September 25, 2022 Sermon
Guest Preacher: Drakar Druella
Sermon title: "A Prosperous Heart"
Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-19
1 Timothy 6:6-19
6Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; 7for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; 8but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
The Good Fight of Faith
11But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 17As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, 19thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.
Before getting into the heart of this passage’s significance, I think it’s important to understand its context to get the fullness of the message. In the book of Timothy, Paul is acting as spiritual mentor to Timothy, his “loyal child” and student. In his letter to Timothy, Paul is a compassionate spiritual mentor sharing practical life lessons with him. He does this with the intention of his wisdom being passed down through Timothy to the next generation of followers. From this perspective, the passage contains several moral, ethical, and spiritual “dos” and “don’ts” that Paul wants his followers to practice, ensuring they receive proper spiritual guidance. For example, he writes: “if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these” (verse 8) “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (verse 10) “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness” (verse 11) “keep the commandment without spot or blame” (verse 14) “command [the rich] not to be haughty or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but rather … to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share” (verses 17-18). These are a few examples.
As is the case with many Christians, I have heard verse ten, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” noted in reference to money and wealth more than once. It is one of the most misquoted lines in all of scripture, which is almost as often noted as it is misquoted. Usually, what I have heard people say is “the love of money is the root of all evil,” which is sometimes reduced further to, “money is the root of all evil.” Does this sound familiar to any of you?
Contrary to popular understanding, Paul is urging Timothy to explore contentment and growth through godliness, in contrast to the things which may stand in the way of this – such as a preoccupation with wealth and status. The point here is not that money in itself is only and always evil, or that having wealth produces sin. Rather, Paul is urging contentment with what is God-given, and cautioning that if one loves wealth and gain, one can find oneself in spiritual danger.
If we go back to verse ten and read it again, it says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil … ” This is markedly different than saying, “For the love of money is the root of evil” or “money is the root of evil.” The words “a” and “kinds” are important because they shift what is expressed away from absolutes. This brings to mind that there are other roots for evil out there, and even more importantly that there are evils that abound from loving money – not from money, itself.
So, in essence, Paul is warning Timothy and others of the spiritual dangers that affect people whose hearts are distracted by desires for earthly wealth. He is stressing the dangers of desire and distraction. Any object of desire that overshadows a primary allegiance to God — be it sex, status, spiritual virtuosity, or yes, money — imperils the faithfulness that sustains our spiritual growth and connection as followers of Christ.
It is sobering to consider how the insatiable appetite for wealth narrows a person’s field of vision. With such a narrow perspective, one cannot see their neighbors who demonstrate that riches are not necessary for a good and abundant life. It also clouds one’s vision from seeing how people whose need for bare sustenance far surpasses one’s desire for newer, better, and more intense satisfactions. Paul’s words touch upon how the lottery economy leads to fewer people getting their basic needs met while those who are doing well still feel dissatisfied with what they have because it is less than the hyperbolic wealth of celebrity mega-millionaires. Meanwhile, people are starving in the world and unwillingly funding wealthy gamblers, investors, dealers, reality-TV show stars, bankers, and ordinary middle-class people who are striving to become the one lucky person whose wealth surpasses counting.
If you think about it, our well-being requires only a minimal economic basis. As quoted in verse eight, “if we have food and clothing we will be content with these.” However, the transition from basic food and clothing to nice food and clothing, and from there to stylish clothing and rich food, takes place gradually. It’s a slippery slope that progresses in such a way that we are not likely to observe the progress from need to desire, especially when that transition involves ourselves and our loved ones. As admirable as is it to ensure our families are provided for and healthy, therein lies many pitfalls.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached about the anxiety and preoccupation on behalf of providers to ensure one’s family is amply fed and equipped. He was well aware of how such a concern may slide from the desire to see one’s family well-fed and clothed to seeing them more well-fed and clothed than others. It was just the sort of temptation Jesus warned against, saying that the gospel constituted all who accept and live by it into a new, expansive family.
Paul, too, knew what a slippery slope the love of money and status poses for people. The distraction caused by it leads people to lose sight of what is important and valuable – a spiritual relationship with God and loving connections with others through which to express it. Paul reminds disciples that a heartfelt profession of faith in God is incompatible with the longing for material abundance. It gets in the way of our spiritual connection with God and others.
This past week, my wife and I flew to the east coast to visit our families. Prompted by a desire to visit my family and attend a celebration of life for a beloved uncle who recently passed away, we decided that after we visited my family in Baltimore, Maryland, we would visit hers in Aston, Pennsylvania. During a visit with some members of my family, Jessie was taken aback to encounter the subtle coldness some of my family members expressed toward outsiders. Beneath their veneer of politeness lay a foundation that kept others that were not “one of them” at arm’s length. Somewhat wealthy and intellectual in nature, these members of my family have formed a sense of their identity around economic and intellectual privilege. Because we were perceived as “outsiders” by a few of them, Jessie and I were able to pick up on some of the subtle cues.
On the second and larger half of our trip, we spent time with Jessie’s father who recently had a minor stroke. We visited with some of her relatives and childhood friends and were warmly welcomed. For those of you who do not know, Aston is a poor section in Pennsylvania in the county known as Delco. Unconcerned with wealth or status, Jessie’s family is more focused upon their connections and relationships with one another. It is these two things that seem to have formed a foundation for their values and actions in the world. Although they do not have a lot of money and live simply, Jessie’s family is more prosperous through their relationships than some of the members in mine are. Their vision has not been narrowed by the need for status and instead is turned toward one another and supporting their connections.
Although there were several members in my family we enjoyed visiting, there were a few whose vision has been narrowed by their desire for status. As a result, they are less inclined to open their hearts toward others they perceive as being outside their circle of influence. In modern terms, this is the sort of temptation Jesus warned against, saying that the gospel constituted all who accept and live by it into a new, expansive family. He understood that the desire and focus upon providing better things for one’s family (or social circle) can be a slippery slope that leads to elite-ism and a withholding of resources and kindness toward others outside of their circle. The problem lies not in riches or status but in people’s determination to accumulate them rather than use them in service of others’ needs, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual. Such tunnel vision closes us to others and blinds us to their needs.
After our visit to the east coast, I pondered what it means to be generous and spiritually connected to others. Often I hear of the expression that “we are all one” in songs and books I’ve read. Could it be that Paul was indirectly aware of this “oneness”? It makes me think of Paul’s metaphor of the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12. The belly does not withhold nutrients from the brain, does it? Can the heart prosper if it does not circulate the blood but instead hoards it? I mean, after all, you never know when you might need a transfusion! The bottom line is that those who have more than they need for nourishment and protection from the elements are under no risk of condemnation so long as they share their riches for the benefit of others. As Rev. Skip quoted the Rev. Colageo in last week’s sermon, “For the moment, money’s necessary, so give it to those that need it. Make money! Just don’t keep it all.” If we are all connected as one body of Christ, doesn’t this make sense to do?
As a tutor and professor of the New Testament in Oxford University quotes online on the Working Preacher, “Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Those who put their hope in bank vaults and high-yield securities make their own kind of confession of faith, and it is not what the letter would describe as “the good confession.” Those who place their hope in the one God whose heritage we share by our participation in the Body of Christ will readily share what they have. Those who stake their well-being on temporal wealth will never have enough; but there is no shortage of blessings for God’s people.”
I believe that those who have open hearts and share their good with others are the ones who have the most prosperous hearts.
Drakar Druella
