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We live
in the wealthiest and most prosperous nation that
has ever existed on planet Earth. But, too much
wealth can create problems for us. There is pressure
from outside and temptation from within for us
to pursue an affluent lifestyle and make that
our highest priority. But, the sons and daughters
of God must not become focused on the acquisition
of wealth. We must have other priorities, or we
are in danger of ruining our relationship with
God.
The temptation
to pursue wealth is of course, nothing new. It
was a problem that the early Christians and Messianic
Jews faced in the First Century. The Son of God
Himself taught us that we can't serve both God
and money. Human beings must choose one or the
other. Of course, He advised us to serve God.
He told us that we should invest our lives, our
time, our energy, our resources to gain riches
in Heaven. He should "sell low" and "buy high!"
It is
men of depraved minds, whose thinking is corrupt,
whose values are corrupt, whose priorities are
wrong, who try to mix the pursuit of God and the
pursuit of money.
They are
deprived of the truth. O, they have access to
the truth. They are religious men. They have confessed
that Yeshua is Lord, and have been baptized, They
read the Bible. They even study it, and can quote
it. They can pray and worship, but in spite of
all this, they still don't understand the truth
of the Word of God. They don't understand it's
basic message - which is the Message of Salvation.
Their focus is off. Therefore they are not primarily
concerned with being reconciled to a holy God,
from whom the whole world is estranged. They are
not overly concerned that sin has alienated all
of humanity from an infinitely holy God, and brought
us into a state of spiritual death, dead in our
trespasses and sins, controlled by the Powers
of Darkness and headed to Hell. They don't have
the heart of God, as He looks down from Heaven
to Earth, and sees billions of men and women,
boys and girls, Jews and Gentiles, lost and in
the most desperate need of salvation that the
Messiah of Israel alone can provide.
The Lord's
perspective and attitude is so different. God
desires that all men be saved, and come to a knowledge
of the truth about salvation. That's why He sent
His Son, who sacrificed so much, who suffered
so terribly - to make salvation available, so
that we could be redeemed from sin and death,
and take part in life, true life, eternal life,
unending life in HaOlam HaBa - The World To Come.
These corrupted Christians aren't very concerned
with bringing the message of salvation - the Gospel
- the Good News to others. No, they are focused
on having a better life in fallen Earth, in this
sinful world which will be destroyed, on this
planet which will come to an end. And so, they
take the Word of God, and they change its emphasis
from a message focused on the need for spiritual
salvation, and they try to twist it into a message
of monetary gain and having a better, easier,
richer life. They use the same Bible, but change
the emphasis, twisting its meaning.
They think
- incorrectly, that godliness - being like God,
being pure, being genuinely religious, being holy,
gaining spirituality, is a means of financial
gain. So they use the Word of God, and combine
it with religion, and make it into a religious
money-making scheme. The world's philosophy is
that money makes the world go round, that satisfaction
comes from acquiring ever increasing amounts of
wealth, that happiness comes from the amount of
things that you possess, and that he who dies
with the most toys wins the game of life. But
that is not to be the perspective of God's Holy
Community.
When the
Son of God left the glories and wealth of Heaven,
and came to Earth, was His purpose to make lots
of money? To live a nice, comfortable life in
Nazareth? Wear the nicest clothes, have the nicest
sandals, live in the biggest house, drive the
nicest chariot? If it was, He could have been
born to the family of Caesar, or some wealthy
merchant or king. But, He chose to be born to
a poor Jewish family who were part of a people
who were under the dominion of Rome, and Rome
squeezed as much wealth and as much money out
of Israel as possible. He did have an occupation.
He was a carpenter, but He even left His occupation
to become an itinerant preacher, a wandering Rabbi,
telling people the truth, preaching the Good News
of salvation. So we learn from the Son of God,
what His priorities were, and what He was all
about. And, He is our supreme model and example
to follow.
Rabbi
Paul goes on to tell us that godliness actually
is a means of great gain - when it is accompanied
by contentment. Godliness - being like God, being
like Messiah, being truly religious and striving
for purity and holiness in your life, does bring
great advantages, but not material or monetary
advantages. Being godly and religious does result
in great gain, but only when it is accompanied
by monetary and material contentment.
What are
some of those gains that come from godliness?
Godliness
helps with our relationships with God. God looks
favorably on the godly.
- Godliness helps with
our relationships with people. The more godly
we are, the better we treat those around us,
and the better help we are able to bring them.
- Godliness ensures salvation.
If you truly accept Yeshua as Lord, and that
reality manifests itself in your life, and you
become more and more godly, it shows that your
confession is genuine, and your salvation sure.
- Godliness brings peace
that passes understanding.
- Godliness adds meaning
and significance to life.
- Godliness brings hope
for the future.
It makes
sense to pursue God, and not money, for we have
brought nothing into the world, and so we cannot
take anything out of it either. We bring no material
possessions into this world, and we can leave
with none. You can't take your assets, wealth,
property or money with you. So, why strive for
a life that is based on the acquisition of more
and more material possessions? That is not what
life is about. He who dies with the most things
does not win. In fact, it's almost guaranteed
that he loses.
However,
there are things that we can take with us, and
therefore those are the things worth pursuing.
What can you take with you? Salvation; your good
name; your good works which will be rewarded by
God; your sacrifices for others that will be rewarded
by the Creator, your service for Him; your love
and knowledge of God. That is what you take with
you.
So, if
that is what you can take with you, it only make
sense that that is what you center your life around.
That is what you focus on. That is what you direct
your time, your energies, your mind, your thoughts,
your efforts, your education, your resources towards.
Apart from what we do with God, for God, in God,
all that we do will be vain, useless, meaningless,
empty, without eternal significance. Our lives
will be lightweight, insubstantial, like chaff
blown away by the wind. Apart from Him we can
accomplish, do nothing significant, nothing lasting,
nothing rewarding. Only those things wrought in
God, accomplished with God and for God will last.
Those are the things we pursue. Therefore we should
develop the attitude that if we have food and
covering, with these material things we shall
be content. If we have a career, the purpose of
your career is not just to advance our career
to make more money. Our career provides us and
our family with food and clothing and shelter
and basic necessities. Our job should be understood
to be our mission field, our Jerusalem. You are
in the position, you are in that job, your have
that career to bring the Message of Salvation
to those around you, and to model the truth. If
you get a promotion, that's great! There are new
people that you might be able to influence!
What happens
if you follow the philosophy of the world, and
seek satisfaction in the continual acquisition
of earthly wealth? Rabbi Paul tells us that those
who want to get rich fall into temptation and
a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which
plunge human beings into ruin and destruction.
They will get themselves into unnecessary, dangerous
and difficult situations. They willed be tempted
to cut ethical and moral corners, cheat and steal,
take unnecessary risks, enter into agreements
and arrangements with people who are not trustworthy
that will wind up harming them.
For the
love of money is a root of all sorts of evil,
and some by longing for money have wandered away
from the Faith and pierced themselves with many
griefs. It's not money itself, which is useful
and necessary for business and commerce in a complicated
society - it's the love of money which leads to
all sorts of bad situations.
For the
love of money people have lied, stolen, cheated,
murdered, sold their bodies, sold their minds,
sold their integrity, sold their very souls.
For the
love of money wars have been started, cities plundered
and nations ruined.
For the
love of money families have been split, brothers
and sisters alienated from each other.
For the
love of money people have been sold into slavery,
and bought and sold like property.
You can't
love money and also love the Lord your God with
all your heart, all your soul, all your strength,
with the totality of your being. You cannot love
God and money. You will choose one and make that
your priority, or you will choose the other and
make that your priority. So, which one have you
chosen? Which one are you really serving?
Rabbi
Paul's inspired advice is to flee from these things,
these materialistic ambitions, you man of God
- speaking to his disciple Timothy. Every man
every man or woman who belongs to the Lord, and
wants to genuinely serve the Lord, and please
Him, must run - almost as if they were running
from something that terrified them, the love of
money, from the desire to become rich, and from
materialism in religion. Instead, the man or woman
who belongs to the Lord, and wants to truly serve
Him, must pursue other priorities:
-
Righteousness: being
in a right relationship with God, and then
consistently doing the right things, and living
in the right way.
-
Godliness: being
like God, being like our wonderful Messiah,
who is exactly like God. Being pure and holy,
separate from evil.
-
Faith: growing in
your faith in God, your confidence in Him,
your knowledge of Him. You must grow in your
faith in the Word of God. Faith also means
faithful - faithful to God, faithful to our
responsibilities, faithful to our task, faithful
to our calling, faithful to our mission.
-
Love: he must love
God with the totality of his being, having
a desire to know Him, talk to Him, serve Him,
obey Him. And, he must try to love the people
that the Lord brings across his path, helping
them, and bring them the love and the truth
about God, and bring them what they most desperately
need - the Message of Salvation.
-
Perseverance: perseverance
must be pursued. Understand that life is more
like a marathon than a hundred yard dash.
It's more like a battle than a picnic. It's
more like an unpleasant situation that must
be endured than a fun time. Life is not about
having fun. So, have that attitude - that
your life in this world may be unpleasant,
difficult, and that you are here to persevere.
You are here to preach the truth in a world
which rejects the truth. You are here to proclaim
the Lord in a world that hates God. It's the
one who endures to the end who will be saved.
It's more about how you end than how you start.
-
Gentleness: be kindly
disposed toward people, gentle, merciful,
as nice as you can be toward those around
you - especially those closest to you, like
your family. Now, there are times when tough
love is called for, and discipline must be
enforced, and judgment must be meted out,
but in general we are to be characterized
by gentleness.
Paul tells
Timothy to fight the good fight of faith: our
life in this world, which includes our faith -
our life with God, is like a fight. It's like
a battle; it's like a war. It needs to be fought,
and it needs to be fought well. If you are facing
a fight, you need to be serious, and you need
to be prepared. You need to know what is going.
Are you?
Take hold
of the eternal life to which you were called.
God is offering us eternal life. He is offering
us Heaven, and calling us to joys and happiness
that will last forever. He is offering us a kind
of life, a quality of life that can't be matched
in this world. Grab onto it and don't let go!
Don't let it slip out of your grasp by pursuing
the wrong things! Don't get distracted so it slips
out of your hands. Stay focused on it! Hold onto
to it, and the things that lead to eternal life,
which we have been considering, and don't let
go!
Timothy
took hold of eternal life when he made the good
confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Likewise, we take hold of eternal life by making
a good confession, especially in connection with
our baptism.
What is
the good confession? What are we to acknowledge
in front of witnesses? That Yeshua is the Messiah,
that He is the Lord and Savior, that He died and
rose from the dead, and that we intend to serve
and follow Him, and suffer for Him if necessary,
and die for Him if called upon to do so.
Messiah
Yeshua testified the good confession before Pontius
Pilate. The Lord, in a very difficult situation,
spoke the truth to the powerful Roman Governor.
He testified and He spoke the truth. He didn't
seek to cut a deal with the Roman Governor to
make His life richer, wealthier, better in this
world.
This tells
us that those people who are teaching that human
beings can be saved apart from personally placing
their faith in Yeshua, and confessing Him publically
before others, are delusional. We must make a
good confession, and our confession and baptism
must be both personal and public. And, our confession
must remain public. We must continue to identify
with Yeshua, and witness to others about Him,
and preach, and confess and declare that Yeshua
is Messiah that God sent to save us, and that
He alone is the only Way to Salvation.
Paul gets
even more serious with his disciple, Timothy.
He gives him a charge - but it's also a command
that is applicable to each one of us: "I charge
you - I place this burden on you that you must
lift, I give you this order that you must obey,
I entrust you with the following responsibility
- and this is taking place in the presence of
God. God is right here Timothy, listening to what
I am charging you. And, He approves of what I
am asking you to do - God who gives life to all
things - including you - He has given you life.
Now, if
someone gives you something nice, you generally
owe him something back. Usually there are some
stings attached. There is no free lunch. You are
obligated to him. You need to pay him back when
called upon. If someone gave you 100 million dollars,
and then calls you up later and asks you to do
a little something for him, you are obligated
to do that something for him. God has give us
more than mere money - He has given us life. He
gives you your very being. He sustains you every
nanosecond of your existence! Therefore it is
reasonable for us to pay Him back, by obeying
Him, and serving Him, since we owe our Creator
our life, our existence. We owe our Creator everything!
It's not
just God the Father who is present and giving
His approval - it's also the Son of God, Messiah
Yeshua, the Anointed Ruler and King of Israel,
and the Savior of the world, who will rule over
Israel and the nations, and rule them with a rod
of iron. Paul gives this command to Timothy -
and to us, in the presence of the Father and the
Son.
Now, here
is the charge to us: that you keep the commandment
without stain or reproach. The commandment does
not means just one specific mitzvah, but the Word
of God, the Scriptures, all of the commandments
of God - because the Word of God comes to us as
a Command To Be Obeyed, not a suggestion to be
only thought about, or a good idea to be ignored!
We are to do what the Creator has told us to do.
We are to live the way God has told us to live,
with purity, not impurity, not corrupting the
truth, not living impurely, but obeying the Word
of God, living according to the truth, so that
we won't do the wrong things, be disgraced and
need to be corrected.
How long
are we responsible to keep the commandment, obey
the Lord, and live the right way, tell the truth
to others, share the Gospel, and focus on bringing
others the Message of Salvation? Until the Source
of Salvation Himself appears - until the appearing
of our Lord, the One we must obey and serve, Messiah
Yeshua, which God the Father will bring about
at the proper time - the Father who is the blessed
and only Sovereign, the One who is worthy of our
praise and admiration, because He is so great,
so powerful; He is the One who is the Sovereign,
who has the right to give orders and have those
commands obeyed.
Don't
think that any power or authority or wealth that
you have, or any power, position, authority or
wealth that belongs to any other human being,
makes you or them somehow exempt from the Father's
power and authority and sovereignty. No! He is
the King of kings and Lord of lords! Not only
is He supreme in power and authority, but He is
supreme in life and existence. He alone possesses
immortality. No angel, no man, no created being
has the kind of life and immortality that He possesses.
He alone has life and existence inherent within
Himself. He alone is not subject to death. He
alone had no beginning. After the resurrection,
in our glorified bodies, we will live forever,
but our immortality is a derived immortality,
not an inherent immortality. Adonai alone possesses
a singular immortality.
He is
also supreme in greatness. He dwells in unapproachable
light - He is so glorious, so magnificent, so
splendid, so awesome, so holy and pure, so great,
so powerful, He is so full of truth, victory,
power, authority, age, wisdom and knowledge, that
it is impossible for us to get too close to Him
in our current state. No fallen human creature
can get too close to Him or see Him as He really
is. No one can see Him face to face and survive
that encounter. No one has fully seen God at any
time. No one has ever had a full glimpse of our
God - not even the greatest of men, like Moses.
The Lord could only show him His back as He passed
by.
That's
why we need the Son of God. Through Him, the Light
of the World, we can approach the Light of the
Father. By joining ourselves to the One who is
joined to the Father, we can approach the Unapproachable.
By drawing near to the Son we draw near to the
Father. Then, after our resurrection and the judgment,
that the glorified sons and daughters of God will
be able to see God.
May this
glorious God be honored by all of His creatures,
and may He experience eternal dominion over all
of them, because He is so great, because He is
so pure, because He is so truly right and good,
because He is so worthy! Amayn! It's true! I agree!
So be it! Now, sometimes it happens that a person
will find themselves with substantial wealth.
If you are a Christian or Messianic Jew and are
in that position, there are instructions for you.
You don't need to sell everything and become poor.
Those who are rich in this present world must
not be conceited. Don't think that you are better
or superior or more successful than others, or
that your life is more important than others,
because of your money. Don't become a stuck-up,
conceited snob. Remember that there are idiots
with money. There are wicked men and apostates
and corrupted Christians with money. And, there
are those who are far better than you, who will
receive a far greater reward than you, who have
much less money than you!
Don't
fix your hope on the uncertainty of riches. Money
can make itself wings like an eagle, and fly away
- far, and fast and for a long time! Wealth can
be taken away by injustice, by fraud, by liars
and cheats and con-artists, by lawsuits, by theft,
by unforseen circumstances, by your own bad management,
by your own poor judgment and of course by your
death.
Fix your
hope on God! Look forward to seeing Him, and getting
to know this Magnificent Being throughout eternity,
and being with the Supreme Being who knows you,
and loves you, and wants to reward you to the
maximum degree possible! Therefore serve Him with
a whole heart. Have His burden to bring His Yeshua,
His salvation, to the world. Work with Him in
this world. Be a co-worker with the Almighty!
In the meantime, He will richly supply you with
all things to enjoy. Life is not all suffering,
and all hardship, and all perseverance. There
were will be pleasures along life's way. Life
is full of pleasures: there is beauty everywhere
throughout nature that can be enjoyed by everyone,
and mostly it's free! There is pleasure from growing
thins. There are the pleasures of food and drink,
a favorite food, a glass of wine of beer, a cold
glass of water on a hot day, the occasional cigar,
a delicious shower, bath or swim. There are pleasures
of travel, even simple travel like a walk, a drive
or bike-ride.
There
are joys that come from friends, family and country,
from children and grandchildren. There are the
pleasures that come from marriage and the act
of marriage. There is the special pleasure that
comes from a beloved pet. There are pleasures
that come from work and accomplishment and talents
that are cultivated. There are pleasure of the
mind and education. There is great music, artwork
and poetry to be enjoyed. There are pleasures
from good books, good movies and plays, sports
and entertainments. All have a place. A poor man
can enjoy a good book as much as a billionaire
can! You don't have to pursue wealth to enjoy
the good pleasures of life. They will come to
you. If you are well off, then do good things
for others with your resources. Be rich in good
works, be generous and ready to share your material
prosperity with others. If you do, you will be
storing up the treasure of a good foundation for
the future, and you will be taking hold of that
which is life indeed.
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