THE PEARLS OF PAUL
THE RICH OF THIS WORLD
DR. JIM DIXON
1 TIMOTHY 6:6-10, 1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19
JUNE 6, 1999
The United Nations Task Force on Global Poverty has determined that the poverty is proliferating on the earth. There are 5,600,000,000 people on this planet. More than half of them live in poverty. Three billion people make less than $2 a day. Of those three billion people, 1,300,000,000 make less than $1 a day. You see, by global standards, all of us who are gathered here in this room this morning are very, very rich. The United Nations claims that wealth is proliferating on this earth as well as poverty. There are growing numbers of poor people, growing numbers of rich people, and the middle class is shrinking. A kind of economic polarization is taking place.
In our passage of scripture for today, the Apostle Paul has a message for the rich and the poor. To the poor, his message is, “There is great gain in godliness with contentment. We brought nothing into the world. We can take nothing out of the world. If we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. For those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evil. It is through this craving that many have wandered away from the truth and pierced their hearts with many pains.”
To the rich, Paul’s message is this: “As for the rich of this world, charge them not to be haughty nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God who richly furnishes us with all things to enjoy. Let them do good and be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous, thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed.”
Throughout church history, many sermons have been preached on Paul’s message to the poor. Very few sermons have been preached on Paul’s message to the rich, but this morning we’re going to focus on Paul’s message to the rich because, in the eyes of God, suburban America IS rich—very, very rich. The Apostle Paul has four teachings for us this morning. They are very simple, and these are, of course, from God.
The first teaching to the rich is a warning regarding arrogance. As for the rich of this world, Paul said, “Charge them not to be haughty.” Haughty is obviously a word that’s out of vogue, rarely used in our time, but the Greek word there that Paul uses is “hypselophroneo.” This word is the opposite of the Greek word “tapeinophroneo.” The Greek word tapeinophroneo is the word that’s generally rendered “humility” and it literally means “low minded.” Hypselophroneo means “high minded” or “arrogant.” God hates financial snobbery. And so, Paul warns the rich not to be arrogant. God doesn’t want us to be snobs.
A little over three weeks ago, I went with some of the elders and some of our staff down to Juarez, Mexico, with Missions Ministries, who seek to build homes, little houses, for the poor. Missions Ministries labors in three colonias that surround the city of Juarez. In those colonias, these are communities of abject poverty, we went into some of the peoples’ homes. We were privileged to go into their homes and pray with them. They live in little tiny homes. Some of them have dirt floors, flies buzzing all about. Some of them have cardboard walls in their little houses.
Eight hundred thousand people live like that in or about the city of Juarez. Two million people live in the greater Juarez area. Forty percent of them are impoverished—800,000! And yet, as Mexico’s cities go, Juarez is relatively good. In other cities in Mexico, the poverty is greater in number of the poor. Juarez is relatively good. Of course, Mexico is just a drop in a vast ocean of poverty globally. As we looked at the colonias surrounding Juarez, and we looked at all those poor people, it was very obvious to all of us that in our lifetime we would not be able to change all that.
Jesus has said to us, “The poor, you will always have with you.” But He has called us, as long as we draw breath, as long as we live on this earth, to reach out to the poor, to remember the poor, and to seek to help the poor. And so we seek to do what we can in the time we have. As I was looking at some of the colonias, some of the houses of the poor, it just occurred to me down in Juarez that all of those people down there, all of those poor people, are precious to God, absolutely precious. God loves each of them every bit as much as God loves the people in Highlands Ranch. God loves each of those poor people in Juarez every bit as much as He loves each and every one of us in this room today. There’s just no room for any kind of economic arrogance.
You know, immediately after the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, we read these words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” That is not true financially or even physically or intellectually. All men are not created equal. But it is true theologically. When Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, he was thinking theologically. In the eyes of the Creator, all people are equal. In the eyes of the Creator, before God, all people have equal worth. All people have equal value. As Christians, as those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we’re called to give equal value to all people.
We have a ministry here at our church called Manna Ministries. Most of you are familiar with this ministry. Every Tuesday, hundreds of people come here to our church who are poor. Some come in the day. Some come at night. They come for food. They come for clothing. Some come in really poor cars. I mean, really beat up cars. Some have no cars at all. Some come in shabby clothing. How we treat them, how we value them, reflects how close we are to Christ and how close we are to the heart of Christ.
In the Bible, in the book of James, God says to us, “Show no partiality, brothers and sisters, as you hold the faith of your Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory. For if a rich man with gold rings and fine clothing comes into your congregation and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in and you say to the rich man, ‘Have a seat here, please,’ while you say to the poor man, ‘Stand over there or sit at my feet,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” You see, there’s no room for economic arrogance. So, this is the first message of Paul to the wealthy, to the Christian wealthy. Do not be arrogant.
The second message to the wealthy is do not trust in money. As for the rich of the world, “Let them not set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God who richly furnishes us with all things to enjoy.” American currency bears the motto, “In God We Trust,” and this should be a reminder to us all not to trust in money but rather to trust in God.
Many of you are invested in the stock market. The stock market for a number of years has done quite well. There’s been some ebb and flow as always there is, but generally speaking, the stock market in recent years has been bullish. In the recent issue of U.S. News and World Report in the money section, there is an article on the stock market. According to the U.S. News and World Report, there are four things that could drive the stock market down, four potential problems for the stock market, four things that could stop Wall Street’s hot streak.
The first is inflation. The U.S. News and World Report points out that there are some people who thinks the economy is overheating and that market fears of spiraling prices could drive the market down. The second potential problem for Wall Street, according to U.S. News and World Report, is the fed. To quote U.S. News and World Report, Greenspan gives and Greenspan takes away. According to U.S. News and World Report, there are hints that the fed may hike interest rates and thereby drive the market down. The third potential problem for Wall Street according to U.S. News and World Report is IPO’s. They claim that internet stocks may drown in a deluge of new stock offerings. The fourth potential problem for the stock market, according to U.S. News and World Report, is Y2K. They say that probably Y2K will not negatively impact the stock market, but probability is not the same as certainty.
So, they look at these four possibilities, four possible problems. But even if none of these problems really impact the market… Even if the market continues to be bullish… In fact, even if the market were to continue to be bullish for the rest of your life, you still should not trust money. You should not set your hopes there, because money cannot protect your body or your soul. You may have noticed that the death rate amongst the rich is exactly the same as the death rate amongst the poor. Everybody dies. The rich may live a little bit longer, although even that is not guaranteed. And, of course, money cannot guard or protect your soul, and it can’t give you the joy and the happiness and the fulfillment and the peace that your soul longs for.
We noticed when we were down in Juarez that the people living in the colonias, the people living in that poverty, had as much peace and joy, I believe, as do the people living in Highlands Ranch. And why is that? It’s because money doesn’t give peace and joy. Money just doesn’t give it. And certainly, money can’t give your soul eternal life. That’s why in the Bible our Lord Jesus Christ tells us that whoever trusts in money is a fool. So, the second message of Paul to the rich is, “Do not trust in money. Do not set your hopes on uncertain riches but on God who richly furnishes us with all things to enjoy.”
The third message from Paul to the rich is, “Use your money for good.” This is the third message from Paul to the rich. “Use your money for good.” Paul says, “Let them do good and be rich in good deeds.” All Bible scholars agree that Paul is speaking economically here. That is the context. Use your money for good and for good deeds. Paul uses two different Greek words for good. He uses the word “kalos,” which refers to that which is intrinsically good, that which is good in the sight of God. And he uses the word “agathos,” which refers to that which is “beneficial in its effects,” that which benefits mankind. We are to ask ourselves as we give our money to charity, “Is it going to do good?” This is the question every Christian as a good steward must ask. “Is it going to do good in the sense of kalos and agathos?” Is it going to serve man or is it going to please God?
Ted Turner recently committed $1 billion to the United Nations. If Ted Turner were a Christian (and by his own confession he is not), he would have to pose the question, “What good is this? Is it really going to accomplish much good?” That would be an appropriate question with regard to the United Nations since, in the opinion of many, the United Nations is so politically and ideologically conflicted as to be of minimal good. Bill Cosby recently pledged $20 million to Spelman College, a private secular college in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s not uncommon for people to give to colleges and universities. The ivy league schools, particularly Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, have vast, multi-billion endowments. People all over this country give to colleges and universities. But, as a Christian, you’ve got to ask yourself, “Am I accomplishing good? Is it pleasing to God?”
When you give to secular higher education… and I need to be careful here. I recognize the fact that it’s a privilege to get a college education. 1% of the people of this world graduate from college. It’s a privilege to get a college education. I recognize the fact that there are wonderful people who are professors at secular institutions of higher learning. I recognize that, and I certainly value education, but it is true that secular institutions of higher learning have declared Christianity fair game. In the social sciences, you see many professors attacking the credibility of Christianity and the authenticity and credibility of the Bible. While their attacks have no substance, they are talking to young people who are highly impressionable.
It is also true that in the natural sciences at secular institutions of higher learning many professors teach secular Darwinism. I think we all acknowledge that in this congregation and through the body of Christ globally there are many different views of evolution. But if you’re a Christian, if you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can’t be a secular Darwinist because a secular Darwinist views a human being simply as an evolved animal, soulless. You can’t possibly have that view, and it’s that view that strips humanity of dignity and it’s that view that strips us of morality. You need to consider those things when you ask yourself whether you should give gifts to secular institutions of higher learning. You’ve got to ask yourself, “If this going to do good?”
When you think of good, you need to think supremely of the kingdom of heaven because the word agathos and the word kalos biblically are generally used of the goodness of the kingdom of heaven. You have been called as believers in Christ to supremely serve the kingdom of heaven on earth. That means that, through your gifts, you need to support church and parachurch. You need to support parachurch ministries, and you need to take a look at those ministries—Young Life, Campus Crusade, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Youth for Christ, Fellowship of Christian Athletes. You need to take a look at Missions Ministries and World Vision, Compassion International, whatever ministries are out there in the parachurch. You need to ask yourself, “What good are they doing?” and you need to get behind those that you firmly believe are pleasing God.
Whatever church you attend, you need to support. You need to support your local church supremely in your giving, for that is biblical. With regard to this church, I do want, and I’ve been asked, to make two comments. First of all, our fiscal year is coming to an end June 30. We need to finish this month strong. Please be faithful. Please be faithful, and please consider making a special gift.
Also, this calendar year, in December, will bring to a conclusion our Growing by Grace Campaign. Whatever pledges you have made, please honor them. Some of you have said, “Well, the Ministry Center is already paid for, is it not, so we don’t need to honor our remaining pledge with regard to Growing by Grace. Well, it is true the Ministry Center is paid for, and we’ve used capital reserves to pay for that, money that was not designated for the Ministry Center. We need to replenish those capital reserves because those capital reserves are needed for landscaping around this building. You may have noticed things are kind of falling apart. We need to do improvements to the existing building. There is so much that needs to be done, so please be faithful. I can say this. I know before Christ we long to please Him, and we are seeking to do good for the kingdom of heaven, and to serve Christ in the lives of people of all ages. We don’t simply serve our community, but we reach out to people all over the world and we do remember the poor. So, whenever you give here, you should have confidence that you are indeed doing good.
Well, there’s a final message from the Apostle Paul to the rich. That final message is be liberal and generous. “Let them be liberal and generous” The word liberal is “eumetadotos.” This word means “give a good portion.” If you’re rich, you must give a good portion. You might ask yourself, “Well, what is a good portion? Who determines what a good portion is?” Of course, in the Old Testament, the people of God tithed. The tithe represented a good portion. Is the tithe still binding on the people of God today? Is it binding on the church of Jesus Christ? I believe it is. I believe the tithe is part of the moral law. Biblically speaking, the moral law is binding upon all of mankind, male and female the world over. Ceremonial law was just for the Jews during the Old Testament, but I believe the tithe is part of the moral law. But even if you view the tithe as part of the old covenant and for the Jews only, you must learn to give generously. You must learn to give a good portion.
The Jewish people actually had three tithes. They had the Levitical tithe that is described in the book of Leviticus and also in the book of Numbers. They had the festival tithe which is described in the book of Deuteronomy, and they had the charitable tithe which is also described in the book of Deuteronomy. Collectively, they gave far more than 10%.
Above their tithes, they had offerings. They were generous. They gave a good portion, and we who believe in Christ today must learn to give a good portion, and we will be blessed if we do. Paul says, “As for the rich, let them be liberal and generous. Let them give a good portion, thus laying up a good foundation for the future, that they might take hold of the life which is life indeed.” That word “to lay up” comes from the Greek word “phasaros,” which means “treasure.” The RSV does not translate the phrase properly. The NIV translates it better. The NIV says that we are to “lay up treasure for ourselves as a good foundation for the future.” When you give your money, you lay up treasure for yourselves as a good foundation for the future. That’s what Paul is saying.
There’s a kind of reciprocity about giving. When we give generously, God blesses us. His blessing may be financial. It may be relational. It may be spiritual. It could take any one of a number of forms, but He blesses those who give. There’s a reciprocity there, and your future is bright if you are liberal and generous, seeking to serve the kingdom of heaven on earth with all of your heart. If you do that, your future is bright.
In the early morning hours (and with this we’ll close) of August 31, 1997, Princess Diana died in a Paris hospital after a tragic and violent accident on the streets of Paris. According to her personal psychic, it never should have happened. Just 2-1/2 weeks earlier, Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed went into northern England to the little town of Chesterfield and met with Rita Rogers, the personal psychic of Princess Diana. They met for 53 minutes. Princess Diana came out of that meeting on August 12, 1997, radiant. She was just beaming. She was so happy because her personal psychic had told her that her future was bright. Everything was lining up. It’s all going to be great. Just 2-1/2 weeks later, she was dead.
Who holds your future? Only Christ holds your future. He holds your future, and He holds mine. Who can bless your future? Only Christ can bless your future, and only Christ can bless my future. And so, we have this message from Christ, through the Apostle Paul, that if we would be blessed, as those who are rich in this world… If we would be blessed, we must avoid arrogance. There’s no room for economic snobbery. We must not trust in riches but in God, who furnishes us with all things to enjoy. We must, with our money, seek to do good in this world, being liberal and generous, giving a good portion, that our future might be bright in this life and in the life to come. Let’s look to the Lord with a word of prayer.