Sharing And Saving

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The name Laing is familiar from countless construction sites across the UK. The former company president Sir John Laing who died a number of years ago, was throughout his life a careful and generous steward of the resources God gave to him. At the age of thirty his building business was in severe financial difficulty. But he made a commitment, which he later summed up in these words: "First, the centre of my life was to be God – God as seen in Jesus Christ. Secondly, I was going to enjoy life and help others to enjoy it." To this end he drew up a financial plan to determine his present and future giving: "If income is £2000 per year, give £200, live on £500, save £1300. If income is £4000 per year, give £1500, live on £500, save £2000." He did not increase his standard of living but he did increase the amounts he shared and saved. When Sir John's will was published after his death, many people were amazed at the size of his estate: just £371. The man who had handled millions had given them all away. He took seriously this 'charge' in v17-19 to 'those who are rich in this present world', to those, in other words, with material wealth.

And although we may not be as wealthy as John Laing was this 'charge' also applies to many of us here this morning. Yes, as we were reminded last week, there are people in this fellowship who are financially poor but many of us here this morning are materially well off, certainly compared to much of the rest of the world. So what do these verses say to those of us who are already 'rich in this present world' and to those of us who might be in the future? What are we commanded not to be and to do in v.17 and what are we commanded to do and to be in v.18-19? Well have a look again at those three verses and note the word command. This is strong and serious stuff. Paul writes:

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Notice that Paul does not tell 'those who are rich in this present world' to become poor. But he does first warn the wealthy of the spiritual dangers of being rich and then tells them the duties of being rich, and commands them to carry out those obligations - namely to be generous with their wealth – to be truly sharing and so truly saving for eternity – 'storing up for yourselves treasure in heaven', as Jesus put it in Matthew 6. Now in no way can we earn a place in heaven, the only way is through faith in Jesus Christ, 'but where your treasure is, there your heart will be also' said Jesus (Mt 6:21). So my two headings, which you'll find on the back of your service sheet, are: The Dangers of Being Rich and The Duties of Being Rich. So


First, THE DANGERS OF BEING RICH (v 17)

The first danger Paul warns against is pride or arrogance. V17:

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant…

Wealth can easily make us feel self-important, look down on others and boast as if it is our achievement. Deuteronomy 8 also warns us against forgetting the Lord, which leads to pride and problems. V10-19 say this:

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery…You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.

The second danger of being rich is false security. V17:

Command those who are rich in this present world…not to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Putting our hope in wealth is so short sighted. Wealth is so uncertain as the ENRON and Equitable Life affairs show. Lord Wakeham earned £156,000 per year as one of ENRON's directors but now finds his career in tatters. Many people have gone to bed rich and woken up poor. In the dot com company frenzy two years ago one New York businessman, Michael Donahue, saw his stake rise to $448m. He then bought a $9.6m second home in Florida, sponsored a polo team and a stake in a private jet. "It was a lifestyle thing," he said. Today Mr Donahue is a member of another club – the 90% club – a club of executives whose companies stock price has crashed by 90% or more and he owes far more than he owns. "Going up was easy," he said, "but when it starts going down, no-one wants to talk to you."

Jesus warned:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal [and we could add fire, inflation, corruption, terrorism]. But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Mt 6:19-20)

We are to invest in God's work with our money and our time, an investment that is future proof. And we are not to put off making that investment so to speak.

The rich fool in Luke's Gospel went to bed rich but didn't wake up. He was looking forward to taking life easy for many years, using his riches purely for his own pleasure. But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you what you have prepared for yourself?' Jesus concluded: 'This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God.' (Lk 12:16-21) His hope was in his wealth. He did not live by faith. His hope was not in God. Eat, drink and be merry was his philosophy.

The Apostle Paul said: 'Don't put your hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but put your hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.' Is our hope in our wealth or in God? You see the proper object of our trust is not a thing but a Person, not wealth but God 'who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment'. Having wealth and possessions is not wrong in itself unless they have been appropriated illegally and immorally. 'God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.' We are not to exchange materialism for asceticism. God is a generous God who wants us to appreciate the good gifts of creation. It is our attitude to and how we steward the resources God gives us that is key. The dangers are that we look down on those less fortunate and trust in the gift instead of in the giver.


Secondly, THE DUTIES OF BEING RICH (vv 18-19)

V18:

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

Wealth can make people lazy. Some wealthy folk are known as the idle rich. Today some of the top footballers are the new idle rich. Training in the morning and then time on their hands with money to spend. One better example is a Sunderland player Niall Quinn. He's going to give away all the £1m to be raised from his testimonial game to two children's centres at two hospitals. One Christian basketball player in the States, David Robinson, helps to feed the homeless through his Feed My Sheep programme and he also helps needy families get supplies for their children. He says, 'These gifts aren't really sacrifices for me. For if I'm clutching on to my money with both hands, how can I be free to hug my wife and kids?'

But many of the idle rich can simply write out a cheque without thinking about it, without therefore being generous and sacrificial with either their money or their time. And so can we. So Timothy is to command the rich to do good, to actually get involved, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. Rich Christians today are commanded to do the same. We are actively to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and give generously and willingly, willing to share what we have been given.

John Wesley said: "Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever…you can."

Now again doing good deeds won't save us. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ, not by works so that no-one can boast. But good deeds and generous giving are evidence of faith. In Ephesians 5:1 Christians are to 'be imitators of God'. God is rich yet out of his riches he richly provides us with everything we need. And since God is such a generous giver, his people are to be generous too, not only in imitation of him but also because of the huge spiritual and physical needs of people in the world around us. And if Christians do not give generously to gospel work here and overseas no-one else will. Praise God the gospel is bearing fruit all over the world but at least two thirds of the world's population do not claim any allegiance to Christ and one fifth is destitute. 90% of Tyneside do not go to church regularly. Will you give? Will you go?

By giving and sharing generously Christians, says Paul, will gain for themselves treasure in heaven, which will far exceed any earthly treasure. V19:

In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

The word foundation means something that is solid and lasting. The spiritual riches that we lay up for ourselves in heaven are not exposed to decay, theft or fire but remain permanently safe from all danger. Nothing on this earth has such a solid foundation for everything changes here.

Just before I conclude I should add here a quote from John Calvin.

"Some", he writes "have drawn from this passage the inference that through good deeds we merit eternal life. That is exceedingly foolish. Should God call us to account, everyone would be found wanting, as we are so far from giving all we should. But after God reconciles us to himself through his free grace, he accepts our services, such as they are, and bestows on them a reward which they do not deserve. So our reward is not dependent on our merit, but on God's gracious acceptance of us."

So, to conclude, which is the more valuable? To be rich in this age or in the age to come? To accumulate treasure on earth or in heaven? To make more money now for ourselves and be lured into shallow pleasures, or to take hold of the life that is truly life?

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