Latest / Chapel Talks / One Box Life, Endless Wealth | 1 Timothy 6:6-10 | Pete Snow

Transcript

One Box Life, Endless Wealth | 1 Timothy 6:6-10 | Pete Snow · Chapel Talks

0:00
When my granny died some years ago, she left
0:03
me a stack of Charles Dickens books, of which
0:07
this is one, and they all look like this. And
0:09
I felt they were lovely, a beautiful bit of the
0:13
past. And then last Christmas, I realised I'd
0:16
never read A Christmas Carol. I'd seen it on
0:20
screen. I knew the story about the grumpy guy
0:23
and the family and the greed and all of that.
0:26
But I thought, I have to read it. So I got this
0:28
book. These old books are so heavy, they're really
0:31
hard to read in bed because you're trying to
0:34
hold it above your head. So they weren't designed
0:36
for that. But I thought, it's a beautifully drawn
0:40
picture. If you've read the story, you've seen
0:42
the story. Scrooge. is a disgustingly greedy
0:47
man isn't he only such a guy is there is there
0:50
another portrait of financial greed in all of
0:52
literature or film as good as him he's so well
0:56
drawn you know he's he his business partner Marley
1:00
is dead but it doesn't seem like he ever liked
1:01
him anyway he is a nightmare to work with he's
1:04
got the one employee Bob Cratchit who's a nice
1:07
bloke but um Scrooge sits next to this little
1:10
coal fire which Dickens says is quote a very
1:13
small fire because he's too stingy to put more
1:15
fuel on the fire. But then Cratchit is only allowed
1:18
a smaller fire than Scrooge. So Cratchit is allowed
1:21
one lump of coal on his fire. He is so greedy,
1:25
this man. Everybody is glad when they hear Scrooge
1:28
is dead in his vision of the future, even his
1:31
distant relatives. And then Dickens draws the
1:35
contrast with the Cratchit family, which is utterly
1:39
beautiful in my mind, especially Tiny Tim. Scrooge
1:42
gets this vision of the Cratchit family on Christmas
1:44
Day. They live in a humble home. There's Peter
1:47
who's hoping to get a job and he's practicing
1:49
being a man of business. So he's got a big collar
1:51
and stands up really tall and he's practicing
1:53
what he'll say and everybody laughs at him. And
1:56
then Martha has a job as an apprentice milliner
1:58
and she's just got one day off on Christmas Day
2:00
and she's really looking forward to a lie -in.
2:02
They pass the chestnuts and the jug round and
2:04
everybody is happy and Mrs. Cratchit's made this
2:06
tiny little Christmas pudding which she's so
2:08
pleased with and everybody gets a spoonful. And
2:12
then Tiny Tim comes in with his crutch and he
2:14
sings a song in his little voice. There you go,
2:19
there's a picture. Then Dickens says, thank you,
2:22
let's have the quotation. There was nothing of
2:24
high mark in this. They were not a handsome family.
2:27
They were not well -dressed. Their shoes were
2:28
far from being waterproof. But they were happy,
2:31
grateful, pleased with one another and contented
2:35
with time. Scrooge had his eye upon them and
2:38
especially on Tiny Tim until the last. How can
2:45
we be a tiny Tim for our generation? How can
2:50
we be aware of money but unspoiled by money?
2:54
How can we, in other words, be content? I was
3:01
asked to preach on 1 Timothy chapter 6 for a
3:03
church last Sunday. They needed help and they
3:05
needed 1 Timothy chapter 6. So I preached, I
3:08
agreed to preach the whole chapter. I basically
3:10
regretted it because there's so much in 1 Timothy
3:12
chapter 6. And I thought, oh, goodness. So thank
3:16
you for the opportunity to have me this lunchtime.
3:18
And I just thought, well, let me try and just
3:20
do it shorter and better and hone in on the one
3:23
paragraph where I really felt the Lord was speaking
3:25
to me. And I hope this might be a blessing to
3:27
you. 1 Timothy 6, 6 to 10. 1 Timothy is a pastoral
3:32
letter. It was written to a junior leader. And
3:34
although it covers many topics and there are
3:36
many... topics that young leaders need to be
3:39
addressed with. The focus on money in 1 Timothy
3:43
chapter 6 is striking. We have it there in front
3:46
of you, just money services in verse 5. It talks
3:50
about godliness being a means of financial gain
3:52
to some people. It runs into the next paragraph,
3:54
6 to 10, where we'll focus. But then it repeats
3:57
again at the end of the chapter in verses 17
3:59
following. It's as if the apostle couldn't conclude
4:01
his pastoral letter to his young pastor in training
4:04
without saying, Tim, look out for money. I know
4:12
ministry brings its own pressures and trials
4:15
with money. So I'm speaking to myself as much
4:18
as to you when I say, should we just come back
4:21
to this issue of greed and money and search and
4:25
ask God for contentment such that we could say
4:27
in every season of life, I have God, I have his
4:32
gospel, I'm okay actually. I don't need anything
4:37
else. If you're interested in that, then I'd
4:41
love to speak to you. Because it's financial,
4:43
it's quirky, but I'm going to try and do this
4:45
in two financial equations. Okay, so the first
4:48
one goes like this. Godliness plus contentment
4:53
equals great gain. This is verses six to eight,
4:59
first of all. Godliness plus contentment equals
5:01
great gain. Let's begin in verse six. But godliness
5:05
with contentment is great gain. Do you see how
5:10
the apostle deliberately reaches for a financial
5:12
word to describe a non -financial thing? Gain
5:16
is a profit word, it's a financial word. So he's
5:21
saying, you actually are rich if you have godliness
5:24
with contentment. I think the way he contrasts
5:28
it with verse five means you are richer if you
5:30
have godliness with contentment than if you had
5:32
it. A bank account bursting with cash. Godliness
5:37
is a key word in 1 Timothy. It comes up in chapter
5:40
2, chapter 3, chapter 4, several times in chapter
5:43
6. Let me just show you one which I think helps
5:47
inform this. If you have a Bible there, chapter
5:49
3, verse 14. Chapter 3, verse 14. Here you find
5:56
the author's purpose in 1 Timothy, as you may
5:58
know. Paul says, although I hope to come to you
6:02
soon. I'm writing to you with these instructions
6:05
so that if I'm delayed, you will know how people
6:08
ought to conduct themselves in God's household,
6:10
which is the church of the living God, the pillar
6:13
and foundation of the truth. Beyond all question,
6:16
the mystery from which true godliness springs
6:20
is great. And then he goes on to talk about the
6:25
Lord Jesus Christ. He appeared in the flesh,
6:27
was vindicated by the spirit, was seen by angels.
6:30
was preached among the nations, was believed
6:31
on in the world and was taken up in glory. So
6:34
godliness for Paul springs from Christ. It's
6:38
this deep appropriation of the mystery of God
6:40
the Son incarnate, the risen and reigning Lord.
6:46
Okay, can you come back with me to chapter six
6:48
and you just use that to flesh out our statement,
6:51
godliness plus contentment is great gain. Can
6:54
I... Can I therefore fill in that word godliness?
6:58
I think what he's saying there is I have Christ
7:00
in everything that comes out of him, Christ in
7:03
all the gospel, and I'm content with that. That's
7:07
great game. That is enough for me. I think I
7:14
would say if I could have that godliness and
7:16
contentment, then that is a warm -hearted evangelicalism
7:21
that I can spend my life in. By implication,
7:25
I think it's possible, would you say, to have
7:27
godliness without contentment? I think the apostle
7:31
is implicitly saying, you could have godliness,
7:34
you could have the gospel, you could know doctrine,
7:36
but not be content. And that, to my mind, is
7:40
a kind of miserable orthodoxy. Like, oh, I know
7:42
the truth, I'm just not happy with it. I'm not
7:44
content. I'm not interested in that. I am interested
7:49
in that, but it just didn't go far enough for
7:51
me. I was here as a student 10 years ago and
7:58
graduated nine years ago from Oak Hill. I feel
8:02
now my Oak Hill friends' main ministry to me
8:05
is to pick me up off the floor when I'm very
8:07
weary and discouraged and saying stupid things.
8:10
And they say to me, come on, Pete, you have Christ.
8:13
He is enough. Go and tell them about Christ again.
8:16
So if you feel you might need that today or at
8:20
some point, then can I say to you, Godliness
8:23
with contentment is great gain. Let's continue.
8:28
Verse 7. We brought nothing into the world and
8:31
we can take nothing out of it. When a baby is
8:36
born, they don't come with luggage, do they?
8:40
As their life goes on, they acquire clothes and
8:43
books and appliances and all sorts of things.
8:46
We brought nothing into the world and we can
8:48
take nothing out of it. Yesterday, I phoned up
8:50
a removal company. And I said, this is going
8:54
to sound crazy, but you actually moved me last
8:55
time I moved house. Could you just tell me, I'm
8:58
a vicar researching a sermon. Can you tell me
9:00
how many boxes on average does a person move
9:03
with? And the woman on the end of the phone,
9:05
she was so nice, but she said, you're crazy.
9:09
But since you ask, it's between 100 and 150 boxes,
9:12
she said. 100 and 150 boxes. I said, okay, here's
9:19
another question since you're so nice. do you
9:22
think that over time people are acquiring more
9:24
possessions so you need bigger removal lorries
9:26
and they are getting more and more boxes she
9:28
said yeah absolutely that is happening she said
9:31
i was speaking to one of our removal men last
9:32
week he's been doing this job for 30 years he
9:35
says people have more stuff than they used to
9:37
have and not only that they have more valuable
9:40
stuff so in the old days when he started in the
9:42
90s people basically had white plastic garden
9:44
furniture kind of what everyone had And nowadays,
9:47
he says, she says, that they all have these heavy
9:51
metal garden furniture, like statement furniture,
9:54
and people have an outdoor kitchen that also
9:56
needs moving and all sorts of stuff. So we have
9:58
more stuff and we have more valuable stuff that
10:00
we're like dragging around with ourselves. 100
10:03
to 150 boxes. And yet, do you know how many boxes
10:07
we all end up with? Right, it's one box, isn't
10:12
it? Because... However much stuff you accumulate,
10:16
there's one box that you're going to get buried
10:17
in. You get taken to the crematorium or you get
10:19
taken to the cemetery in one box. It doesn't
10:25
matter how many things you accumulated into your
10:26
life. We brought nothing into the world and we
10:29
can take nothing out of it. Could the church
10:32
not stand out in the years to come by being content
10:35
with a simple life? As the West just accumulates
10:39
more and more staff and the removal lorries get
10:42
bigger and bigger and bigger to accommodate it,
10:44
could we not stand out simply by saying, are
10:47
you okay? I shouldn't have got God in the gospel
10:51
and I'm content? Maybe that's a more radical
10:55
thing than we ever thought it might be. Stick
10:58
with your white plastic garden furniture and
11:00
you'll be like the counter -cultural guy in your
11:02
neighbourhood. Verse 8, let's carry on. If we
11:07
have food and clothing, we will be content with
11:10
that. I found this a useful principle for thinking
11:14
through social action and giving. I think the
11:17
implication of verse 8 is it is hard to be content
11:20
if you don't have food and clothing. It's hard
11:24
to actually genuinely be content if you're hungry
11:27
or cold. So why don't we work to feed and clothe
11:32
people the world over. Aren't we keeping a sort
11:37
of Christians who can see orphans and widows
11:39
and foreigners and say, you don't look like you
11:41
had enough food or you look like you need to
11:44
be warm or sheltered. Can we help you? One in
11:49
12 people in the world don't have enough food
11:51
today. Chronic hunger is increasing. So now I
11:58
try and say to my own church, if God has given
12:00
you enough food and clothing, if you are blessed
12:03
to be above like a basic. poverty line, then
12:06
please consider giving some of your excess away.
12:09
I'm trying to challenge myself and them to give
12:12
away 10 % because I think although that is a
12:15
principle that's out there, it's not often attained
12:18
by our brothers and sisters in the church. I
12:23
say to them, please give some of your giving
12:25
to the local church and then just give some away
12:27
to other people who need it or don't mind where
12:30
you give it. Just be generous. And when I see
12:33
people thinking, they don't always say it out
12:36
loud to me, when I see them thinking, do you
12:37
know what you're asking? 10 % of my income is
12:39
such a lot of money. Do you know what that means?
12:43
I'm going to try and gently say back to them,
12:45
do you know how rich you are? If you type how
12:51
rich am I into Google, there is a wealth calculator
12:55
that will tell you how rich you are in global
12:57
terms. Have you ever done this? Here's some statistics
13:02
that I did so you can tell it, okay, my household
13:05
income is £25 ,000 a year and I live in the UK.
13:09
It will tell you this answer. You are therefore
13:11
in the top 5 % of the global population. Isn't
13:16
that something? £25 ,000 because you're in the
13:18
top 5%. You are eight and a half times richer
13:21
than the median person in the world. Or if you
13:26
say, next slide, my annual income is £45 ,000,
13:30
which if you have a stipend and an accommodation
13:32
package, you're blessed to have that, then I
13:34
think that's basically where that puts you. Then
13:38
you are in the top 2 % of the richest people
13:40
in the world. That's me. I am 15 times richer
13:47
than the median person in the world. And as Richard
13:51
Garnett used to say when he was here and you
13:53
got him onto the subject of money, if God wanted
13:55
to talk to the rich people in the world, he would
13:57
come and talk to us. And he would say, could
13:59
you help out those other guys? So godliness plus
14:05
contentment is great gain. There's one other
14:13
mathematical equation I want to give you, and
14:17
that's the second one. greed plus time equals
14:21
many griefs paragraph starts off with these positive
14:26
statements about contentment and then it finishes
14:28
with these negative statements about greed so
14:31
let me try and put it this way greed plus time
14:33
equals many griefs versus nine to ten those who
14:38
want to get rich Okay, it doesn't use the word
14:41
greed, but you recognize the concept of greed.
14:43
Those who want to get rich fall into temptation
14:46
and a trap and into many foolish and harmful
14:48
desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
14:51
For the love of money, the love of money is a
14:55
root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager
14:58
for money have wandered from the faith and pierced
15:00
themselves with many griefs. You see how the
15:03
last statement in the paragraphs, many griefs,
15:06
it actually negatively parallels the opening
15:08
statement in the paragraph which talks about
15:10
Great gain. Great gain? I draw on many griefs.
15:13
I don't know which one I can say. Thank you very
15:15
much. The apostle has seen greed often enough
15:19
to generalize in these verses. Greed is such
15:22
a boring trick of the devil, but he just is such
15:25
an effective one. He keeps using it. Make people
15:28
greedy. Trap them in their love of money. Of
15:32
course, he would love to trap us with other things,
15:34
sex, power, other boring tricks of the devil
15:37
that he continues to use on us. But how many
15:39
Christian leaders have been led astray by a love
15:41
of money? I say greed plus time because greed
15:47
is shy. It's a shy vice. It doesn't get out there
15:51
and go, whoa, sexual temptation is like, I'm
15:54
just going to grow quietly. You're going to be
15:56
too embarrassed to say that you're greedy, but
15:57
I'm going to grow quietly in your heart. It takes
16:00
time to show itself. And when it says it is a
16:03
root of all kinds of evil. You don't see roots,
16:07
do you, until they put forth a shoot and they
16:09
put forth growth and produce bad fruit. But it's
16:11
there. It also causes people to wander from the
16:14
faith. And wandering takes time, doesn't it?
16:18
That's not a quick word. It's a slow, tragic
16:21
word. Until you pierce yourself with many griefs.
16:28
Ebenezer Scrooge, I think he was pierced by many
16:31
griefs. If you know the story, he is so lambly.
16:35
Even his distant relatives hate him. His employees
16:39
despise him. The people down the street know
16:42
how greedy and obnoxious he is. He is discontent
16:46
despite having all the money and he is filled
16:49
with regret. His working relationship is actually
16:52
brittle and difficult because of his greed and
16:55
the way he treats people because of it. So don't
16:57
end up like a Christian version of Scrooge. Greed
17:02
plus time equals many griefs. Okay, let me try
17:07
and wrap this all together. How could we be like
17:10
Tiny Tim? How could you be like the Christian
17:13
Tiny Tim in your generation? Because that's what
17:16
I'm interested in. That is, how could we be content?
17:20
Well, fascinating in the story, Tiny Tim had
17:23
a family and particularly had a dad. And there's
17:27
a bit near the end of the story where Tiny Tim,
17:29
his dad just comes really close to him and he
17:31
holds his hand. he pulls him close. And I think
17:38
we're given to understand that Tiny Tim knew
17:41
he didn't have lots financially, but he knew
17:43
that he had a father who loved him. In New Testament
17:50
terms, of course, you have a father who loves
17:53
you. You have the assurance of his undying approval
17:57
and his never -letting -go love. You could say,
18:03
I may not be financially rich, but I have everything
18:04
I need. And the thing the apostle goes on to
18:10
say is verse 17, flee from greed and flee, if
18:18
I can put it simply, to God. I mean, he lists
18:20
a bunch of virtues. Flee towards righteousness
18:22
and godliness and holiness and truth. But he
18:25
goes on to give this doxology. So I think he
18:27
is saying flee to God and all that comes with
18:29
it. Flee, keep fleeing from greed to God again
18:33
and again and again, taking with you a knowledge
18:35
of your own insignificance. But you, man of God,
18:40
speaking to a pastor, but can we say to any Christian,
18:44
to any leader, flee from all this and flee to
18:49
God. I say taking with you a knowledge of your
18:53
own insignificance, because as Christians, we
18:55
go to God knowing we're not that big a deal and
18:57
we're going to die soon. I'm basically a one
18:59
box person. And I've got nothing, Lord. I'm going
19:03
to come to communion today. I've got absolutely
19:05
nothing to bring you, Lord. But can I come back
19:07
again? But I know you're a big deal. And I know
19:12
your gospel will never die. So to be content
19:16
with God and his gospel while I live is huge.
19:20
Wealth. Unlike all other investments, God's stock
19:23
will not decline. He will remain valuable forever.
19:26
Unlike all other variables, God is unchangeable.
19:29
He will remain certain forever. Unlike all other
19:32
possessions, you don't need boxes or a moving
19:35
lorry for God. He's just with you wherever you
19:37
go. Unlike all other Christmas presents, God
19:40
will never get boring. You won't get to next
19:43
year and think, ah, that was last year. I remember
19:45
when I was excited about that. But he's endlessly
19:48
fascinating. Unlike most other economic realities,
19:51
God's gospel will not diminish if you share it.
19:55
Because if you share something around, you've
19:56
got less of it. But God and his gospel just increases
19:59
in value as you give it away. And unlike all
20:02
finite things in the universe, you cannot get
20:04
to the bottom of God. You can't complete him.
20:06
You can't fathom him. You can't master him. You
20:09
definitely can't possess him. In fact, he possesses
20:11
you. Amen? Amen. I think closing thought, I don't
20:18
know how long I've been talking for. Can I do
20:21
a couple more minutes? I think it would be good
20:27
for us to learn generosity. Verse 18, command
20:31
them. I think I picked the right verse. Verse
20:33
18, command them to give generously, to learn
20:37
to do good, to be generous and share. There's
20:40
a very rich Christian businessman called Jonathan
20:42
Ruffer. who I found inspiring on this. He was
20:45
interviewed in the New Statesman and he said,
20:46
what a lot of money does is poison you. Quote,
20:51
it's like the digestive system. Okay, this is
20:54
kind of gross, but please, if you could bear
20:56
with, I found it's a helpful thought. It's meant
20:59
to flow through you, he says, not stop flowing.
21:02
Okay, told you it was gross. But money is supposed
21:05
to flow through you, not get stuck inside you.
21:09
I find that a helpful way of thinking about it.
21:11
Money flows through my hands. It flows through
21:14
my bank account. It's not supposed to get stuck
21:16
there. I can channel it. I can say, oh, thank
21:18
you, money. I'm going to send you over there
21:19
to a really useful end, but it's not supposed
21:22
to stop with me. And if Christians actually tithed
21:26
10 % of their income, just to circle back to
21:29
that idea, it would change the world. According
21:34
to Stewardship, they published a generosity report.
21:37
just earlier this year, the average UK adult
21:40
gives £65 per month to charity. But then they
21:45
said, the average UK Christian adult gives £124
21:49
per month to charity. That's encouraging, isn't
21:51
it? That means that the gospel changes people
21:52
and Christianity influences their generosity.
21:55
However, that's 5 % of people's income. So we're
22:01
not tithing as a UK church. But they said, The
22:07
average UK Christian adult, if they gave 10%,
22:10
would give £236. That alone, if the Christians
22:15
in this country tithe and gave 10%, that would
22:20
change so much. Feed and clothe and evangelise
22:24
so many people. We could change the world if
22:28
we embraced generosity from a standpoint of contentment.
22:35
If you feel poor in ministry and discontented,
22:38
then why not figure out, do I have enough money
22:40
for food and clothing? Why not establish clear
22:43
expectations with your church or the church that
22:45
you're going to so that they understand what
22:48
enough is and cultivate contentment? If you're
22:53
leaving this college soon, then please just be
22:56
aware of greed. It's one of the tricks the devil
22:58
will try and pull on you. He would like to trip
23:02
you up with it. But if you practice generosity
23:04
now and cultivate contentment, it could keep
23:07
you. And if you have any influence over Christians
23:11
in the years to come, would you just encourage
23:14
them in contentment and generosity? Like verse
23:18
18 says, be generous and willing to share. I
23:22
wasn't giving away 10 % of my income until embarrassingly
23:24
recently. And I wish I'd got there sooner. So
23:28
maybe you won't be as slow as me learning these
23:30
things. My friends, God is the one thing worth
23:34
fleeing to forever. Moths can't eat him, rust
23:37
can't corrode him, thieves can't steal him, fire
23:40
can't touch him, floods can't destroy him, and
23:43
death can't stop him. Amen? Hallelujah.