April 13th, 2026
by John Cole
by John Cole
Read below what John Cole wrote as his manuscript for this sermon. Watch or listen to this sermon on our website and app or YouTube channel. The sermon post on the website and app includes a brief outline to help you follow along and discuss with others.
Can you provide an ocean for yourself? How about a sun? A thought that has come to me while enjoying a sunset with Martha and our kids:
Both the richest and poorest people in the world stare at the same sunsets. Sure, some have more ability than others to enjoy it. Some have better settings in which to view them. Some have clouded sunsets with smog.
But when a sunset fills up the sky, it’s like a gift of beauty that God shares in such a way that most all can enjoy. These are…
RICHES YOU CAN’T CREATE
God gives riches like that. Riches that no one can purchase or produce for themselves. Riches that shape our very existence. Yet, riches we often overlook. If we took time to think about it, we could spend the rest of the day listing similar gifts from God like this.
And there are typical things we call riches—like money, houses, and assets. According to our passage, these come from God too.
Why does God give such good gifts? Our text today tells us God gives them…
1. For Our Faithful Worship
2. For Our Rich Enjoyment
3. For Our Eternal Stewardship
“Riches” are mentioned four times in our text. Before this passage, the letter warned about loving money and seeking to be rich as a goal. It also urged us to lay hold on the eternal life we have. We were told to fight the good gospel fight with the return of the risen Jesus in view.
Now moving beyond warnings and urgings, the text instructs us on how to rightly invest the riches God supplies. How to use God’s gifts!
The amount of riches we have is very relative. But do you have some riches? Do you expect to one day have riches? Do you recognize the many gifts God has given you in this present world? What are we to do with these riches?
Let’s read our text. It includes six instructions that I have identified with my commentary in brackets.
1 Timothy 6:17–19 KJV
Charge them that are rich in this world [present age], that they
[1] be not highminded [proud/haughty/arrogant],
[2] nor trust [have their hope set] in uncertain riches,
but in the living God,
who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
[3] That they do good [benefit others],
[4] that they be rich in good works [deeds/duties/occupation],
[5] ready to distribute [give/share],
[6] willing to communicate [partner/participate/share];
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation
against [for] the time to come [at & after Jesus’ appearing],
that they may lay hold on eternal life [true & lasting life].
What this text really presents is instruction for the tension of living between the ages—the present age and the age to come. It teaches how to convert and transfer present riches into eternal riches. And it makes clear that doing so is a tangible expression of our faith in the gospel.
So in addition to saying you have riches you can’t create (they come from God), this texts instructs how to invest…
RICHES YOU CAN’T TAKE
When I was a kid, our family had a big Newfoundland dog named Elliot. And he loved to run into the woods of our property and explore. Ever once in a while, he would come back with something he couldn’t keep.
Like a turtle. I kid you not. On more than one occasion, Elliot came galloping into the yard with his tongue hanging out of his bulging mouth. Barely visible under his flapping lips was a turtle. And he wanted to keep it. But he couldn’t.
Let that visual be a reminder that you and I cannot take with us so many of the things we grasp with our life. Things we work hard for. Things we have been diligent to build up. We can’t take them with us.
And yet, God gifts us with many riches. If we can’t take them with us into eternity, what are we supposed to do with them? Three things. First, God gives them…
1) FOR OUR FAITHFUL WORSHIP (v17a)
Not for us to worship the riches. Rather, for us to worship God who gives riches. Worship our giving God. Worship Him with our hope set on Him—not on our riches.
Wherever we place our hope becomes what we worship. Faithful worship hopes in God.
So, Paul wrote…
1 Timothy 6:17–19 KJV
Charge them that are rich in this world [present age], that they
[1] be not highminded [proud/haughty/arrogant],
[2] nor trust [have their hope set] in uncertain riches,
but in the living God,
First we are instructed to not be highminded.
• Don’t be proud—as though you got riches without God.
Don’t look down on others with your riches. Look up to God with your riches.
Riches like us to think we have greater self-importance because we have them. So we boast.
As Jeremiah recorded, Jeremiah 9:23 “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Neither let the mighty man glory in his might, Let not the rich man glory in his riches:”
We must not glory in what we have. All we have is a gift from the Lord to be stewarded. Why would we lift ourselves up as better than others because of our successes and riches?
Instead, we should praise the Lord.
• Hope in God, not riches—only God is worthy of worship.
Riches offer a false security. So we place our hope in them. Then, we worship them.
Riches are uncertain. They will let you down. God is certain. He will never fail you.
Q: Have you placed your hope in riches? Have you made riches into idols?
Brothers and sisters, let’s never place hope in riches. Let’s not turn them into idols.
We may sometimes be full with riches like my childhood dog, Elliot, returning with a mouth full of turtle. But we can’t take riches with us. And riches won’t take us into eternity.
Riches are just lifeless things. Currencies. Assets. Goods. Blessings! But not idols or gods. With our riches, we must trust and worship God alone. And we ought to do with recognizing that God gave them to us for our worship and…
2) FOR OUR RICH ENJOYMENT (v17b)
We too often have and convey the wrong idea of God. We can think that to be holy is to be somber. As though it is more godly to always be serious.
But God gives gifts for our enjoyment—for our pleasure and benefit. Part of why God gives good things is because it pleases God to give us joy.
Kind of like when parents give cake to their child and take pleasure in watching him enjoy it…and wear it! Like David in this picture a dozen years ago. I still enjoy seeing a picture of him enjoying that cake!
It pleases God to give us things for our enjoyment. When we gratefully receive gifts from God’s hand and enjoy them. Not turn them into idols. But enjoy them as gifts from…
1 Timothy 6:17–19 KJV
God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
Do you see God this way? It is important to think biblically here.
We could err by thinking our enjoyment is what defines what is good and what must be God’s purposes. That would lead to a very man-centered, sin affirming theology. Prosperity gospel preachers do this, and so do the many unChristian, so-called churches who promote sexual confusion and the unjust murder of the unborn. This blasphemes the gospel message.
And we can also err by denying the good pleasure and enjoyment God has infused into His creation. This would a form of legalism. This confounds the gospel and deflates worship. It mischaracterizes God and distorts the gospel message.
Whether it is the smell of apple pie, the taste of strawberries, the feel of warm water, the intimacy of marriage, the sight of rolling hills, the companionship of friends, or the sight of a starlight night. God gives this all for us to…
• Enjoy in worship—by faith, not in doubting or defiance.
By faith that God created all things and that He is He as revealed in scripture, we enjoy His gifts in worship of Him. The pleasure of these things helps us look with awe at our masterful God! By faith, they help us picture how good the new heaven and earth will be.
Alternatives to this would be to doubt God’s goodness or that the things we enjoy come from Him. Or to doubt that God wants us to enjoy them as scripture says. Instead, you hide enjoyment of good things from others and God. Enjoying things apart from God guts it from being rightful time of worship!
Or it would be to defy God as the Giver of all things and worship false gods. Humanists and materialists do this by exalting themselves and what we create as gods. Hedonists do this by worshiping pleasure itself. Pantheists do this by worshiping creation as god. Help us! Instead, worship God and…
• Enjoy with praise—telling others about the goodness of God.
God’s gifts and personal riches are not reasons to praise ourselves. They are reasons to praise God! Thank God for His abundant gifts. That He takes pleasure in doing us good.
Share with others of the goodness of God! Speak of the riches we all enjoy. Publicly praise God for the riches you enjoy. Invite others to join in on worshipping the God who gives us richly all thins to enjoy!
It might help our children believe the good news of the gospel! It might plant a seed for your co-worker or neighbor to think about where so many good things come from!
Q: Do you believe that God takes pleasure in giving good things for our enjoyment?
God has proven His love toward us: Romans 5:6-9.
Romans 5:6–9 KJV
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Do you know you have been justified by Jesus’s shed blood? Are you saved from God’s just wrath? Please turn from sin and trust in Christ if you haven’t. Be baptized and join Christ’s church. Believe God gives good things we do not and cannot deserve!
Remember that picture of little David eating and wearing that cake. As his father, I take pleasure in seeing—even just a picture—of him enjoying that cake.
God works all things according to the good pleasure of His will. And that includes giving us richly all things for our enjoyment. Common grace. Saving grace. Riches.
And as true as that is, our text presents another reason God gives riches. God gives…
3) FOR OUR ETERNAL STEWARDSHIP (v18-19)
Here’s the problem, we grow too attached to the things God gives us to richly enjoy. We start thinking these things are ours. This is scary. If we fix our eyes on the things of the present world, we lose sight of God’s eternal purposes for us.
We get like Elliot. We gaze at God’s gifts as though they now belong to us. We forget and suppress the truth that God has also given them to us for our stewardship.
God’s gifts. Riches we may have. These are resources for us to steward. We are to use them to invest in riches that last. Riches for which Christ died. What might those be? Let’s finish up our text to find out.
Paul goes on and instructs Timothy to charge members of the church who are rich…
1 Timothy 6:17–19 KJV
[3] That they do good [benefit others],
[4] that they be rich in good works [deeds/duties/occupation],
[5] ready to distribute [give/share],
[6] willing to communicate [partner/participate/share];
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation
against [for] the time to come [at & after Jesus’ appearing],
that they may lay hold on eternal life [true & lasting life].
In some ways, this is applicable to us all. Relative to much of the world, we enjoy great riches in our country. At the same time, there are vast differences of riches in our country and many reasons for that.
Many of us have true financial challenges. Some would be considered rich even for Americans. Some would not. Wherever you land on the spectrum of riches, the instruction given here is necessary for us all.
It tells us how to invest what riches God has given us into our eternal stewardship. How to convert temporary riches into eternal good. How to invest and lay up our riches into what lasts—gospel good.
• Do good with what God gives you—as God does for us.
First, we are told very broadly just to do good with our riches. That could refer to how we pay employees, what sort of business we do in society, or what we do with our time that is freed up by our income, assets, or savings accounts.
The ends do not justify the means. As Christians, we must do good with what God entrusts us.
• Be rich in good works—with time and resources riches may buy.
This specifically talks about exchanging temporary riches for eternal riches. Good works that spread God’s gospel and kingdom. Good deeds for the benefit of others.
This will shape whether or not we plan to stop working a job and how we invest our time when we do. We all have gospel work to do until our last breath! Don’t let the idea of “retirement” derail you from the commission Christ gave us. Be rich in good works!
This will shape how you structure your time and the time of your family. You may learn to be content with one income so that your family can be more engaged in gospel ministry in the home, in the church, and in society.
You may do less overtime or business scaling to engage in teaching or assisting a class, assist with property maintenance and development, host people in your home, serve as an elder, do ministry as a deacon, or help a new ministry get started into something like nursing homes or prisons.
• Be ready to give—to image our generous God.
This means we love making God known through giving. Some of you are amazing at this. It could be baked goods or a meal. A thoughtful gift. Financial aid to an individual. Treating a group for lunch—in the church or at work.
This could mean shoveling snow or cutting the grass for an elderly person. Giving your time to do prepare to teach a class or to meet up once a week to go through a book or passage of the Bible with someone.
You might not have much available cash, but you can be generous with probably your biggest expense—your home! Have people over. Be generous with what God has given you.
• Be eager to share and participate—as a member of Christ’s body.
The root of this word is the same as with koinonia—communion, partnership, fellowship. This word means to share and participate from what you have and what you hold in common.
We will do this today when the church shares in the Lord’s Supper together. We should be eager to do this. We should be eager to unite with people very different than us but who are bonded together by faith in Christ.
We should be eager to overlook our preferences and differences in order to share with our local church. To love Christ’s body for which He died. This really hits hard with the rich because rich people historically like to use their riches to control their environment, social group, and ways of participation.
The rich are commanded here to be humble. Stop being so picky and selective on who you will share and fellowship with. Participate, share, and fellowship with your church because of your union in Christ.
We do this when we gather and share in giving, serving, singing, teaching, and responding to the gospel. We even do this when we invest 10 minutes of our week to seek out a different person in the church during the cookie reception to ask them to share a blessing or burden and pray together.
We all do this when we give to the Lord from our riches to invest in having faithful pastors and teachers, a place to gather, resources for ministry, food for fellowship, administration and media, evangelism, and missionary partnerships.
All these things are eternal. Doing good. Being rich in good works. Imaging God with generosity. Being eager to partner and participate
Q: Do you let your riches hinder you from doing gospel good?
This is a big question. If you are reading the Bible with us in the Bible In a Year group, you might think of Israel during the time of the judges. The people continually set their eyes on the riches God gave and worshipped them instead of God.
•Are your financial goals more important to you than doing gospel good?
•Do you use your riches to leverage your ability to do good deeds that advance the gospel?
•Do you image God or Scrooge with your generosity?
•Do you use your money to be selective about your fellowship, or do you use it to share with all sorts of people who unite together by faith in the gospel? Which of Christ’s body will you not sit and eat with? Are you “above” participation with Christ’s body?
What a shame it would be for a professing Christian to use his or her riches to hinder gospel good. Remember the dog staring at the turtle? Let’s not look at our riches like they are ours.
God gives riches we can’t create and we can’t take. Let’s enjoy them and make…
INVESTMENTS THAT AREN’T LOST (v19)
Losing money is not fun. It can lead to real financial straights. Like this guy talking with the loan officer…
10,000 Sermon Illustrations Credit History
Loan Officer: “Based on your credit history, it seems the only kind of loan you qualify for is an auto loan.”
Customer: “You mean money to buy a car?”
Loan Officer: “Auto or autonomous, as in: money you lend yourself.”
J.C. Duffy, Universal Press Syndicate, quoted in Readers Digest, May 1996, p. 67.
Paul has been giving investing instruction here. And he tells us that the investing has has been talking about can’t get lost. There’s no volatility in the market. Financial investments are uncertain he says, but good gospel investment is a sure foundation.
1 Timothy 6:17–19 KJV
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation
against [for] the time to come [at & after Jesus’ appearing],
that they may lay hold on eternal life [true & lasting life].
Paul writes: these investments last for the time to come. Doing gospel good. Being rich in good works that advance the gospel. Imaging God with generosity. Sharing and participating as the body of Christ. These uses of our riches do good for this present time that lasts into eternity. They lay hold on true life.
When sinners convert to Christ with the means of your good, it lasts. You will forever be with that redeemed citizen of heaven. The use of riches to build up Christ’s church here and in all the world is an investment in eternity. It’s finding joy now in what will give you joy in heaven.
• Eternal joys
If you truly long for heaven, you use all God gives you now to live like it. You will joy now in what they rejoice about in God’s presence—like sinners repenting and the angels of God rejoicing. In doing so…
YOUR PRESENT MONEY INVESTS IN ETERNAL JOYS.
• Eternal love
The kingdom of God is here, so set your love on God and the citizens of His kingdom. Since you will love Christ and His body in the new heaven and earth, you love them now with all you have. In this way…
YOUR PRESENT LOVE CORRESPONDS TO YOUR ETERNAL LOVE.
• Eternal testimony
Loving God and His kingdom will be true of those who belong to both. You will see money as temporary and godly love as eternal. You will use your riches to establish continuity with eternity, and demonstrate the reality of your faith. Therefore…
YOUR PRESENT STEWARDSHIP TESTIFIES YOUR HEAVENLY CITIZENSHIP.
• Eternal image
God gives for our enjoyment. If we image God, we do the same for others. Money. Time. Service. Hospitality. Meals. Discipleship. Teaching. Mentorship. Evangelism.
Make God known by giving for the enjoyment of others, as He does for us! Give so that you can give witness of God and His gospel as you proclaim it! As God reveals Himself visibly in Jesus, we image God by living out our eternal reality through generous giving and service in the present. So…
YOUR GOOD DEEDS IMAGE YOUR GOOD GOD.
These things endure. Paul’s instruction accords with the words of Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Consider how Jesus said it: Mt. 6:19-20; Mk. 10:21; Lk. 12:21, 33-34; 16:1
Matthew 6:19–20 KJV
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mark 10:21 KJV
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Luke 12:21 KJV
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Luke 12:33–34 KJV
Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 16:1 KJV
And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
Q: Are you wasting or investing the riches God has entrusted you?
There is no more sound financial advice than Paul has written here. Someone can be the shrewdest business investor and build up lots of wealth, but if you are not rich toward God, you are not rich.
Let us invest our riches in doing gospel good. Evangelism. Discipleship. Building up the body of Christ. Those who believe the gospel will.
SERMON IN A SENTENCE: Invest your riches like one who believes God and His gospel.
Here’s the bottom line. If you believe God and His gospel, this all makes sense to you. You will structure your life to live it out. You will set up your budget so that you are heavily investing in the advancement of God’s gospel and church.
The same God who gives the sun to all gave His Son for all who repent and believe on Christ. The One from Whom all riches come gave the most costly and beautiful gift—Jesus.
God the Son came as the God-Man, Jesus, to live, die, rise, and reign for all who hear this good news, turn from their way, and believe on Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Is that you? Oh please, I pray it is.
And if so, then invest your riches like one who believes God and His gospel. Invest in what you cannot lose.
Can you provide an ocean for yourself? How about a sun? A thought that has come to me while enjoying a sunset with Martha and our kids:
Both the richest and poorest people in the world stare at the same sunsets. Sure, some have more ability than others to enjoy it. Some have better settings in which to view them. Some have clouded sunsets with smog.
But when a sunset fills up the sky, it’s like a gift of beauty that God shares in such a way that most all can enjoy. These are…
RICHES YOU CAN’T CREATE
God gives riches like that. Riches that no one can purchase or produce for themselves. Riches that shape our very existence. Yet, riches we often overlook. If we took time to think about it, we could spend the rest of the day listing similar gifts from God like this.
And there are typical things we call riches—like money, houses, and assets. According to our passage, these come from God too.
Why does God give such good gifts? Our text today tells us God gives them…
1. For Our Faithful Worship
2. For Our Rich Enjoyment
3. For Our Eternal Stewardship
“Riches” are mentioned four times in our text. Before this passage, the letter warned about loving money and seeking to be rich as a goal. It also urged us to lay hold on the eternal life we have. We were told to fight the good gospel fight with the return of the risen Jesus in view.
Now moving beyond warnings and urgings, the text instructs us on how to rightly invest the riches God supplies. How to use God’s gifts!
The amount of riches we have is very relative. But do you have some riches? Do you expect to one day have riches? Do you recognize the many gifts God has given you in this present world? What are we to do with these riches?
Let’s read our text. It includes six instructions that I have identified with my commentary in brackets.
1 Timothy 6:17–19 KJV
Charge them that are rich in this world [present age], that they
[1] be not highminded [proud/haughty/arrogant],
[2] nor trust [have their hope set] in uncertain riches,
but in the living God,
who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
[3] That they do good [benefit others],
[4] that they be rich in good works [deeds/duties/occupation],
[5] ready to distribute [give/share],
[6] willing to communicate [partner/participate/share];
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation
against [for] the time to come [at & after Jesus’ appearing],
that they may lay hold on eternal life [true & lasting life].
What this text really presents is instruction for the tension of living between the ages—the present age and the age to come. It teaches how to convert and transfer present riches into eternal riches. And it makes clear that doing so is a tangible expression of our faith in the gospel.
So in addition to saying you have riches you can’t create (they come from God), this texts instructs how to invest…
RICHES YOU CAN’T TAKE
When I was a kid, our family had a big Newfoundland dog named Elliot. And he loved to run into the woods of our property and explore. Ever once in a while, he would come back with something he couldn’t keep.
Like a turtle. I kid you not. On more than one occasion, Elliot came galloping into the yard with his tongue hanging out of his bulging mouth. Barely visible under his flapping lips was a turtle. And he wanted to keep it. But he couldn’t.
Let that visual be a reminder that you and I cannot take with us so many of the things we grasp with our life. Things we work hard for. Things we have been diligent to build up. We can’t take them with us.
And yet, God gifts us with many riches. If we can’t take them with us into eternity, what are we supposed to do with them? Three things. First, God gives them…
1) FOR OUR FAITHFUL WORSHIP (v17a)
Not for us to worship the riches. Rather, for us to worship God who gives riches. Worship our giving God. Worship Him with our hope set on Him—not on our riches.
Wherever we place our hope becomes what we worship. Faithful worship hopes in God.
So, Paul wrote…
1 Timothy 6:17–19 KJV
Charge them that are rich in this world [present age], that they
[1] be not highminded [proud/haughty/arrogant],
[2] nor trust [have their hope set] in uncertain riches,
but in the living God,
First we are instructed to not be highminded.
• Don’t be proud—as though you got riches without God.
Don’t look down on others with your riches. Look up to God with your riches.
Riches like us to think we have greater self-importance because we have them. So we boast.
As Jeremiah recorded, Jeremiah 9:23 “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Neither let the mighty man glory in his might, Let not the rich man glory in his riches:”
We must not glory in what we have. All we have is a gift from the Lord to be stewarded. Why would we lift ourselves up as better than others because of our successes and riches?
Instead, we should praise the Lord.
• Hope in God, not riches—only God is worthy of worship.
Riches offer a false security. So we place our hope in them. Then, we worship them.
Riches are uncertain. They will let you down. God is certain. He will never fail you.
Q: Have you placed your hope in riches? Have you made riches into idols?
Brothers and sisters, let’s never place hope in riches. Let’s not turn them into idols.
We may sometimes be full with riches like my childhood dog, Elliot, returning with a mouth full of turtle. But we can’t take riches with us. And riches won’t take us into eternity.
Riches are just lifeless things. Currencies. Assets. Goods. Blessings! But not idols or gods. With our riches, we must trust and worship God alone. And we ought to do with recognizing that God gave them to us for our worship and…
2) FOR OUR RICH ENJOYMENT (v17b)
We too often have and convey the wrong idea of God. We can think that to be holy is to be somber. As though it is more godly to always be serious.
But God gives gifts for our enjoyment—for our pleasure and benefit. Part of why God gives good things is because it pleases God to give us joy.
Kind of like when parents give cake to their child and take pleasure in watching him enjoy it…and wear it! Like David in this picture a dozen years ago. I still enjoy seeing a picture of him enjoying that cake!
It pleases God to give us things for our enjoyment. When we gratefully receive gifts from God’s hand and enjoy them. Not turn them into idols. But enjoy them as gifts from…
1 Timothy 6:17–19 KJV
God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
Do you see God this way? It is important to think biblically here.
We could err by thinking our enjoyment is what defines what is good and what must be God’s purposes. That would lead to a very man-centered, sin affirming theology. Prosperity gospel preachers do this, and so do the many unChristian, so-called churches who promote sexual confusion and the unjust murder of the unborn. This blasphemes the gospel message.
And we can also err by denying the good pleasure and enjoyment God has infused into His creation. This would a form of legalism. This confounds the gospel and deflates worship. It mischaracterizes God and distorts the gospel message.
Whether it is the smell of apple pie, the taste of strawberries, the feel of warm water, the intimacy of marriage, the sight of rolling hills, the companionship of friends, or the sight of a starlight night. God gives this all for us to…
• Enjoy in worship—by faith, not in doubting or defiance.
By faith that God created all things and that He is He as revealed in scripture, we enjoy His gifts in worship of Him. The pleasure of these things helps us look with awe at our masterful God! By faith, they help us picture how good the new heaven and earth will be.
Alternatives to this would be to doubt God’s goodness or that the things we enjoy come from Him. Or to doubt that God wants us to enjoy them as scripture says. Instead, you hide enjoyment of good things from others and God. Enjoying things apart from God guts it from being rightful time of worship!
Or it would be to defy God as the Giver of all things and worship false gods. Humanists and materialists do this by exalting themselves and what we create as gods. Hedonists do this by worshiping pleasure itself. Pantheists do this by worshiping creation as god. Help us! Instead, worship God and…
• Enjoy with praise—telling others about the goodness of God.
God’s gifts and personal riches are not reasons to praise ourselves. They are reasons to praise God! Thank God for His abundant gifts. That He takes pleasure in doing us good.
Share with others of the goodness of God! Speak of the riches we all enjoy. Publicly praise God for the riches you enjoy. Invite others to join in on worshipping the God who gives us richly all thins to enjoy!
It might help our children believe the good news of the gospel! It might plant a seed for your co-worker or neighbor to think about where so many good things come from!
Q: Do you believe that God takes pleasure in giving good things for our enjoyment?
God has proven His love toward us: Romans 5:6-9.
Romans 5:6–9 KJV
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Do you know you have been justified by Jesus’s shed blood? Are you saved from God’s just wrath? Please turn from sin and trust in Christ if you haven’t. Be baptized and join Christ’s church. Believe God gives good things we do not and cannot deserve!
Remember that picture of little David eating and wearing that cake. As his father, I take pleasure in seeing—even just a picture—of him enjoying that cake.
God works all things according to the good pleasure of His will. And that includes giving us richly all things for our enjoyment. Common grace. Saving grace. Riches.
And as true as that is, our text presents another reason God gives riches. God gives…
3) FOR OUR ETERNAL STEWARDSHIP (v18-19)
Here’s the problem, we grow too attached to the things God gives us to richly enjoy. We start thinking these things are ours. This is scary. If we fix our eyes on the things of the present world, we lose sight of God’s eternal purposes for us.
We get like Elliot. We gaze at God’s gifts as though they now belong to us. We forget and suppress the truth that God has also given them to us for our stewardship.
God’s gifts. Riches we may have. These are resources for us to steward. We are to use them to invest in riches that last. Riches for which Christ died. What might those be? Let’s finish up our text to find out.
Paul goes on and instructs Timothy to charge members of the church who are rich…
1 Timothy 6:17–19 KJV
[3] That they do good [benefit others],
[4] that they be rich in good works [deeds/duties/occupation],
[5] ready to distribute [give/share],
[6] willing to communicate [partner/participate/share];
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation
against [for] the time to come [at & after Jesus’ appearing],
that they may lay hold on eternal life [true & lasting life].
In some ways, this is applicable to us all. Relative to much of the world, we enjoy great riches in our country. At the same time, there are vast differences of riches in our country and many reasons for that.
Many of us have true financial challenges. Some would be considered rich even for Americans. Some would not. Wherever you land on the spectrum of riches, the instruction given here is necessary for us all.
It tells us how to invest what riches God has given us into our eternal stewardship. How to convert temporary riches into eternal good. How to invest and lay up our riches into what lasts—gospel good.
• Do good with what God gives you—as God does for us.
First, we are told very broadly just to do good with our riches. That could refer to how we pay employees, what sort of business we do in society, or what we do with our time that is freed up by our income, assets, or savings accounts.
The ends do not justify the means. As Christians, we must do good with what God entrusts us.
• Be rich in good works—with time and resources riches may buy.
This specifically talks about exchanging temporary riches for eternal riches. Good works that spread God’s gospel and kingdom. Good deeds for the benefit of others.
This will shape whether or not we plan to stop working a job and how we invest our time when we do. We all have gospel work to do until our last breath! Don’t let the idea of “retirement” derail you from the commission Christ gave us. Be rich in good works!
This will shape how you structure your time and the time of your family. You may learn to be content with one income so that your family can be more engaged in gospel ministry in the home, in the church, and in society.
You may do less overtime or business scaling to engage in teaching or assisting a class, assist with property maintenance and development, host people in your home, serve as an elder, do ministry as a deacon, or help a new ministry get started into something like nursing homes or prisons.
• Be ready to give—to image our generous God.
This means we love making God known through giving. Some of you are amazing at this. It could be baked goods or a meal. A thoughtful gift. Financial aid to an individual. Treating a group for lunch—in the church or at work.
This could mean shoveling snow or cutting the grass for an elderly person. Giving your time to do prepare to teach a class or to meet up once a week to go through a book or passage of the Bible with someone.
You might not have much available cash, but you can be generous with probably your biggest expense—your home! Have people over. Be generous with what God has given you.
• Be eager to share and participate—as a member of Christ’s body.
The root of this word is the same as with koinonia—communion, partnership, fellowship. This word means to share and participate from what you have and what you hold in common.
We will do this today when the church shares in the Lord’s Supper together. We should be eager to do this. We should be eager to unite with people very different than us but who are bonded together by faith in Christ.
We should be eager to overlook our preferences and differences in order to share with our local church. To love Christ’s body for which He died. This really hits hard with the rich because rich people historically like to use their riches to control their environment, social group, and ways of participation.
The rich are commanded here to be humble. Stop being so picky and selective on who you will share and fellowship with. Participate, share, and fellowship with your church because of your union in Christ.
We do this when we gather and share in giving, serving, singing, teaching, and responding to the gospel. We even do this when we invest 10 minutes of our week to seek out a different person in the church during the cookie reception to ask them to share a blessing or burden and pray together.
We all do this when we give to the Lord from our riches to invest in having faithful pastors and teachers, a place to gather, resources for ministry, food for fellowship, administration and media, evangelism, and missionary partnerships.
All these things are eternal. Doing good. Being rich in good works. Imaging God with generosity. Being eager to partner and participate
Q: Do you let your riches hinder you from doing gospel good?
This is a big question. If you are reading the Bible with us in the Bible In a Year group, you might think of Israel during the time of the judges. The people continually set their eyes on the riches God gave and worshipped them instead of God.
•Are your financial goals more important to you than doing gospel good?
•Do you use your riches to leverage your ability to do good deeds that advance the gospel?
•Do you image God or Scrooge with your generosity?
•Do you use your money to be selective about your fellowship, or do you use it to share with all sorts of people who unite together by faith in the gospel? Which of Christ’s body will you not sit and eat with? Are you “above” participation with Christ’s body?
What a shame it would be for a professing Christian to use his or her riches to hinder gospel good. Remember the dog staring at the turtle? Let’s not look at our riches like they are ours.
God gives riches we can’t create and we can’t take. Let’s enjoy them and make…
INVESTMENTS THAT AREN’T LOST (v19)
Losing money is not fun. It can lead to real financial straights. Like this guy talking with the loan officer…
10,000 Sermon Illustrations Credit History
Loan Officer: “Based on your credit history, it seems the only kind of loan you qualify for is an auto loan.”
Customer: “You mean money to buy a car?”
Loan Officer: “Auto or autonomous, as in: money you lend yourself.”
J.C. Duffy, Universal Press Syndicate, quoted in Readers Digest, May 1996, p. 67.
Paul has been giving investing instruction here. And he tells us that the investing has has been talking about can’t get lost. There’s no volatility in the market. Financial investments are uncertain he says, but good gospel investment is a sure foundation.
1 Timothy 6:17–19 KJV
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation
against [for] the time to come [at & after Jesus’ appearing],
that they may lay hold on eternal life [true & lasting life].
Paul writes: these investments last for the time to come. Doing gospel good. Being rich in good works that advance the gospel. Imaging God with generosity. Sharing and participating as the body of Christ. These uses of our riches do good for this present time that lasts into eternity. They lay hold on true life.
When sinners convert to Christ with the means of your good, it lasts. You will forever be with that redeemed citizen of heaven. The use of riches to build up Christ’s church here and in all the world is an investment in eternity. It’s finding joy now in what will give you joy in heaven.
• Eternal joys
If you truly long for heaven, you use all God gives you now to live like it. You will joy now in what they rejoice about in God’s presence—like sinners repenting and the angels of God rejoicing. In doing so…
YOUR PRESENT MONEY INVESTS IN ETERNAL JOYS.
• Eternal love
The kingdom of God is here, so set your love on God and the citizens of His kingdom. Since you will love Christ and His body in the new heaven and earth, you love them now with all you have. In this way…
YOUR PRESENT LOVE CORRESPONDS TO YOUR ETERNAL LOVE.
• Eternal testimony
Loving God and His kingdom will be true of those who belong to both. You will see money as temporary and godly love as eternal. You will use your riches to establish continuity with eternity, and demonstrate the reality of your faith. Therefore…
YOUR PRESENT STEWARDSHIP TESTIFIES YOUR HEAVENLY CITIZENSHIP.
• Eternal image
God gives for our enjoyment. If we image God, we do the same for others. Money. Time. Service. Hospitality. Meals. Discipleship. Teaching. Mentorship. Evangelism.
Make God known by giving for the enjoyment of others, as He does for us! Give so that you can give witness of God and His gospel as you proclaim it! As God reveals Himself visibly in Jesus, we image God by living out our eternal reality through generous giving and service in the present. So…
YOUR GOOD DEEDS IMAGE YOUR GOOD GOD.
These things endure. Paul’s instruction accords with the words of Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Consider how Jesus said it: Mt. 6:19-20; Mk. 10:21; Lk. 12:21, 33-34; 16:1
Matthew 6:19–20 KJV
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mark 10:21 KJV
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Luke 12:21 KJV
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Luke 12:33–34 KJV
Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 16:1 KJV
And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
Q: Are you wasting or investing the riches God has entrusted you?
There is no more sound financial advice than Paul has written here. Someone can be the shrewdest business investor and build up lots of wealth, but if you are not rich toward God, you are not rich.
Let us invest our riches in doing gospel good. Evangelism. Discipleship. Building up the body of Christ. Those who believe the gospel will.
SERMON IN A SENTENCE: Invest your riches like one who believes God and His gospel.
Here’s the bottom line. If you believe God and His gospel, this all makes sense to you. You will structure your life to live it out. You will set up your budget so that you are heavily investing in the advancement of God’s gospel and church.
The same God who gives the sun to all gave His Son for all who repent and believe on Christ. The One from Whom all riches come gave the most costly and beautiful gift—Jesus.
God the Son came as the God-Man, Jesus, to live, die, rise, and reign for all who hear this good news, turn from their way, and believe on Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Is that you? Oh please, I pray it is.
And if so, then invest your riches like one who believes God and His gospel. Invest in what you cannot lose.
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