1 Timothy 6:17–19 - Giving Generously

The Topic We Dread

When I was in third grade, I didn’t really get in trouble much—until one day. One of my friends came out of the room laughing and took me over to the bathroom. This was after school, during soccer practice, and he showed me that someone had left their corduroy pants in the toilet. He thought it was hilarious. We were third graders, so I didn’t think about the consequences. I just asked, “Should I flush it?” He said yes, so I flushed the toilet and we ran out laughing. I didn’t think about who would have to clean that up.

The next day, I was called into the principal’s office. He asked if the story was true. I tried the classic line: “I don’t remember.” Now, this was the eighties. He pointed to the paddle above his desk and said, “Josh, sometimes I use this to help people remember things.” He told me to take a minute and think about it. I didn’t need a minute; I only needed two seconds. I confessed everything.

As much as I dreaded that conversation with the principal, the topic we are discussing today is often just as dreaded by Christians. We are talking about giving. Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve talked about giving our talent and our time as we’ve discussed living with purpose and serving. Today, we are focusing on the “treasure” part of giving.

I want to say upfront that this is a difficult topic to teach. It wasn’t the most popular topic in our summer teaching series, and it’s often the reason people are skeptical of religion or why we hesitate to invite friends to church. But it is vital to talk about because God wants our whole hearts.

Why We Talk About Treasure

God’s word talks about prayer about 500 times. It talks about faith even less. But money and possessions are referred to about 2,000 times in the scriptures. Jesus taught more about money and possessions than he did about faith or prayer. In fact, sixteen of his thirty-eight parables are about money.

He does this because he knows the power money can have in our lives. It can either help us accomplish God’s purposes for His kingdom or it can greatly distort and derail us. Jesus was very blunt about the competition for our hearts. He said that no one can serve two masters; you will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:24 (NASB)

’No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Jesus is blunt because he knows that how we view money is a matter of the heart. Either God or money will be our God, but it won’t be both. We like to think money doesn’t influence us that much, but its promises are alluring: the promise of importance, the promise of safety, and the promise of being masters of our own destiny.

So, should we reject money altogether and live on a commune? For most of us, the answer is no. Money is a tool for providing basic needs—food, clothing, shelter, and enjoyment. God created a system where we work and produce and live in community. The issue isn’t the resources; the issue is the heart. We have to learn to take control and submit our money to God, otherwise, it will take control of us.

The Parable of the Talents

To understand this, let’s look at a story Jesus told. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about a man going on a journey who entrusts his possessions to his servants. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability.

Matthew 25:14-15 (NASB)

’For [it is] just like a man [about] to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. ’To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.

In this context, a “talent” isn’t a skill like playing guitar; it’s a unit of monetary value. One talent was worth about twenty years of income. This master was entrusting a massive amount of wealth to his servants. The key issue here is ownership. The master represents God, and the servants represent those who follow Him.

We see that the first two servants immediately went to work, trading and gaining more for the master. But the third servant went away and hid his master’s money in the ground.

Matthew 25:16-18 (NASB)

’Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. ’In the same manner the one who [had received] the two [talents] gained two more. ’But he who received the one [talent] went away, and dug [a hole] in the ground and hid his master’s money.

When the master returned to settle accounts, he was filled with joy at the faithfulness of the first two servants. He told them, “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.”

Matthew 25:19-23 (NASB)

’Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ’The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ ’His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ’Also the one who [had received] the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ ’His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

There is a deep joy that comes from stewardship and generosity. When we use what God has given us—recognizing Him as the owner and ourselves as the stewards—the joy of God becomes our own.

Ownership vs. Stewardship

However, the third servant had a different experience. He told the master he was afraid because he viewed the master as a hard and stingy man. He just buried the talent and handed it back, saying, “See, you have what is yours.”

Matthew 25:24-25 (NASB)

’And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ’Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no [seed]. ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

This servant didn’t want to take responsibility. He cast shade on the master to justify his own inaction. Some commentators suggest that by burying it rather than putting it in a bank, he was hoping that if the master didn’t return, he could keep it for himself. He had a heart of selfishness and a view of God as harsh.

How you view God changes everything. If you see God as stingy or harsh, you will hold onto everything you have with a scarcity mindset. But we must remember that we have a God who has a generous heart. We see this most clearly in the Gospel. The Bible says that God is rich in mercy and that because of His great love, He made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our sins.

Ephesians 2:4-5 (NASB)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Paul tells us in Romans that if God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, He will also graciously give us all things.

Romans 8:31-32 (NASB)

What then shall we say to these things? If God [is] for us, who [is] against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

The Gospel puts the generous heart of God on display. He gave His Son to die in our place while we were still sinners. He rose from the dead to give us redemption, forgiveness, and an eternity with Him. On top of that, He gives us common graces—our heartbeats, the air we breathe, relationships, and food that tastes good.

Our God is the owner of all we possess. He is the creator and the provider.

Psalms 24:1 (NASB)

A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.

Understanding that God is the owner is the first principle of managing money well. The second principle is recognizing that we are called to be good stewards—wisely managing and investing His wealth on His behalf.

Who Are the Rich?

In 1 Timothy, Paul gives specific instructions to those who are wealthy. He tells Timothy to instruct the rich not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God. He tells them to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NASB)

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. [Instruct them] to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

Now, you might be tempted to tune out here because you don’t feel “rich.” But let’s be honest. Were you able to eat dinner every night this week? If you make $34,000 or more annually, you are in the top 1% of the world’s population in terms of wealth. If you had a choice of clothes to wear today or a car to drive, you are wealthy.

Paul’s instruction is for us. He tells us not to put our hope in the uncertainty of riches. Harvard recently did a study asking people how much money they would need to feel secure. Those making $30,000 said $60,000. Those making $250,000 said $500,000. Those making a million said five million. The problem isn’t the amount; it’s where the hope is placed. If your hope is in something uncertain, your heart will be uncertain. If your hope is in God, your heart will be filled with hope because only God is certain.

Three Ways to Take Action

In my own journey, I used to view giving as an optional part of discipleship. I was skeptical of religion because of the televangelists I saw on TV in the eighties. I was an “emotional giver.” I remember going to the Urbana missions conference in 1993. I was so moved by the worship that when they showed a video of starving children, I threw every cent in my wallet into the bucket. Then I realized I didn’t have money for a burrito or gas on the way home. I was emotional, but I wasn’t strategic.

Over time, I realized that breaking the idolatry of money required learning how to trust God through regular, strategic giving. If you want to move toward “life indeed,” here are three ways to take action:

First, giving should be regular. Consistency is key. It’s God’s vision that we give consistently.

Second, giving should be proportionate. We don’t all give the same amount, but we give in proportion to what we’ve been entrusted with. The biblical starting point is the tithe—10%. While the New Testament emphasizes “grace giving” rather than a legalistic mandate, the tithe is a great training ground. Paul says each person should give what they have decided in their heart, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (NASB)

Now this [I say], he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one [must do] just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;

My wife, Chris, and I wanted to give 10%, but we were financially enslaved by debt. We couldn’t do it yet. If you can’t pay your bills, you shouldn’t be tithing—you should be responsible. But you can start somewhere. We started at 2%. Then 3%. That was progress. Eventually, we hit 10% and began looking for other missionaries to support.

It wasn’t always easy. We were tested. I remember one season where we were desperate. Chris wrote in her journal, “Please, Lord, provide today. $2,000 for bills and house repairs.” That very afternoon, we got an envelope from friends we hadn’t talked to in a while. Inside was a note saying they felt led to send us something. It was a check for exactly $2,000. Now, that doesn’t happen every time, but it taught us that when you are faithful, God is generous.

Third, giving should be in community. Don’t make these decisions in a vacuum. If you’re married, talk to your spouse. Seek godly counsel. If you are drowning financially, reach out for help. We have people at this church who would love to help you with budgeting and financial peace.

The Yellow Ribbons of Grace

Everything we’ve talked about flows out of the generous heart of God. He isn’t begrudging; He is rich in mercy.

I love the story of a man who went to prison and found Christ. He wrote to the wife he had betrayed and told her he wanted a second chance. He told her the date he would be released and that he would be on the bus passing their house. He said, “If you want to talk to me, put a yellow ribbon on the bus stop bench. If there’s no ribbon, I’ll stay on the bus and I won’t bother you again.”

On the day of his release, he was filled with anxiety. As the bus approached his street, he strained his eyes to see the bench. But he didn’t have to look for one ribbon. On every tree, every telephone pole, and all over that bus stop, there were hundreds of yellow ribbons.

The message was clear: “I am not begrudgingly letting you back. I am generously saying, ‘Come home.’”

Friends, that is what God says to us. Through Jesus, He says, “I love you. I want to forgive you. I am generous with my grace.” Let’s ask the Lord to give us that same generous heart so that we can be a blessing to the world around us.

Acts 20:35 (NASB)

’In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’’

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a generous God. We pray, Lord, that You would share with us that same generous heart. I thank You for the many people in this church who have been so generous so that we can move forward with the mission You’ve called us to here. Lord, wherever we are in our journey with finances, we know that You are calling us to Yourself. Share Your heart with us today. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.