Jump Start # 4104

1 Timothy 6:17 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”

Many of the very first Christians were poor. Several were slaves. The appeal and thirst for riches is often seen as an escape to a better life. “If we only had…” is the dream of many people. And, even today, with all of our energy drinks and bottles of water that people carry around, the thirst for wealth is alive and very strong. Many a young athlete dreams of making it to the big leagues for no other reason than the wealth that comes with that.

Our verse is written almost like a Proverb. Layered deeply within these words are a series of contrasts. It’s easy to miss them, but they are there.

First, there is the message of “the present world” in contrast to the “next world.” Paul addresses those who are rich now. What really matters is being rich later. The later is not later in life, but in the next world. Lay up for yourselves treasure in Heaven is how our Lord put it. Being rich eternally is the thrust of the apostle’s words.

Second, there is the layer about hope. Those who are rich now have their hope in their riches. Their wealth is going to see them through. They don’t need because they have wealth. Things will be ok, because we’ve got the money. They have “fixed their hope” on their wealth. This is in contrast to those who have fixed their hope on the Lord. The Lord will get them through. They have hope, not because of what is in the bank, but because of Who is in Heaven.

Third, there is a contrast between the uncertainty of riches and the certainty of God. Riches come and go. The stock market rides like a roller coaster. As long as it’s going up, happy days are here. But when it plummets downward, the sky is falling for many. A warehouse full of goods seems wonderful until the fire department calls and the warehouse is burning to the ground. The rich farmer in the Lord’s parable had a fine future planned on paper. Bigger barns. Relax. Take like easy. All looked great except he was scheduled to die that night and he didn’t realize that.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Certainty. Always faithful. Always available. Always true. Jesus is someone that you can count on. He will be there tomorrow. Riches? Who knows?

What is shocking about the apostle’s words are that most of us would not classify ourselves today as being rich. But in contrast to the world Paul lived in, we do things that they couldn’t even dream of. In a moment, these words I am typing will be sent across the world. We can control the temperature of our cars and our homes. We can cook food in minutes not hours. Our homes are large. Our pantries are full. Our closests are stuffed. The first century citizen would have thought that you and I were kings, the way we live.

And, if you have traveled to a third world country, you understand the contrast. I have seen a man lying on a blanket under two large palm branches. That was his home. I’ve seen a river that people were washing their clothes in, while down stream someone was doing their dishes, while further down stream someone was bathing. All in the same water. We are rich. Admit it, we are.

The points in this passage is not get rid of you’re your riches, but get your heart right. Trusted in riches, bering conceited because of your wealth impacts your heart. It changes you. It makes you believe you are better than others, that certain things do not apply to you and that you are fine because of your wealth. That’s the warning. Wealth opens doors to some and it generates special opportunities. But, we need to see what a blessing and advantage wealth can be if used correctly and rightly.

Here are some thoughts:

First, do not demand nor expect discounts from the services of brethren. I’ve known some who got very upset because a brother worked on their house or their car and they expected the services to be nearly free. I’d rather pay a good brother full price because I know he will not abuse the money I give him. Now, if the brother wants to give you a discount, that’s up to him, but don’t blow a gasket because he doesn’t. Word gets around and before long, he’s doing work for nearly nothing.

Second, having riches can be a blessing to a congregation. Give generously. Help out others who do not have much. I’ve known brethren who paid the way for high school graduates to go to college. I’ve known brethren who on their own have supported the preaching of the Gospel, paid the way for some to travel overseas to preach, help brethren in a crisis and help fund the building of church buildings. What a blessing these folks have been to the kingdom of God.

Some only use their wealth for themselves. Selfish, they do not want to share. They earned it, they believe, so it belongs to them is the way some think. Never realizing that the Lord has blessed them.

Third, how we handle our wealth and what it does to us can be a test of our faith. Some want to separate faith and finance, but the two go together very neatly and very nicely. One impacts the other. The greater the faith, the more generous one will be. Socialism wants to force equality in wealth. Faith in Christ, will build the bridges for all to cross upon.

All around us are opportunities to serve the Lord with our talents, our time and our treasures. Be careful that stuff doesn’t change you. Conceit and jealousy are the next door neighbors to riches. Those who have it can be conceited. Those who don’t can be jealous. Neither one makes for good neighbors.

Paul’s next words to the rich are: do good, be generous, be ready to share and be rich in good works. That’ll take care of those contrasts from the previous verse. Generous. Sharing. Doing good. Nothing beats that. And, when this life is over, I doubt you’ll be talking about the car you always wanted to get but never did. Nope. What you’ll be doing is hugging the brother that you helped out and are so glad to see Him on the right side of eternity.

Instruct is how our verse begins. This is stuff one doesn’t get in business class in college. We have to learn this and we preachers must teach this. Don’t let your stuff keep you from Heaven. Don’t be defined by what you have. Be known by your faith in the Lord.

Roger

Jump Start # 4101

2 Timothy 4:8 “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

It’s a common statement that I hear all the time. It is meant well and comes from a curious mind that wants to know. It is generally pitched this way, “When I get to Heaven, I’m going to ask God why penguins can’t fly.” Or, “When I get to Heaven I’m going to ask God about whether or not Jonah ever got it.” When I get to Heaven, I’m going to ask…

I was one of those for years and my list of what I was going to ask God kept growing and growing. God’s going to have to answer a lot of questions I thought. But the more I really chewed on that, and the more I really thought about the nature of God and being in His presence and in that wonderful place, Heaven, the more I realized that I probably won’t be asking any questions. In fact, if we say anything to the Lord, most likely, it will be “Thank you.” Thank you for being so patient with us. Thank you for your grace and forgiveness. We don’t belong in a place like Heaven, yet, He is making that possible. Thank you for being with us all those years. Thank you for helping us learn the lessons that make a difference. Thank you for putting amazing Christians in our lives. Thank you for loving us when we were not very loveable.

Here are some thoughts:

First, God won’t owe us any explanations or answers. He is God. His ways have always been higher than our ways. The father towards the prodigal, the Lord towards the penitent thief on the cross, Jesus with the adulterous woman, all are actions so different than the norm and the way we’d do things. He is God.

Second, once we are in Heaven, will any of those questions really matter? Our lives seem to take the center stage most of the time. Can you imagine standing next to Noah, THE NOAH, and thinking, “I’m going to ask God why I didn’t get a job I really wanted?” Really? Do you think that will even matter? Things that seem so important to us here and now, often are not even on the radar a few years later. The things that we worried so much about in the past has not even become a memory for us. We’ve forgotten.

Third, we will be so marvelously amazed and gracious to be in Heaven that most of the details of our lives will be overshadowed by the experience of being in the presence of the almighty. There is nothing here that will compare to Heaven. NOTHING. So beautiful. So large. So precious. So holy. And the greatest people will be there, the people of God. We won’t miss earth. We won’t wish that we could be somewhere else. We will feel like we are in a dream and just don’t want to wake up. Except it won’t be a dream. It will be reality. God’s home will become our home.

And, “thank you,” will be the words that come from our lips. Years ago, I was invited to go golfing with a former professional baseball player from the Kansas City Royals and one of the elders in the congregation who was a multimillionaire. After the round of golf, I was sitting in this gorgeous club house with the two of them, sharing stories and laughing when it suddenly hit me that I really didn’t belong there. These were two men who were outstanding in their own world. I could never afford a membership to that golf club. And, the two noticed that I was disengaging from the conversations. They asked if something was wrong. I replied that I really felt out of place and didn’t belong in such an expensive club house. They both replied at the same time, “we invited you here.” They wanted me to be with them. They wanted me to be there. And, on a much grander scale, this is what Heaven will be for us. We’ll see the people we have read about in our Bibles. Elijah. Abraham. Timothy. Paul. Heroes of faith. Men who wore themselves out for the Lord. I’ve heard sermons about these guys. We’ve studied their examples in Bible classes. And, now, I am with them. I am among them. I am included as equal with them. I believe we will thnk “we don’t belong here.” I want to be here, but it’s me. Why should I be here? And, the answer will be, “I invited you here.” We belong because the Lord has invited us. And, for that, “Thank you.”

Heaven, won’t it be wonderful there.

Roger

Jump Start # 4100

2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

Throwback Thursday: an article written from the past

Why Do I Preach?

First of all, I preach not because it has always been a life long ambition of mine. Actually I never dreamed of doing what I now do. Neither my father, nor my grandfather ever preached. I was not ‘pushed’ into it by my family. In fact, it took some convincing to get across that after two years of college I was not going to completely switch majors and plans for my future.

I did not decide to preach because  felt that I was “good” at it. After my first few attempts at giving Wednesday night lessons, I was thoroughly convinced that preaching was what I was NOT GOOD at. I did not receive overwhelming response or great encouragement to “be a preacher.” It might be hard to see this in me now, but public speaking was very difficult for me in school. I hated speech class for the simple reason that it was required that we had to give oral speeches. I would have never taken that class except for the fact that it was required in my field of study.

I did not become a preacher because it was my only interest and there was  nothing else I could do or get a job at. The fact is that there are so many things that interest me I often feel tempted to pursue them just to see what they are like. I could see myself as a history teacher in a small college. Financial planning is interesting to me. I would enjoy being a writer and have thought about putting out a newsletter on a variety of subjects. Someday I would like to own a used bookstore. I originally went off to school to get a degree in forestry. That and landscaping still are of interest to me.

You probably are expecting by now, some grand and heart touching reason why I chose the path that I have. There is none. It’s not the thrill of standing before crowds or the great trust and responsibility that people have in the preacher. It’s not the place that it takes you or the different kinds of people you meet. I preach for the simple reason that I love the Lord and am excited about His word. It’s a joy to be a part of helping someone get to Heaven. My simple advice to any one who want to be a preacher is to just preach. Being true to the book and being true to myself is all I’ve ever tried to do.

That is why I preach today.

Roger

March, 1994