Life That Really Is Life

1 Timothy 6:17-19

November 12, 2017 • Mount Pleasant UMC

I don’t know if you heard or not, but a couple of weeks ago Apple released the new iPhone X—what they are calling the “future of smartphones.” I don’t have one to show you this morning because, for one, I’m recording this sermon before it’s released and for two, I don’t have one anyway. But it was interesting to watch the reactions after the announcement back in September, especially from those who are investors. Routinely, whenever Apple and other companies make announcements that aren’t exactly what investors think they should be, they punish the company by selling off their stock. Earnings can go up, but if they’re not up enough, the investors sell. Now, I’ll admit I don’t understand the stock market; I just observe the trends that I see. So the reactions after the announcement of the iPhone X were mixed, as expected. “Well, it has this stuff, but it doesn’t have this stuff that we think they should have done.” So some were cheering, others were jeering, and I’m willing to bet no matter whatever the experts said, the phone will still fly off the shelves. And every time that new gadget comes along—remember, I confessed a few weeks ago that I’m a gadget-aholic—I have to ask myself why I think I need that new, shiny object (usually one with an Apple logo). Is it because I really need it? Or is it because I think it will meet some deep need inside of me?

Those are really questions we should be asking about nearly anything we buy. In our consumeristic, materialistic culture, we far too often buy things and stuff we think will meet a need or satisfy us somehow. We think that way because that’s the way we’ve been trained. Our entire culture is built on making sure we stay dissatisfied. If you become satisfied, you won’t buy the next shiny thing. So advertisers use language like, “You need it. You deserve it. You won’t be complete without it.” Sometimes I have no idea what they are really selling, but I must need whatever it is if I’m going to be a complete person! We’re all susceptible to that urge, that desire because we all have needs that must be met. However, no matter what the advertisers say, the truth is this: those needs will never be met by an iPhone or any material thing.

This morning, we’re wrapping up a short series of messages called “Greater Than,” during which we’ve been looking at some Biblical principles of how we handle our money, or rather, how our money should intersect with our lives. Two weeks ago, we talked about the first principle, which is the call to give generously, and then last Sunday we looked at the second principle, to save wisely. Those two principles should work hand-in-hand in our lives, for if we are not people who save wisely we likely can’t be people who give generously. And the third principle from the Scriptures brings both of them together. We are able to give generously when we save wisely, and we can save wisely when we learn to live appropriately. And I say “learn” because of just the situation we find ourselves in today: we’ve forgotten how to live appropriately. We’ve been taught to live beyond our means, to buy now and pay later, to grab it all now because we only go around once, and (insert your favorite cliche here). But we’re not the first in history to have to learn this lesson. There were wealthy persons in the first century who needed to learn it as well, and some of them were part of the church pastored by Timothy.

Timothy was very important to Paul; Paul had led Timothy to Christ and had brought him along on some of his ministry trips. At the very beginning of this letter, he calls Timothy, “My true son in the faith” (1:2). Eventually, when he had sufficiently trained Timothy, he left this young man to pastor the church in Ephesus, in modern-day Turkey, a church Paul also dearly loved. About three years ago, I got the chance to go to Ephesus, and I have to say of all the archaeological sites I have been to in the world, Ephesus is one of my favorites. It’s a fantastically preserved city, even though very little of it has actually been excavated. When you enter the site today, though, you walk down what would have been a side street until you come to an intersection and turn left. Then, you are looking downhill along the main street, the cardo, of the city. On one side of the street are temples and monuments and governmental offices (and a public toilet). On the other side of the street, particularly in one concentrated area, are apartments. These are not just any apartments, though. These are apartments that were, in the first century, owned by the wealthy, the powerful, the influential. There are well-preserved mosaics on the floor, large rooms, and spacious living quarters. These sorts of living spaces were not typical for the average person in the first century. In addition to that, these apartments were above the shops and offices that lined the main street. In other words, they were perfectly positioned so that the wealthy could look down on the street and on the people below. While they enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, right in the middle of town, others scurried and hurried below them—both literally and figuratively.

Now, Paul’s work in Ephesus had reached all sorts of people, rich and poor, high and low. But, as we know, the Gospel takes time to penetrate every part of our lives and it seems it has the hardest time penetrating our wallets. So, some time after he’s gone, Paul writes back to Pastor Timothy with instructions for the church, and some pointed directions for those living in the apartments above the city. Paul writes this (which we heard a bit ago): “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (6:17).

The word Paul uses for “wealth” refers to riches or opulence; he’s thinking of those beautiful apartments above the city. But before we begin to write off this passage as not applying to us, let me remind you of what I shared last week. Compared to most of the world, we are wealthy. We are the ones who have the riches. 98% of the world makes less than the equivalent $25,000 a year, and that amount is how we define poverty here (Rainer, The Money Challenge, pg. 88). Most of us are in the top 2% of income earners in the world. Compared to people around us, we may not feel rich, but compared to the rest of the world, we live in opulence. If we reduced the world’s population to 100 people and kept everything in balance as it is, there would be six people who owned 59% of the world's wealth and all of them would be from the United States. As one author puts it, “If you keep your food in a refrigerator, your clothes in a closet, have a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head, you are richer than 75% of the entire world population.” So Paul is not just talking to those apartment-dwelling Ephesians. He’s talking to you and me as well.

So what direction does Paul give them and us? First of all, Paul calls us to recognize the uncertainty of wealth (6:17). What we have today may be gone tomorrow. Tom Wright puts it bluntly: “Not only can’t you take it with you when you go…but you can’t be sure you’re going to keep it while you’re here” (Wright, Paul for Everyon: The Pastoral Letters, pg. 77). We only have to ask the folks who have been through Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and Maria how quickly what we think is valuable can be gone. Or you could ask a friend of mine who had so much of his hope and future plans tied up in the stock market, and then the crash of 2008 came along and all that money he thought he had was gone. It was only on paper; it wasn’t real, but he had depended on it. Or ask other friends of mine who had made elaborate plans for their retirement, admirable plans, to spend their days traveling on mission trips together. And then he got Parkinson’s Disease and suddenly their plans evaporated before them, as did the money they were saving. It went to pay for his treatment. He died before he could retire, and she had to work longer than she planned because of his loss. Yet, she would give it all up to be able to have him back. What we depend on is so uncertain; you know that. We were reminded of that a few weeks ago when Pastor Herb Buwalda was here—do you remember what he shared? Life is difficult, but God is good. Life is the furthest thing from being fair, despite our assumption that it should be. Ask the man in Jesus’ parable in Luke 12; maybe you remember the story. It’s about a farmer whose crops are a lot larger than he thought they would be. At the harvest, he wonders to himself what to do, and then he decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones, to keep it all for himself. And God says to him these words: “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded of you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” (12:29). Life is uncertain, and wealth is uncertain. That’s a truth Paul reminds the Ephesians of.

The second thing Paul wants us to remember is this: money comes and goes but God doesn’t (Wright 77). He puts it this way: put your hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (6:17). “There is a fine line between having and trusting wealth” (Demarest, The Communicator’s Commentary: 1, 2 Thessalonians, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, pg. 228). But here’s the catch: we know how to put our trust in things, in cash, in stuff we can see. We know how that works. We don’t always know how to put our trust in God. God, it seems, is out there, somewhere, and we’re not always sure he’s paying attention to us. How do we trust someone we can’t see? It’s as simple and as difficult as taking a leap of faith. By far, my favorite picture of this idea is from the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Maybe you remember this scene.

VIDEO: Indy’s Leap of Faith

Of course, that’s a metaphor, a visual image for what is, in reality, something far more difficult. I think of it this way: I am always amazed every time I get on an airplane that this huge piece of metal, filled with humans both big and small and all our luggage, will soon be hurtling at incredible speeds down a runway and end up in the air, thousands of feet above the ground. I know there’s science behind it, and a lot of engineering, but my brain doesn’t understand how it all works. Maybe some of you do. But here’s what I’ve learned over the course of many flights: just because I don’t understand how it works doesn’t mean that it doesn’t. The air somehow holds me and everyone else up. Just because I don’t understand God doesn’t mean he won’t hold me up, carry me through, walk with me through the difficulty or the challenges. The more we experience that, the easier it is to trust, so it takes time. There have been many times in my life I’ve had to learn and re-learn this, but one of the earliest times I remember is when my Grandma Ticen passed away. She had been a huge part of my brother’s and my lives growing up, and even though I was in high school when she died, it was still hard to take. I can tell you that through the love of our church family, the gathered community, and those who became “Jesus with skin on” to me and my family, we made it through. I had to trust God that a world without Grandma was still his world. Other times with my heart issues I have found myself in a hospital bed, late at night and alone, wondering if God was going to bring me through this time. When there’s no one else to turn to and nothing else to trust, we’re more able to focus on the God who loves us and who made us. I’m not saying it’s easy; it’s not. But through time and the community of faith, we learn that God will always be there even when money, and things, and other people are not.

The third thing Paul wants us to remember is this—actually, he wants us to do something, to move beyond “thinking” to “acting.” He puts it this way: “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share” (6:18). Now, let me be clear: Paul is not advocating “salvation by works,” as if we can somehow earn our way into heaven. When he and other Biblical authors talk about works, it’s as a response to the love of Jesus, the grace of Jesus, and the salvation Jesus offers. So it’s in that context we hear Paul’s instruction to be “rich in good deeds.” The word translated “good” means “beautiful or wise,” which in my understanding actually raises our calling to a higher level. It’s not just about doing what seems “good” or “nice.” It’s about being involved in things that make the world more beautiful. It’s about making wise choices in those ministries, groups or organizations that seek to bring beauty and justice and hope to the world around us. We’re not just talking about money here, though certainly Paul has at least that in mind. What do you choose to invest your financial resources in? Biblically speaking, we should always begin with our family of faith, our local church in modern context. For Cathy and I, that means the first ten percent (at least) of what we earn goes to Mount Pleasant, the place where we worship and serve and are spiritually fed. I don’t even have to think about it; our check to the ministry here is the first thing I write every payday because I believe that the things we are doing here are, in fact, making the world a more beautiful place. I think of Grace Unlimited, a growing ministry where folks with special needs are reminded that God loves them unconditionally. I think of Celebrate Recovery, where people with habits, hangups and hurts are reminded that God can help them fight those battles. I think of our youth and children, our preschool and our Upward Sports ministries, places where our youngest folks are offered the grace and salvation found in Jesus Christ. I think of our missionaries who have gone out from here to places like Haiti and Costa Rica and Chile and the Indiana State campus to make the world a more beautiful place. Friends, this church is “rich in good deeds,” rich in beautiful works. So, for us, this is where our giving begins.

Beyond that, we’ve tried to make wise decisions in other places we invest in for the sake of God’s kingdom. First of all, we believe our resources are best invested in causes that make a difference for Jesus; not that other “humanitarian” causes aren’t important. For us, God’s kingdom is our priority. And a lot of the time, we’ve gotten it right. But I can tell you about one Christmas season we didn’t do so well. I made the decision, because of an Advent series of sermons I was preaching, that I was going to give a little bit to every Christian group that asked us during Advent. So we did that. We didn’t give much, but we sure spread things around. What that eventually meant was I was on lots of mailing lists for years afterword. They more than spent what little I sent them on the postage and paper it took to continue to contact me to ask for more money. I haven’t done that since! Instead, we have three missionaries we support and we often give one-time gifts to other groups like UMCOR when there is a need, and we serve when we can. I am hoping, if the heart allows it, to be part of next summer’s mission trip to St. Louis. I want to be “rich in good deeds,” doing what I can with what God has given me to make my world a more beautiful, God-drenched place. How has God called you to be rich in beautiful deeds with what he has given you?

So Paul calls us to recognize the uncertainty of wealth, to trust in God more than what we have, and to become “rich” in good deeds. And, he says, when we do those things, it will lead to what he calls “the life that is truly life” (6:19). The word he uses there to describe “life” is zoe, a word we use today for a person’s name. It means “life eternal, quality life, a spiritual life that has been redeemed.” It means life that is lived in connection with God, a life lived appropriately, not extravagantly. In practical terms, what leads to that kind of life is living within or below our means here so that we can invest in the better life, the zoe life. That’s what Paul is trying to lead the wealthy Ephesians to, and what the church through the ages, by preserving this letter, is calling us to as well.

You know, when it comes to this time of year, when it’s generosity time in the church, we typically ask the wrong question. We ask, “How much should I give?” Or we ask, “How little can I give and get away with it?” Perhaps the better question is this: “How much should I keep?” (Rainer, The Money Challenge, pg. 86). My perspective on this has changed as I have grown as a Christian. I remember (and maybe I’ve told this story before) sitting in church after working all summer detassling corn, a summer in which I had earned more money than I ever had earned before! It was somewhere over $600, and I was pretty excited about having that much money all at once. Then the pastor started talking about tithing, about giving ten percent, and I did a quick calculation. That was $60, and that seemed like a huge amount of money to me at that time. So I didn’t give it. I gave what I thought I could do without. I was asking the wrong question, and over the years since that day, God has changed the question I ask. He’s helped me realize it all belongs to God anyway; what’s amazing is that he lets us keep so much. Paul says we’re to be people who are willing to share, be generous, and be rich in good deeds. In other words, we are called to give generously, save wisely, and live appropriately. That’s a “Greater Than” life.

Here’s the question this all comes down to: what do you treasure. What is your “greater than”? What is the most important thing to you? Is it something you’ve bought, or something you can possess? Or is it the kingdom of God? What’s your treasure? Jesus says we will put our heart in the place where our treasure is (cf. Matthew 6:21). Where is your treasure?

At this point, I’m going to ask our finance chairperson, Dennis Handschu, to come forward. He’s going to share a bit of his story, a bit about the financial opportunities we have in this church in the coming year, and then lead you through the generosity commitment card. I’ll be praying for you all this morning, that as we move forward, Mount Pleasant, we can continue to give our all for the sake of helping others find the life that really is life. Amen.