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever amen that's what we'll be doing I look forward to that so much to worship the Lord and praise him for all that he has done we will see him one day and he says to whom be honor and everlasting power because he is worthy of all of our praise Psalm 41 13 praise be to the Lord the God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting Romans 11 36 for from him and through him and for him are all things to him be the glory forever amen with that as what he's revealing and reminding Timothy about with that said in light of it here's a practical portion that he begins to close with in verses 17 through 19 what are our priorities to be as we await his return you see in verse 17 notice what he says 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 let them do good that they 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 in light of this what are my priorities to be as I await the return of Christ it's interesting how Paul begins to close by speaking of those who are financially prosperous and he's speaking of believers here he'd already spoken about riches and the desire to become rich in verses nine and 10 remember what he had said in verses nine and 10 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 and he went on in verse 10 to say for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows so he's already addressed that he had spoken about those with a desire that word desire is what is called a settled desire it is something you have thought about it's the result of reasoning something through it's not simply an emotional desire I wish no it's a reasoned desire it's something you're thinking through there are steps that I'm going to take to get these riches is what he's speaking about but he says the person who has those particular desires he says they in verse nine fall into temptation the word fall is actually in the Greek tense that speaks of a continual falling they are continually trapped by their desire for more so what he had said already is loving money leads to bondage greedy people are trapped by irrational and harmful lusts when you are greedy for money you'll do almost anything for it you can resort to violence and you can resort to stealing killing ripping people off to get a little bit more for yourself so here he's speaking concerning the same topic from a different perspective he's not speaking of those who want to be rich notice with me he's speaking of those who already are verse seventeen command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty not to trust in uncertain riches so he's speaking concerning those who already are rich again Ephesus was a large and prosperous city some of the church were financially well off he doesn't want those who are well off to be treated by the members of the church as if they're evil sinners I'm going to talk to you about this for just a moment I think it's practical in this moment in the life that we're living in this age in this year moving into the next year to be honest with you I want to speak to you a little bit about this here as it says again verse seventeen 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 let them do good that they 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 me talk to you about some things that I think are relevant as it relates to this I believe that America has what is called a selective conscience America seems to as a nation and I think we get a lot of the selective conscience from the press be honest with you from the newspapers we have a selective conscience there are certain things that we think are right and certain things that we think are wrong and we popularize those things through through various means and so it wasn't that long ago when anybody who had finances of any sort became the villain and they still are to this day the evil one percenters and all and you hear that quite often you hear all these people are rich in their bad and all rich people are bad there are some people who honestly believe that and that's unfortunate because that's not true but there are quite a number of people who do they have a selective conscience concerning the rich and people who work to advance and become wealthy are often targeted the liberal press seems to actually hate them because they became successful they actually worked they invented something people are using it they became financial wealthy they employ a lot of people and then the press seems to hate them and vilify them constantly they're the evil one percenters a few years ago an economist by the name of of Thomas soul made an interesting observation he wrote in an article that I read a recent study showed the median income of major corporate CEOs to be about eight million dollars a year I'll let that settle because that number million doesn't mean very much to people today million are you kidding me they ain't nothing really eight million dollars a year it's a lot of money you can eat a lot of McDonald's with eight million eight million a year is a lot of money and when you hear that number you go wow for just being a CEO the average what right does this person have to have that much money they must be greedy they must be evil I'm telling you you know this I know this I'm just addressing what we all know there are a lot of people it's wrong it's unfair you should work you should invent you should create you should employ and then you should give to me or you're greedy so we think that way about CEOs but Thomas soul went on to say this that's less than a third of what Alex Rodriguez earned baseball player and less than one-thirtieth of what Oprah Winfrey made Oprah the Oprah that one but no one is denouncing them for greed have you ever seen that have you ever seen people carrying signs saying you know Kershaw's making too much I haven't maybe you have I haven't and I began to I always get curious about these things I began to think LeBron James amazing amazing basketball player on the wrong team but an amazing basketball player you know what he made last year this year eighty six point two million dollars anybody marching against LeBron anybody no why not why not Mark Wahlberg you know how much he made sixty eight million dollars anybody in front of his mansion or one of his mansions saying unfair unfair you should let me go see your movies or whatever you do for free unfair greedy greedy no of course you don't see the bill gates who wants to talk about bill he doesn't tithe to my church he should bill could you no ninety billion dollars net worth that's a number none of us understand I don't I don't I I can't that's that number I can understand but I don't see anybody marching against bill gates a movie came out what is it the last Jedi right the first their opening weekend two hundred and twenty million dollars did somebody march against that did somebody go out with a lightsaber and Yoda didn't say a thing how come you ever think about that how come how come people don't say anything about oprah how come people don't say anything about walberg or LeBron or you name it why don't they they're making an awful lot more than any ceo's ceo averages eight million LeBron over eighty million because we like basketball it's because we like to be entertained by these people who are actors or we use products that are made by these inventors so that's okay if they're rich because their politics and the morals are like mine and that's where we have a problem here in the united states is we take money and we say money is the root of all evil but I'm selective in when it comes to and yet Paul said no it's the love of money so you have to teach people who are rich because they can become arrogant because they use it for themselves because that's what can happen when you're rich so riches in and of themselves are not the question what you do with them is what he's addressing so paul isn't writing condemnation of those who are rich what he's calling for is stewardship of their god-given resources when you read your bible you'll see this there are various people in scripture who are wealthy look in the old testament and you see men like abraham you see men like king david and and king salamon these are very very wealthy men they were god-fearers and blessed by god in the new testament you see zakeas and nicodemus you see joseph of arimathea you see tabitha and others that are wealthy and god blessed them there's nothing wrong with wealth in and of itself it's not a sin to be wealthy sometimes wealth is simply god-blessing a life in deuteronomy 8 verse 18 remember the lord your god it is he who gives you power to get wealth that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers as it is this day so what do you do if somebody has wealth while you command them command those who are rich he say instruct them in this present age not to be haughty and not to trust in uncertain riches so paul tells timothy that he needs to teach the rich concerning money because there are certain sins that accompany material wealth that should be avoided one he says they can become haughty teach them not to the word haughty isn't a word that we use very often it means conceited having an exalted opinion of themselves it's the idea of looking down on other people with an air of superiority it's the real wealthy person going into a restaurant cutting in front of other people who already have the reservations and they say hey it's me give me my table it's that attitude he said they can be arrogant they can be haughty they can push themselves in front of other people because after all you're nothing you don't make anything i'm very important and thus i had to be given better better care he said they can be haughty a rich person can be so teach them not to they can fall into the temptation of expecting special treatment they can be rude in demanding proverbs eighteen twenty three says the poor man utter supplications the rich man answers roughly and that's true he says teach him not to trust in uncertain riches you see you cannot trust wealth because it's uncertain but you can trust in the living god wealth can be gained and lost suddenly proverbs twenty three four and five do not overwork to be rich because of your own understanding cease will you set your eyes on that which is not for riches certainly make themselves wings they fly away like an eagle toward heaven proverbs eleven twenty eight he who trusts in his riches will fall rather than trusting money fix your hope on god because he gives us richly all things to enjoy james one seventeen every good gift in every perfect gift is from above comes down from the father of lights through and there's no variation or shadow of turning now all of this and i'm going to develop this with you know we get to a practical place in this all of this rest on one simple thing you set your heart on in matthew six nineteen through twenty one do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth will rust were moth and rust destroying where thieves break in and steal lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven we neither moth nor rust destroys where thieves do not break in or steal for where your treasure is there where your heart be also let's get practical he says let them do good and rich in good works willing to share many at this point even in this church right now are saying well this really doesn't apply to me anyway i'm not rich but is that true is that true i once read twenty five percent of those living in india make less than forty cents a day some of you may or may not know i spent a month in his in india uh... i went on trips to india to minister twice once for sixteen days the other for thirteen or fourteen somewhere in that area spent a month i've been in new delhi i've been in bombay new delhi madras trivandrum i've walked the streets i've seen things i've never seen before i've seen poverty in india unlike anything i'd seen in the world to that point we're driving for example on a bus and i was in the front in speaking to our guide in who pulled up in a certain area there was a woman who was seated under an awning there were large rocks on one side of her and gravel on the other and i saw her with a hammer as she was hitting the rocks and i said what is she she doing he said that's her job she works under that awning and you need to understand it's between ninety to one hundred degrees and she's under this awning with little shade with a small ball peen hammer and he says she's under that awning ten hours a day and she makes fifty cents and she takes the fifty cents that she made and she feeds her children with it and she does that every day i saw things that i've never seen before i saw traffic islands in major cities with tents cardboard shacks where the people actually live on traffic islands i saw things from the north to the south poverty poverty that i've never seen before i've seen it in in manila philippines i've seen sidewalks in residential areas where the people have built shacks out of anything they could find including cardboard and we're living on the sidewalk in front of houses picture yourself driving to your home and having the whole area your whole area with a shanty town there in front that's how they live i've seen that i've seen it in mexico i've seen it in south america i've seen it around the world are you rich if you have more than one pair of shoes you are if you have more than one pair of socks you are if you have more than one pair of pants or even a pair of pants you are we just don't see it that way you know why we don't see it that way because americans are very very rich we don't see it i had just seen a girl she couldn't have been eight or nine years old i was in manila i saw a little girl eight or nine years old in front of a mcdonald's in the mcdonald's they had armed guards with m16s in front of the mcdonald's and she was standing in front asking for change so she could eat and that was everywhere that we were as we were ministering everywhere then i went to my room i sat down i turned the tv an american commercial was on where they had a cat eating cat food out of crystal cat food out of crystal pampering our pets well i'm watching a baby who can't even afford a 75 cent hamburger do you wonder why americans are hated throughout the world the things that we have and take for granted are you rich yes we are is it a sin to have finances no am i saying that no don't misunderstand me but we can be in a church service just like this saying that doesn't apply to me i'm not rich bill gates is rich now by proportion we are very rich you know in zambia ninety four percent live on under two dollars a day in nigeria ninety two percent mali ninety percent tanzania eighty nine percent verundi eighty seven percent niger eighty five percent madagascar eighty five percent central african republic eighty four percent zimbabwe eighty three percent they all live under two dollars a day compared to the majority of the world the average american is wealthy we are we are but there's something in us the eyes of men are never satisfied how much is enough a little bit more it's in our nature it's something we're aware of we just had christmas my baby girl gets christmas presents one of them i'll leave her unnamed gets christmas presents before you know it she's wanting to open the other ones what did they get that's in us it's bound up within us we have to learn to be generous if you think that we are naturally generous you don't have kids because we're not now some kids are amazing in their generosity that's a fact we know that some are not all because within us is a desire for more it's just part of what we are by nature so that's why he says command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty nor to trust in uncertain riches we have to be trained we have to be taught we have to learn to do good and to be rich in good works our finances are to be used for the benefit of others that's what he means by being rich in good works in titus three fourteen let our people learn to maintain good works meet urgent needs that they may not be unfruitful he says be ready to give willing to share ready to give means we are to have generosity that rises from real concern i have friends of mine minister friends of mine that that the lord has used wealthy people in their churches or in the christian world to do much good through their generous giving that's what he's teaching raul has told me my friend raul reese from golden springs has said you know somebody donated a million dollars so we could make a movie great glory has many people who don't are donors because he does great work in evangelism and that's a great thing when you have the church aware of eternity and the generous members who support it and that's what paul's talking about let them do good that they be rich in good works ready to give willing to share why do you do that verse nineteen finally storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life this is a faith that anticipates being in heaven the rich are not to be concerned about getting a return on their investment in this life being generous is not a financial strategy that pays off instantly instead look ahead to heaven that's where you receive your ultimate reward and because a believer has an eternal perspective we of all people are to be the most generous we are the ones who say this person has a need and i will meet that need the way the early church was in acts four thirty four and thirty five nor was there anyone among them who lacked for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them brought proceeds of the things that were sold laid them at the apostles feet and they distributed to each as anyone had made the church cared for believers because the spirit of generosity is in the church but you have to be taught to give you know i can speak on a variety of things very easily but every time i speak on giving even if it's the only time i have to somebody in the congregation or listening online saying that's why i hate churches they're always asking for money i never speak about it unless it's in the passage but i believe what god is saying don't you i believe in what god is saying i believe that god will bless a cheerful giver i believe that i believe that the church is supposed to support one another and i believe that we're laying up treasures in heaven and that one day as we enter in we receive our reward and it's not that long from now that some of us will enter in and i do pray that there is something waiting for us that we laid in advance