1 Timothy 6:17-21: The Final Instructions

Let’s turn in our Bibles to 1 Timothy 6:17-21. And let’s close out this great book of the NT today. And as you are doing that, let me quote one of my favorite bands, “NeedtoBreathe,” and let me quote one of my favorite songs of theirs called “Money & Fame.” It goes like this:

What do you kids wanna know about now?

I made enough to make a young gun proud

Money and fame bring a man shame

Ain't no doubt about it


“Money and fame” bring a man shame? Yeah, maybe. I like that song. But I think it unnecessarily demonizes what can be a good thing. We know already from 1 Timothy that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (6:10). We know that money, especially when you add fame to it, can cause lots of problems. But money can also be a great good for the kingdom of God. And as Paul closes out this letter to Timothy, he doesn’t tell him, “Make sure all the rich folks at church get rid of all their money because it’s bad, bad, bad!” No, he does something more strategic than that. He tells Timothy, “Timothy, teach those who have money in your church to be generous with it. Teach them to use it for good not evil.”


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Today’s passage is about two things. And I’ve got two points today from the text. Two final instructions from Paul to Timothy and the church of Ephesus in the book of 1 Timothy. Here’s the first.

1. Be Generous (6:17-19)


Now last week’s passage had an epic conclusion. And I think that verse 16 would have been a fitting close to this great book of the Bible. Paul declares the glory of God by saying [starting in verse 15], 

[God] is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen” (6:15b-16). That would have been an epic mic drop to close out this letter to Timothy. 


But Paul’s not done just yet. He comes down from the doxological heights of verse 16 and gets very practical with Timothy. He says in verse 17, 

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They [the rich] are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 


Now Paul has already dealt with wealth and riches in a previous section (6:5-10). But he’s addressing it again here because this is a different category of people in the church. Previously, he spoke of those who desired to be rich and the dangers associated with that (6:9). There was an allusion there to the false teachers who were infected with this kind of money-lust. But here he deals directly with the wealthy, that is those who are already wealthy not desirous of being rich. And because Ephesus was a wealthy city, there were wealthy people in the city that got saved and joined the church. That’s a good thing! But wealth has its challenges. 

And that’s not new. Solomon, who knew a thing or two about wealth, said in Ecclesiastes, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep” (Ecclesiastes 5:10-12). In other words, there’s this insatiable appetite for more. And the more you have, the more you have to protect what you have. 


It’s ironic because I always see people using the #blessed designation for people who make a lot of money or who have a lot of provision. But actually there’s a blessing that comes from not having provision. Jesus actually said, “Blessed are the poor” (Luke 6:20), because the poor are less likely to trust in their possessions. They more readily trust in Christ. 


And there is a sense in which the rich are “blessed.” They are blessed with wealth and an opportunity to bless others. But that “blessing” comes with challenges, temptations, and responsibilities. 


I was reading an online poll once that asked this question: “Would you rather be rich and unhappy or poor and happy?” Most people responded that they would rather be poor and happy. One person wrote, “[I’d rather be] Poor and happy. What’s the point in wealth if you can’t even enjoy it?” Another person wrote, “I would rather have a little bit of both and get along in life.” Another person perhaps facetiously wrote, “[I’d rather be] rich and unhappy, because then I’ll have enough money to get myself some therapy.” That’d better be some good therapy!


But the truth is, biblically, that wealth and happiness (or contentment) aren’t mutually exclusive. Neither are wealth and godliness. Wealth comes with challenges and responsibilities, yes. But we can use the wealth that God gives us for good. And there is something that God expects of a person of wealth—and that’s generosity! 


Now we need to be careful here. Don’t be dismissive of this passage by thinking that you are not a “rich” person by American standards. Most Americans are extremely wealthy compared to the rest of the world. Paul defined contentment as consisting of simply food and covering (6:8). And we, as Americans, have vastly more than that. We’ve got Amazon Prime and eBay filling our house with stuff every week. But that prosperity should not produce guilt or pride in us. It should instead cause us to be thankful and praise God. And give back to God in light of what he’s given us. 


And Paul gives a few additional warnings here in that regard. He gives four action items for the wealthy person. Let’s go through them one by one. First he says… 

a. Don’t be haughty


In fact he says it stronger than that. He tells young Timothy, the church’s leader, to charge the rich not to be haughty. 

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty,


I’m sure Timothy once again was like, “Thanks a lot, Paul, for these unenviable tasks!” But why does Paul want wealthy people to not be haughty? Is that a temptation that comes with wealth? Yes, it is. Like I said a few weeks ago, wealth is not intrinsically evil. But it comes with a unique set of temptations and challenges that can send an ungodly person to his or her own ruin.


 And there are some indications in this letter that the “love of money” (φιλαργυρία) was a problem in Ephesus. There were false teachers who were greedy for gain (6:5). There were women in the church that were guilty of gaudy and ostentatious dress that was shaming the poorer people in the church (2:9-10). Paul gave explicit commands that elders and deacons not be “lovers of money” or greedy for dishonest gain (3:3, 8). And Paul had to remind everyone about the dangers of money-lust (6:9-10). Money is morally neutral. But money-lust and the haughtiness that comes with it can be devastating temptations. Think of Thorin in The Hobbit who is overcome with what Tolkien calls dragon-sickness. 


So in terms of positive action, Paul says “Be Generous.” In terms of a negative prohibition, Paul says, “Don’t be haughty.” And here’s another prohibition. Paul also says, 

b. Don’t trust in wealth

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, 


Let me ask you a question, church. Are riches uncertain? Does the stock market always go up? Are job markets always robust? Do pensions ever disappear? I don’t think Paul is being cynical here. He’s just being practical. He’s trying to protect people from “a false sense of security.”


Some of you may not know this, but I was a finance major in college. I went to the University of Texas at Tyler, and when I was there, I had this finance professor who was nearing retirement. And whenever the stock market was up, he was the happiest guy on campus. He was winsome and likeable, and he would teach with a big smile on his face. 


But when the market was down, he was grumpy and rude and standoffish. It was shocking to me that this guy could be emotionally driven by the fluctuation of the stock market. [Of course, in fairness to him, I didn’t have thousands of dollars invested in the stock market like he did.] But it was a great lesson for me at a young age that markets are volatile. Wealth is undependable. If you are trusting in wealth for your security and your state of being and your personal fulfillment, you are setting yourself up for a downfall. If not in this life, then in the life to come.


But if you instead set your hopes on God, then you will be setting your hopes on the one who “richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” Look at the end of verse 17. 

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.


Don’t set your hope on the good gifts that God gives. That’s idolatry. Set your hope instead on the Giver of all good gifts. And then when you do that, you can enjoy God’s gifts properly. 


I think there might even be an allusion here to the book of Ecclesiastes. And if so, I want to reference this passage, because Paul very rarely alludes to Ecclesiastes. But this might be one of those occasions. Solomon wrote, “Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God” (Ecc 5:18-19).


One of God’s “good gifts” is wealth. I’m not one of those people that demonizes wealth and glamorizes poverty. I don’t think the Bible does that either. I think “poverty theology” is just as silly as “prosperity theology.” Materialism is wrong, but so is asceticism. If you are one of those people that God has blessed with an abundance of material resources, than praise God. Like I said, most of us as Americans have been blessed in ways that the rest of the world is not. We don’t need to have false guilt about that. That’s the wrong response to what God has given us. Instead of feeling guilty, thank God for his generosity. Thank God for his many blessings, and then let generosity beget generosity.


So practically, what this means is that you can go on vacation, guilt-free, and spend money on your kids. And you should pray in front of your kids, “Thank you, God, for these wonderful provisions.” You can go enjoy a ball game, guilt-free. You can go enjoy a nice dinner, guilt-free. You can buy that pricey pastry at the local coffee shop, guilt-free, and say, “Thank you Lord for butter and for sugar and for the pastry chefs who use their skill to turn this into a masterpiece for my tastebuds to enjoy.” 


You can play a round of golf, guilt-free… You can get a mani-pedi, guilt-free… You can enjoy a bottle of wine with your spouse, guilt-free… Just don’t be haughty about it. And don’t be ungenerous with what God has given you. And don’t be presumptuous thinking that it’ll always be that way setting your hopes on the uncertainty of riches.


Paul says elsewhere… [let’s keep this in mind as we are experiencing chronic inflation in America and a massive amount of national debt] … “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (Phil 4:11-12). Have you learned that secret, Christian? 


Write this down under 1c. Don’t be haughty. Don’t trust in wealth. Also…

c. Don’t fail to do good


Paul says in verse 18, 

18 They [the rich] are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 


The “doing of good” here is one Greek word, ἀγαθοεργέω. The generic word for “good” is ἀγαθός. And ἔργον is the word for “work” or “deed.” So we have here a verb for the concept of “do-gooding” and Paul tells the rich to be “do-gooders.” I know we think of that term as derogatory, but it shouldn’t be. Paul commands the wealthy to be “do-gooders.” 


And this is really a command for all of us. Jesus said, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:16). We are all called as Christians to do good and to be rich in good works. But Paul gives a special exhortation for those who are rich in this present world to be rich in good works. 


Why would they need that reminder? Because sometimes people are so busy working and making money that they forget to work on behalf of others. Or they are so busy spending it on themselves, they forget to spend it on others. One of the great opportunities and privileges that the wealthy have is to use their wealth for good. In fact, the giving away of wealth is a lot of fun. Think Ebenezer Scrooge at the end of A Christmas Carol. Who would you rather be? The “Bah-Humbug” Scrooge at the beginning of that book. Or the ridiculously happy and beneficent one at the end of the book. 


By the way, notice the way that Paul turns the word “rich” on its head in this passage. Paul’s play on words here in 1 Timothy is “rich.” Paul is masterful with his use of language. He tells Timothy, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to set their hopes on riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy… and [charge them] to be rich in good works.” Paul uses four words, four Greek cognates, to convey these ideas: πλούσιος, πλοῦτος, πλουσίως, and πλουτέω. 


So let me read this statement again and give you a sense of Paul’s artistry here. Paul tells Timothy, “As for the πλούσιος in this present age, charge them not to set their hopes on πλοῦτος, but on God, who πλουσίως provides us with everything to enjoy… and [charge them] to be πλουτέω.” That is linguistic and rhetorical masterclass right there from the Apostle Paul. 


And why would he say it this way? What’s he trying to do with this rhetoric? He’s trying to sink his exhortation deep into Timothy’s brain, so that Timothy will likewise sink these concepts into the brains of the wealthy parishioners in Ephesus. And here’s the exhortation. Don’t fail to do good… those of you who are wealthy. And don’t fail to be rich in good works. 


And as part of that, write this down as 1d.

d. Don’t hoard the wrong treasure


Paul says that by doing these things… by being generous and by being rich in good works, they are… look at verse 19, 

19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 


“Storing up treasure for themselves.” Who does that sound like? Boy, that sounds like Jesus, doesn’t it? Paul is cribbing Jesus’s notes here. Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:19-21). 


What does that mean to store up treasure for yourself in heaven? John MacArthur encourages us this way: “Invest your money in the souls of men and women who will some day greet you in heaven with thanksgiving when you arrive. What a thought. What an incredible thought, to take your money and purchase eternal friendships by investing in the kingdom. What you keep, you lose. What you give to God you keep forever.” 


Even from a worldly perspective, this is true. The wealthy steel magnate at the turn of the twentieth century, Andrew Carnegie, said once, “The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced… The man who dies leaving behind him millions of available wealth which was his to administer during life, will pass away unwept, unhonoured and unsung.” Maybe Carnegie said that to encourage people to store up treasure on earth after they die. But Paul and Jesus are advocating for treasure in heaven. 


What does that mean? Does that mean what MacArthur said about winning souls who can greet you in heaven? Yeah, I think so. But I would add to that, that there are these allusions in the Bible to varying degrees of enjoyment level in eternity. I actually believe that treasures in heaven don’t refer to physical crowns or gold rings or such, but intensified experiences of joy and satisfaction. I wouldn’t die on a hill for that. But I think that makes more sense than the physical treasures that we wear or gather which are essentially meaningless in eternity. 


Whatever the case, there is definitely an emphasis in the NT on eternal treasures verses temporal treasures here and now. You can see that even in Paul’s use of language here. In verse 17, Paul mentions those who are “rich in this present age” and in verse 19 he talks about treasures stored up “for the future.” So that’s the contrast. That’s the great dichotomy—present age treasure and future age treasure. 


Paul says store up future treasure for yourself so that you may… 

take hold of that which is truly life.

Future treasures are taken hold of in “that which is truly life” (i.e. eternal life)!


A few years ago I ran across a painting that perfectly illustrated the danger of wealth. On the screen is a famous sixteenth century painting by the Flemish artist Quentin Massys called “The Moneylender and His Wife.” In this painting there are two primary subjects. You have a moneylender who is carefully weighing out his money. And to his left he has a dutiful wife who is reading her prayer book. She’s trying to focus on the Lord. She’s trying to focus on spiritual matters. But if you look closely, you can see that she is secretly eyeing the coins of her husband. She can’t focus on God, because she is distracted by money. 


Now according to art aficionados, Massys painted this painting in the city of Antwerp. And at this time Antwerp was a wealthy city full of business and trade and moneylenders, not unlike Ephesus where Timothy was pastoring. And Massys painted this painting to showcase how easily distracted we can be from spiritual things by money.


You might say, “That’s a little preachy there for a painting.” Actually it’s more preachy than you know. Because there’s a secret message in this painting. If you zoom in on this mirror which is in the painting—there’s a mirror on the table next to the moneylender and his wife… and if you look close up at that reflection in the mirror, you see this zombie-like character who is reaching out to the window. And in the window there is this image of a cross that the zombie is reaching out for. And behind this image of the cross in the window is the church. This zombie-like creature who is obsessed with riches is reaching out for something better. Some people believe that this zombie is actually a self-portrait of Massys. He’s tired of the distraction of money and wealth. He wants something better. And he’s reaching out for Christ and the church.


Now that’s Europe in the sixteenth century. That’s Antwerp. And Paul is writing to Timothy in Ephesus in the first century. But we wouldn’t possibly have a problem with this in twenty first century America, would we? Do we have a materialism problem in our country? 


For those in this room, I would challenge you to consider, “Are you more focused on treasures that moth and rust destroy, than eternal treasures in heaven?” Or let me put it this way, “Are you robbing yourselves of eternal treasures and also the treasure of joy that God gives here and now, by being ungenerous and uncharitable?” Let me remind you, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:6-7). 


Some might think it’s easy to be generous and it’s difficult to be stingy. I don’t think that’s true. It’s easy to be stingy. It’s easy to hoard wealth. I think that the harder but more rewarding thing is cheerful generosity. Not a reckless generosity that is devoid of stewardship. Don’t make that mistake. But when generosity and stewardship are married together, then we’ve got something special.


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So be generous, church. And here’s a final exhortation too. Write this down as #2.

2. Be Discerning (6:20-21)

20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. 


That’s an interesting segue that Paul uses here. “Speaking of money, Timothy, let’s talk about the deposit I made in you. You need to guard that thing like Fort Knox.” 


And what was the deposit entrusted to Timothy. It was the gospel. It was the truth of God’s Word. It was the “commandment” that Paul talked about earlier. Paul said, “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the coming of our Lord Jesus” (6:13-14). In other words, “Don’t deviate from the gospel, Timothy. Don’t compromise God’s Word. Don’t start messing with it or perverting it like these false teachers circulating in Ephesus.” Guard it!


The word for “guard” here is the Greek φυλάσσω, and it means to “watch,” “guard,” or “protect.” For example, the shepherds in Luke 2 were said to be “keeping watch [φυλάσσω] over their flocks by night” when the angels came to tell them that Jesus was born. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep (φυλάσσω) it” (John 12:47). They keep it. They guard it. They protect it. 


Actually this word φυλάσσω often has a military nuance to it. For instance, it’s used in Acts 12:4 when Herod locked up Peter in prison and sent four squads of soldiers to “guard” (φυλάσσω) him, because Peter had a reputation for breaking out of prison. So that’s a good word picture for Timothy here and for us. We need to, metaphorically speaking, send four squads of soldiers to guard the deposit entrusted to us. Don’t compromise the gospel or the truth of God’s Word. 


And as part of that, Paul says,

Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”


Do we ever deal with this kind of stuff in our day? False knowledge? Irreverent babble and pseudointellectualism? You better believe we do. Listen hear me on this. You can have all the passion and zeal for truth in the world. You can be really fired up about God and his Word and the defense of his truths. But if you don’t have “discernment,” you could end up spinning your wheels, fighting battles that nobody wins. You could lead yourself to a spiritual cul-de-sac where people engage in “irreverent babble” and “pseudointellectualism.” 


I was listening to a podcast this last week called “The Briefing.” And Al Mohler was talking about how the church in London is growing for the first time in years. And this is in large measure do to immigration to the city. But there are other churches, the mainline denominations, that are dying a slow, painful death. One in particular is the United Reformed Church. And a representative of this church, the Reverend Dr. Tessa Henry Robinson, described herself as a “womanist, practical theologian,” who has a particular focus on “uplifting ethically minoritized women and communities.” The website for this church states that it “is not rigid in its expression of its beliefs and embraces a wide variety of opinions.” And a recent sermon by this pastor emphasized how wrongful it is for us to limit God to specific pronouns, whether he, she, or they. 


Now what is that? That’s pseudointellectual gobbledygook. It’s “irreverent babble,” and it’s everywhere in churches. We are living in an age when churches are either intentionally or unintentionally undiscerning about matters concerning Biblical truth. And some churches would rather mindlessly parrot the ramblings of the cultural left, than teach God’s Word.


And Paul writes, 

21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. 


And then Paul says, 

Grace be with you.


That’s kind of an unnerving way to close out a book. “Some will swerve from the faith. See you later, Timothy.” Of course swerving from the faith is evidence of never having saving faith in the first place. Keep that in mind. Perseverance is evidence of genuine conversion. Swerving is evidence of false conversion. John says it this way, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19).


Listen, one of Satan’s best tactics is to get Christians engaged in irrelevant battles over non-essentials. I see this all the time. I see it in blogs and on Facebook and in conversations that go on and on about matters that are non-essential as people espouse that which is falsely called knowledge.


Paul warns Timothy and all of us here by saying, “guard the deposit entrusted to you.” Don’t waste your time and energy and your spiritual gift on foolish disputation. It’s a stewardship issue. 


We’re used to thinking of stewardship as the appropriate use of money. How can we avoid wastage with our use of material resources? But wastage is present in other areas as well. What about your time? Each of us is given roughly seventy to eighty years on average in this life. What are you spending that time doing? Each of us is given spiritual gifts. Are we using those gifts to build up the body of Christ or are we instead using them in fruitless ventures and wasteful argumentation? In Timothy’s case he has the gift of teaching and leadership, and Paul doesn’t want Timothy wasting them by being influenced by false teachers or locking horns with false teachers in pseudointellectual debates.


One of the things that I’m learning as a pastor is how to steward my time and energy more effectively. I can’t fight every battle. I can’t manage every conflict. I can’t please every discontented person. There’s a world of lost people that we need to reach. There are men and women that need to be discipled. There are people that need to be edified by the use of our spiritual gifts.


I think this last point provides a great corrective for those who might get all lathered up to get out there and fight the good fight. Paul provides this caution, so that our fighting is not in vain. Make sure that you fight the right battles. Make sure you are expending energy on worthwhile endeavors. “Guard the deposit that has been entrusted to you.” Don’t just have grit, like I mentioned last week. Make sure you also have discernment.


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So two things, church. Be generous. And be discerning. And by the way, Paul closes out this passage with a short and final statement. I just kind of glossed over it a second ago. 

Grace be with you.


Let me say two things about this final statement, and then we’ll be done. The first thing I want to say has to do with the word “you.” This is not a singular “you.” This is a plural “you” in Greek. There are times when Paul uses the singular “you” in 1 Timothy. In fact, he uses it a lot, which isn’t surprising because he addressed this book to a singular person—Timothy. 


But Paul ends with a plural “you” or “y’all”! Why? Well, this is a letter for Timothy, but it’s not just a letter for Timothy. Paul wants this to be read to the whole church body in Ephesus. And so Timothy is supposed to get in front of the church and read this entire message from the Apostle Paul including all the rebukes, warnings, and challenges in front of all the people. Talk about awkward. Is that an act of judgment? No, it’s an act of grace. And Paul emphasizes that at the end. 

Grace be with you.


It’s as if Paul was saying, “I know I’ve been tough with you. I know this letter was direct and confrontational. But still…”

Grace be with you.


And the final thing that I want to say about this book is that it begins and ends with “grace.” And this is typical of Paul. Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:2, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” And then he ends, “Grace be with you.” That’s not an accident. In other words, all the statements, all the tough talk, all the commands, all the confrontations and instructions of 1 Timothy are sandwiched in grace. Grace is the beginning. Grace is the end. 

Grace be with you.


And what is “grace,” church? What is this concept of grace? It’s God’s unmerited favor. It’s God’s favor that is made possibly through another. Let me say it this way… let me say it with an acronym. I love this acronym because I think it’s true. G.R.A.C.E. God’s Righteousness At Christ’s Expense. We get God’s righteousness, we get forgiveness of our sins, we get justification not by our works and not by our deeds, but by the work of Christ on the cross. That’s grace. 

Grace be with you.