Latest / Tabernacle Talk - A Bible Study Podcast with Pastor Bryon Self / 1 Timothy 6:17-21 - The End of 1 Timothy and What to Do with Your Money

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1 Timothy 6:17-21 - The End of 1 Timothy and What to Do with Your Money · Tabernacle Talk - A Bible Study Podcast with Pastor Bryon Self

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  Welcome to Tabernacle Talk. Tabernacle Talk is a Bible study
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  podcast brought from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Essex, MD.
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  I'm your host, Brian Self. We hope this podcast encourages
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  you to know Christ, grow in his word, and show his love to
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  others. Let's dive right in.
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  Well, welcome back to Tabernacle Talk.
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  Today we finish first Timothy the entire letter and we're
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  going to be in verses 17 through 21.
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  Today, verses 17 through 21, and we're going to be looking at two
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  final instructions that Paul gives to Timothy who is
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  pastoring there in the church at Ephesus.
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  I kind of writing some wrongs, both in false doctrine, false
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  teachers, greed, people misusing church funds, needing to find
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  good godly individuals that would lead their church.
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  There were just 1000 different problems that were going on
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  there in Ephesus. And so Timothy was instructed to
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  take care of those things and if you will, to put the church back
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  in order that people would know how they ought to behave in the
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  family of God. And so we saw in chapter one
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  that Paul encouraged Timothy to hold on to the gospel, that the
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  gospel that changed and transformed Paul was the gospel
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  that Timothy needed to be preaching.
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  He didn't need to be going off into false teaching like many
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  others had been and even focusing on men and misusing the
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  Old Testament and instead of it pointing to Jesus and to the
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  gospel work like Paul encouraged Timothy to do.
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  Then in chapter 2, we saw instructions given for prayer
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  and what we need to be praying for.
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  We saw that for both men and women, there were things that
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  they needed to be doing and not to be doing.
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  They needed to be praying. They needed not to be arguing or
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  being angry with one another. They needed to be listening and
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  receiving instruction from the Word of God.
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  They didn't need to be usurping authority or being like the
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  false prophetesses or false priestesses that there were
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  there in the temple of Diana there in Ephesus.
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  Then we saw in chapter 3 that Paul gave Timothy the
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  instructions. Here's what an elder, here's
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  what an overseer, a pastor looks like in a church.
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  Here's the characteristics that he should have, and here's the
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  characteristics that a Deacon, one of the servants of the
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  church, should have. Then we saw in chapter 4
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  Timothy, don't go off into speculations and his
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  genealogies, myths, and fables. Instead, focus on godliness, on
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  our walk with the Lord. And as you take care of both
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  like your your teaching and your life, you will find that it
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  benefits everyone around you. Even though you're young, you
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  can set an example for others. Then in chapter 5, we saw that
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  there were widows and there were widows that were supposed to be
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  financially supported by the church, and there were widows
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  that were not supposed to be financially supported by the
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  church. And so we saw the
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  characteristics of both of those.
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  And then we also saw the elders. And as Paul gives instructions
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  to Timothy, here's what to do with elders that are doing a
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  great job, that are leading and shepherding well.
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  And here's what you do when elders go bad.
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  Then in chapter 6, we saw here's the instructions that need to be
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  given for those that right now are slaves and the way that they
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  need to interact with their masters, the way that they need
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  to interact with fellow Christians and how that impacts
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  that. Then he said, here are those
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  people that they're false teachers, they're trying to get
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  get financial gain from God's people.
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  He says, Timothy, don't be like those guys.
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  Instead, pursue godliness, give a good confession of faith in
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  Christ Jesus, even as Jesus gave a good confession in front of
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  Pontius Pilot, that then we all have experienced salvation as a
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  result of Jesus's testimony there.
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  So then, that brings us now to the end of the book verse #17 He
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  says, instruct those who are rich in the present age not to
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  be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth,
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  but on God who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.
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  Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works,
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  to be generous and willing to share, storing up treasure for
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  themselves as a good foundation for the coming age, so that they
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  may take hold of what is truly life.
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  Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding
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  irreverent and empty speech and contradictions from what is
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  falsely called knowledge by professing it.
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  Some people have departed from the faith.
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  Grace be with you all. OK, so they're kind of two main
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  aspects of what Paul ends here with.
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  The first are some instructions to the rich.
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  Now, just because you might not have 3 million in the bank or
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  you might not have $100,000 in the bank, does not mean that we
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  cannot learn something here from these instructions to those that
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  are rich. If you do have some financial
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  means in this world, maybe you do have $100,000 in the bank.
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  These would be good instructions for you and for me to know.
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  Very unfortunately, there was in the early church a deep
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  revulsion for greed. I believe in America today we
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  have lost that revulsion. We tend to think of money as
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  being something that we need to hoard.
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  Money is something that will protect us and save us.
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  We resent anyone talking about our money.
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  We resent perhaps anyone insinuating that we ought to be
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  generous with our money, but that is the only way that the
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  Bible talks about it. Like we ought to make wise
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  choices with our money. But then Scripture tells us
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  like, give, be generous, give to the Lord's work.
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  In the Old Testament you have the the tithes that would come
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  in at various points throughout the different, you know,
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  festivals and offerings. You would give about 25 to 30%
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  there in Israel, 20 to 30, sorry, 25 to 30% of your
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  proceeds of your crops, of your harvest to the Lord.
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  Now, as I've mentioned before, that also overlapped with when
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  the nation of Israel was a theocracy.
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  So that also included things that today we have taxes.
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  Back then when God instituted the Old Testament law, they did
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  not have taxes, or if you will, the tithe was the tax.
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  And so there's some overlap there.
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  I'm not saying, all right, you, you guys need to give 30% of all
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  your money to the Tabernacle Talk fund.
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  There is no Tabernacle Talk Fund, by the way.
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  All of this is a free service given to you from the Lord.
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  But so that all happened in the Old Testament.
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  In the New Testament, God insists on us giving our entire
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  lives like our hearts to the Lord and whatever he impresses
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  on us to give out of like his working in our heart.
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  Let's do that. If that's 10%, if that's 30%, if
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  that's, I've met some people that have given 90% of their
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  money to the Lord. They were fantastically well
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  paid. And so they were able to live
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  and exist on that small portion. But whatever God does place on
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  your heart to give, give that to Him and give to others.
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  So sorry, that's a general generic statement on giving.
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  Let's look specifically at what these verses have to say from
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  the Lord to those that are rich. He says instruct those who are
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  rich in the present age not to be arrogant.
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  Some people can say, well, I'm rich and so I'm going to show
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  off all of my extravagant riches.
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  Here's my amazing car, here's my mansion.
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  Here's, you know, this extravagant trip after this
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  extravagant trip. And here's this, you know, super
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  fancy clothing item that I got. And here's this, you know,
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  ridiculous thing that I bought for a loved one.
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  It is not a sin to have nice things or to buy nice things.
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  But if it comes from a place of pride.
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  And frankly, that is something that while it can only be truly
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  known within the heart of the individual of whether or not
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  they're being proud and that they need to be reliant on the
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  Holy Spirit for him to warn them about when they are finding
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  their identity or worth or purpose in their finances.
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  Arrogance can be seen by other people.
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  And if you're constantly boasting about the things that
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  you are doing that are expensive and extravagant, lavish, that I
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  want to encourage you, maybe it might be that you are placing
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  your identity more in your money instead of in God, or more in
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  your possessions and not in your Lord.
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  So he says, instruct those who are rich in the present age not
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  to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of
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  wealth. I'm very thankful that in this
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  country we are able to have a different safety Nets for those
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  that are getting older. And so things like Social
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  Security or a pension or 4-O1K. But all of us know, as we've
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  seen the world, especially over the last six years, and I really
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  think since even 2008 showed us some different things as well,
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  we cannot, if you will, bank on our future always being certain
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  as a result of monetary wealth. We don't know what a stock
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  market will do even on any given weekend.
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  And so don't believe that your money or your investments or
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  your riches will keep you safe, He says instead, set your hope
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  on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.
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  Now notice there he says that God richly provides for us,
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  richly provides us with all things to enjoy.
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  If you have something that has come into your life, enjoy it.
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  Something that I, even as I talk through money, so much of it is
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  a heart issue that we have to wrestle through.
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  Like, OK, is this a gift from God to me so that I can enjoy
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  it? Wonderful.
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  Is this something that I can become arrogant about?
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  That this thing that was given as a good gift from God to me
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  that now I've kind of twisted and I've, I've put my hope in
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  it, like, oh man, God made it so that I can be secure in my final
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  days as a result of this money. Praise the Lord, but I can turn
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  arrogant with it. And I can be like, man, this
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  other person, they just didn't plan for the future like I did.
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  And we can begin to think we are the reason that our financial
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  footing is secure instead of God has given me everything that I
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  have. If God has given it to me, I
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  need to enjoy it and I need to not be arrogant about it.
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  I don't need to set my hope in it to believe that it will keep
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  me safe or give me a good life. Instead, I need to believe that
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  God is the one that is sustaining me each and every
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  day. That is something you have to
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  rely on The Voice of the Holy Spirit to be able to know and to
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  understand. He will tell you, He will
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  convict you if you're being arrogant or if you are being
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  stingy or miserly or Scrooge, Scroogely being a Scrooge, He
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  will let you know that, but you have to be willing to hear His
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  voice if you're like, no, I would never be greedy.
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  I would never trust in riches. I would never be arrogant about
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  my possessions, and you refuse to at least ask the Holy Spirit.
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  Is there an area of my life in which I am being greedy right
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  now or I am being proud right now?
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  If you're unwilling to ask that of the Holy Spirit, ask that
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  question of the Holy Spirit. I want to encourage you to do
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  so. Have an openness with God to say
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  God. I don't think I'm in the wrong
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  right now, but I'm willing to listen to you.
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  We're summer 18. Instruct them to do what is
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  good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to
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  share. And then he says doing that
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  stores up treasure for themselves as a good foundation
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  for the coming age, so that they may take hold on what is truly
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  life. When we are generous to others,
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  if you will, we are investing in the coming Kingdom of God.
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  So give your money away now and you will reap eternal dividends
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  in the coming Kingdom. So he says instruct them to do
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  what is good. Just because you're rich doesn't
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  mean that you do not have to do good.
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  Like you actually perform good works for others.
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  He says be rich in good works. There are many people in our
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  world today that are deeply ungodly and they think that if
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  they just throw some money into charities or they throw money
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  into a church that it will excuse their bad behavior.
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  I've even seen people, thankfully I don't believe here
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  at at Tabernacle, but heard of countless people through the
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  years that because they give money to a church, they think
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  that that makes them an elder of the church, that they get to
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  determine what happens within the local church as a result of
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  the money that they put in. But God's church is not for
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  sale. And So what people need to be
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  doing, if you are rich, if you have a lot of financial means,
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  be rich in good works too. That you would be known as the
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  kindness, the kindest, the goodliest person that you are
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  joy filled, that you are a peaceful person, that you aren't
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  argumentative. You're not constantly trying to
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  scare people into submission through the use of funds.
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  Like don't do that. Instead, be rich in good works.
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  And he says to be generous and willing to share.
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  Are you willing to give your money away to someone?
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  Are you willing to give even though you might not ever that
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  money back? Are you willing to just give
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  money to people because God has richly blessed you and so you
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  can bless others? I'm thankful for the times that
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  God has used me to be able to do that in the lives of others.
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  And my prayer is God, would you allow me to continue doing that?
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  That I always want to be faithful even with the money
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  that God has given me. I want to be generous, and I
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  don't necessarily think I'm fabulously rich, but I know
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  people who are in tougher situations than I am.
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  And so I would want someone who has more money than me if I was
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  in a bind, to be generous with me.
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  And so I will be generous towards others.
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  Then as we close today, he says, Timothy, guard what has been
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  entrusted to you. The gospel has been given to you
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  just as much as it was to Timothy.
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  And so guard that, protect it. Follow through on what God has
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  said. Don't allow anyone to contradict
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  the word of God that you and I have received.
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  If the Bible says it's sin, it's sin.
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  If the Bible says it's good, it's good regardless of what the
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  world says. So he says, guard what has been
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  entrusted to you, avoiding irreverent and empty speech.
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  So some people just talk to talk.
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  Don't be one of those people, he says, and avoid contradictions
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  from what is falsely called knowledge.
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  There are people that will pretend that they have a super
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  insider look or insider knowledge of real truth or what
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  the Bible really says and they come up with some outlandish
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  thing that no one in the past 2000 years of Christianity has
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  ever believed or ever professed. And you can know these kinds of
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  people are not people that I should be listening to.
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  The faith that we have is an ancient faith.
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  It is a historic faith. It is a faith that we are not
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  inventing new doctrines or sins or beliefs that you have to hold
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  and said. We believe what we have always
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  professed as the people of God. Verse #21 Paul said, says these
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  people irreverent, empty, those that contradict, He says from
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  what is falsely called knowledge.
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  By professing these things, some people have departed from the
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  faith. So we want to be faithful to the
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  Lord. We have been given something by
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  God and by 2000 years of believers.
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  We've been entrusted with the gospel and with the word of God,
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  and we need to hold on to it, guard it because it is a
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  precious treasure that we have been given.
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  It's, if you will, it's an even better treasure than what has
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  been given to the rich. For the rich people, they are
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  called to be generous and to share of their wealth.
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  You might say, oh, well, that sounds kind of communist.
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  Well, the Bible was around a long, long, long time before
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  communism. And this is for you as a
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  believer in Jesus. If God has richly blessed you
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  financially, you have been called to richly bless others
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  financially. Be generous, share, Be rich, not
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  just in your bank account. Be rich in good works.
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  Because all of that is an investment in your ultimate
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  future. What is truly life?
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  Everlasting life. You will reap eternal dividends
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  for the ways that you refuse greed and embrace generosity
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  now. So be generous, love the gospel,
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  guard it, protect the word of God.
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  And as we do that God will be glorified.
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  The next couple episodes of Tabernacle Talk are ask anything
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  episodes and I've had several questions that have come in.
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  If you have any questions, I would encourage you send those
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  in and then the next time that I hit and ask Anything episode, I
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  will address those. But we're going to be talking
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  about some apocryphal books, specifically the book of First
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  Enoch. Looking forward to that
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  discussion. Also talking a little bit about
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  the Trinity and the incarnation of Jesus Christ entering into
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  human history and what some of that looks like.
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  And I believe I had one or two other questions as well that
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  came in. So we'll see what I have time
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  for as we address those. But really looking forward to
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  it. Thankful to be able to spend
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  time in God's Word with you. May God bless you today.