August 6,
2006
“Materialism”
1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19;
1 Chronicles 29:1-20
If
I were to ask you for the one word or concept which shouts the loudest from the
Bible; God’s written message to us, what would you say? As a person called to
proclaim God’s Word, I could probably go to my computer and, by performing word
counts over all my sermons, I could tell you what words comes up most often. A good guess would be that “love” would be
high on the list; after all God is love, and we are called to love God and love
our neighbors, right? You’ve heard that more than a few times!
I
would imagine that “forgiveness” would also be a strong contender for
scriptures’ strongest message; God’s forgiveness of us and our need to forgive
others. Or, perhaps “righteousness”, “holiness”, “prayer”, “faith” or “worship”
could all top the list. From a recent sermon series, some might even conclude
that “spiritual growth/spiritual maturation” would be the strongest focus in
the scriptures. There are many lessons God offers us in His Word.
But
as I noted in this morning’s children’s message; that as a checkbook or a
computer program like Quicken can quickly point us to the location of our “heart”,
these items also point us to the strongest message of scripture;
Luke 12:34
34... where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
..and the truth be known, in that very
verse we discover the word or concept which, by sheer volume alone, proclaims
God’s most often repeated message to us; a message about our treasures... our
money and possessions. It is, if you will, a message about the “materials”
which define the materialism of our world; those “materials” from which today’s
idols are crafted for our worship.
As I preach our
current sermon series about “Being a Christian in this World”, I cannot ignore
this strongest of messages, for Jesus talked much about materialism. Sixteen of
His thirty-eight parables were concerned with how to handle money and
possessions. In the Gospels, an amazing one out of every ten verses (288 in
all) deal directly with the subject of money. The Bible offers 500 verses on
prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2,000 verses on money and
possessions. (Citation: Howard L. Dayton Jr.)
It
is sad, is it not, to think of all that time God had to spend warning us
against “materialism” in His Word? It is certainly a reflection of our sinfulness
that the Holy Bible required so much ink and parchment on such a topic.
>But in many
ways it all comes down to that, doesn’t it? Doesn’t the biblical message; from
the Garden of Eden, and manna in the wilderness, through Jesus death on the
cross and our hope for tomorrow.... doesn’t the biblical message all come down
to the questions:
- Will we trust in God or ourselves to supply
our needs?
- Will we pray for God to given us our daily bread, or
will we
build bigger barns in which to store our
“bread” for tomorrow?
As I offered for our “Thought before
Worship”:
"The real
point of materialism is not how much we have, but what has us. It's not what we
hold, but how tightly we hold it. Not what we have, but how we got it. The test
of materialism is whether our goods have made us proud or grateful,
self-sufficient or God-sufficient."
Joseph Stowell
This morning I want us to read and recall a
couple passages pertaining to materialism, and ask how they teach us to live as
followers of Jesus Christ in this world.
We begin with words first sent to Timothy
from the Apostle Paul. In the context of describing teachers of false doctrine;
argumentative sorts who see godliness as a means for financial gain, Paul
writes:
1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19
6But
godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we
brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with
that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation
and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin
and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of
all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith
and pierced themselves with many griefs.
17Command
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. 18Command
them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to
share. 19In 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.
Let
me quickly suggest four ways scripture shows we can oppose the power of
materialism in our lives:
The
first is to realize that
1. Contentment opposes materialism
When Paul wrote that “godliness with
contentment is great gain”, he is speaking against those who viewed godliness
as a means for financial gain. This view is obviously not an outdated belief.
The “health and wealth” televangelists of the 1970’s and 80’s, and their
offspring of today, promise all kinds of blessings to those who act “godly” by
contributing to their ministries. Financial blessings and physical healings have
always been a part of human motivation for godly action. Even those without
much spiritual inclinations have been known to make a deal with God; you
know…”I’ll do this, if you give me that!”
Now
I am not saying that godly living doesn’t have great benefit. Godly living has
been shown by secular researchers to have significantly positive effects on
people (quality of living, length of life); but what I am speaking to is what
motivates us. To put it practically, are you here today, in worship, to thank
God for all He has done for you, or are you here today to get something more for
yourself?
“Godliness
with contentment is great gain”, for such an outlook keeps our focus on God and
His goodness to us rather than on all the things of life we do not have.
The
Greek word used here for “contentment” is autarkeia
which describes “a perfect condition of life, in which no aid or support is
needed”. The only other place in the New Testament where this word occurs is in
Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church:
2 Corinthians 9:9
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so
that in all things at all times, having all that you need (=autarkeia), you will abound in every good work.
At the very core of contentment is the
belief that God defines our needs. We are not to define our needs… the world,
despite all its advertising, is not to define our needs. Contentment allows God
to define our needs, for it is God’s promise that we will have all that we
need.
Are
you feeling content as you sit here today? Do you sit here today aware that God
has given you all you needed in the past, all you need for this hour, and will
give you all you need for tomorrow?
Contentment
opposes materialism because contentment lets God define our needs.
2. Perspective opposes materialism
Paul goes on in this letter to Timothy to
give him reason for contentment by offering him an important perspective… a
perspective which opposes materialism. He says;
7For
we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with
that.
Have you ever considered this perspective;
that our core needs in life are food, clothing and shelter. (The Greek word
used here for clothing [skepasmata]
can also mean “covering” or shelter.)
Have you ever
considered this perspective? I think people entertain this point of view whenever
they find themselves wading through the estate of a deceased relative or
friend. For in such a setting we cannot help but note all the things people
accumulate in their lifetimes; things we collected between birth and death;
things left behind on earth which will eventually fall to pieces. The author of
Ecclesiastes gives us a similar perspective:
Ecclesiastes 5:11-15
11 As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owner
except to feast his eyes on them?
12 The sleep of a laborer is
sweet,
whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep.
13 I have seen a grievous evil
under the sun:
wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
14 or wealth lost through some
misfortune,
so that when he has a son
there is nothing left for him.
15 Naked a man comes from his
mother’s womb,
and as he comes, so he departs.
He takes nothing from his labor
that he can carry in his hand.
If we can gain the perspective offered here
in Ecclesiastes and in 1 Timothy, that materialism adds nothing to a man or
woman as they pass through this life, but in fact can harm them, then we have
another resource to help us oppose materialism. Indeed Paul writes:
1 Timothy 6:9
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a
trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and
destruction.
A third way God’s Word helps us to oppose
the allure of materialism is through our Love for God and our Hope in God.
3. Love for God and Hope in God opposes materialism
Money, in and of itself, is not evil. A
rich man is not by necessity more evil than a poor man. What the Bible teaches
us, however, is that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. To think
of this in a different way, there in no kind of evil that money cannot draw us
into, if we have a love for money!
The real point of materialism is not how much we have,
but what has us. What has us; who or what do we love; in whom or what do we
place our hope? How many people in our world would answer those question by
saying “money”?
Don’t we all, to
some degree, envy those big Lottery winners? Don’t we envy them, at least a
little, imagining what all that money will buy for us? And yet, occasionally
the truth gets out, as in the story of Jack & Jewel Whittaker, winners of a
$314 million Powerball Lottery, the single largest undivided jackpot in U.S
history. Their lives have been so turn upside down after their winning that
Jewel Whittaker has said:
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torn the
ticket up."
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10For
the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money,
have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Paul will go on to direct Timothy in verse
17:
17Command
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.
Again, the issues regarding materialism are
not issues of poverty or wealth, but issues of love and hope. We oppose
materialism as we love God and put our hope in Him alone.
Finally, the Bible teaches us that
4. Generosity opposes materialism
When one has been blessed by God with
riches we are commanded to
1 Timothy 6:18-19
(18Command them to) ….do good,
to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In 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.
I think we can all
agree that there is a life greater than a life defined by worldly materialism. We
see this in the reality that money never fulfills our deepest desires. Money
lovers will pursue ever more riches but never be satisfied… never fine
contentment.
The good news is
that we don’t have to be Warren Buffet with a $37 billion donation to experience
a life defined by generosity. As we remember Jesus commendation of the widow
who gave her two copper coin offering (Luke 21:1-4) this new life is not
measured by decimal points, but by a practical realization that we are but
stewards of all God has given us; great or small, all we have is from God, and
fullness of life is only discovered when we use all we have to glorify God; to
honor God by being about His work.
The
reading I have published for you from 1 Chronicles is a “homework” assignment
for you to consider (See below). Read it,
and appreciate the generosity described in the gifts King David and his people
made for the building of God’s temple in
9 The
people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given
freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD.
And then, as you read David’s prayer, sense
his contentment, note his perspective, feel his love for God and the hope He
expresses
in Him.
From of all these things, together with generosity, are lessons for Christians
living in a very materialistic world.
These days our battle against materialism
is great. I can’t help but echo Isaiah’s words when he cried out:
Isaiah 6:5
"Woe to me! ... I am ruined!
For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips...
.. for I am a materialist person living in
a materialistic nation. Our economy would bottom out if people were content
with what they already had, if we didn’t
keep up the advertising pressures for things that we don’t really need.
And
yet our God warns us.... He cries out through His prophets, and in Jesus
himself, that we must become free from our materialistic ways.
Almost
as a final emphasis about our need to conquer the materialism of this world, we
discover in God’s Word, through Revelation’s highly symbolic language, what is
commonly referred to as “the mark of the beast”... the “666” that will be
placed upon all who belong to Satan in the last days. And why would people
accept such a mark? Scripture tells us:
Revelation 13:17
... that
no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast
or the number of his name.
It all comes down to that. Like Jesus,
hungry in wilderness yet obedient to God’s Word amid great temptation, can we
learn to trust more in God that in the material things of this world?
-
Can we experience hunger if asked to feed the poor?
-
Can we endure last year’s fashions, if God calls us to cloth
the naked with the resources He has given us for this year?
-
Can we learn contentment with what we presently have, even
as neighbors and friends buy the newest and latest iPods, snowboards, cars, and
computers?
Again, “The
real point of materialism is not how much we have, but what (or who) has us...”
Who has you these days? God wants you; He sent
His Son to save you from Sin, from the Devil and his schemes, and He gave us a
Word that shouts out warning against the materialism of this world. “You cannot
love both God and money!”
As
we accept God’s salvation, and live as God’s children in this world, may our
lives proclaim the One we love; the One to whom we belong. AMEN
1
Chronicles 29:1-20
1 Then King David said to the whole assembly: "My son
Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is
great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God. 2 With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my
God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron
for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings,
turquoise, [a] stones of various colors, and all kinds
of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. 3
Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal
treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above
everything I have provided for this holy temple: 4 three
thousand talents [b] of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven
thousand talents [c] of refined silver, for the overlaying
of the walls of the buildings, 5 for the gold work and
the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is
willing to consecrate himself today to the LORD ?"
6 Then the
leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of
10
David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
"Praise be to you, O LORD,
God of our father
from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, O LORD,
is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the
splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is
yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and
honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God,
we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.
14 "But who
am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as
this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from
your hand. 15 We are aliens and strangers in your sight,
as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
16 O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we
have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your
hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17 I know, my God,
that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I
given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how
willingly your people who are here have given to you. 18
O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the
hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. 19 And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep
your commands, requirements and decrees and to do everything to build the
palatial structure for which I have provided."
20 Then David said
to the whole assembly, "Praise the LORD your God." So they all
praised the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate
before the LORD and the king.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (r).
Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights
reserved.
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