I Timothy 6:17-21

1. teach the rich about the proper use of money 6:17-19
1. these are saved people who got their money through legitimate means
1. Timothy was to teach them about the dangers of possessing wealth
2. Paul is not promoting communism, the denial of personal property & wealth
3. he is not condemning rich men for being rich
4. he is warning them about the false trust they may easily develop
2. some things they should not become - 17
1. "high-minded"
1. pride can become the curse of the rich
2. easy to begin to think they are better than others because the have more
3. riches normally produce security, power, and authority
4. a rich man can easily interpret this authority over others as personal superiority
5. we are warned in the Bible to not think more highly of self than we ought to think
6. the possession of wealth is not an indication of divine favor
2. "trust in uncertain riches"
1. the proud wealthy have an unfounded hope
2. the value of hope lies in the strength of the one in whom it is placed
3. causes for the uncertainty of money
1. the shortness of life
2. the relative value of money (inflation, war, and other complicated factors
3. some things they should do - 17-19
1. set their hope in God - 17
1. He is living (anything without life cannot help us)
2. He is the One who has given us all things to enjoy
2. do good deeds - 18
1. wealth must be seen as a divine stewardship & an opportunity to advance the kingdom of God
2. the proper enjoyment of riches involves using them to bless others
3. if a rich man can find enjoyment in sharing his wealth with others, he is using his wealth as God intended
4. if the thought of sharing is abhorrent to him, he has fallen prey to the dangers that Paul previously mentioned
5. a rich man is both foolish and poor when he lays up treasures for himself
6. the right way to give is willingly, bountifully & purposely
3. lay up treasures in heaven - 19
1. this will automatically take place when they do good works and distribute
2. the more one gives away the more one deposits in heaven
3. when someone lays up treasure in heaven, through liberal giving, they are able to lay hold on eternal life
2. keep the faith - 20-21
1. he was to guard, preserve & save the faith that was taught to him
1. the Christian faith is not an invention of man, but a treasure committed by God to man
2. we all have the responsibility of protecting and preserving the truth given to us
2. there are obstacle to overcome
1. "profane and vain babblings" (arguments of no content)
2. "oppositions of science" (false knowledge)
3. men often parade myth and hypotheses as a settled fact
3. these are things we are to "avoid"
1. endless disputations with an heretic are counter-productive
2. there is no way to refute a myth, nor can the mind of one incapable of thinking rationally be changed
4. empty word and false knowledge has caused some to err in the faith -21