Motive and Opportunity
Thursday, November 13, 2008 by Eddie
Background: I had an opportunity to prepare a sermon for class in SOL3. Seeing as it's all written, perhaps it can be of encouragement and blessing to you all!
Title: Motive and Opportunity
Suppose this situation, a well known God fearing merchant man is holding some goods, and a buyer approaches him to buy the good at a really good price, far in excess of what they are worth, and much more than any informed buyer would reasonably offer. This is the opportunity. How might a godly man react?
One godly man says praise God! God has given me this opportunity to make lots of money. After I sell this I will be able to afford that really big house, and that luxury sports car. Ah! But first I have got to tithe. Sounds reasonable.
Or another godly man may ask about the buyer, only to find that he has been misinformed about the proper price of such things. And he offer to sell at the reasonable price, to make a reasonable profit, with which he has more than enough to feed and clothe his family and continue his business, yet at the same time acting in a way consistent with his beliefs. Sounds reasonable too.
What I haven’t said is, to have money, is evil. What matters is where your heart is? What your motives are behind your actions. It is like a kitchen knife. It is a tool that was designed by its creator for cooking, and in cooking you can provide food to yourself and others. But if you are not careful in using it, it can hurt you. But if you don’t take care of it, it will become damaged and no longer useful. But if your intent is to hurt others, it too could be used for such a purpose.
Ok. So at this point we understand we should examine our motives. But what should our motivators be? Read v11, Paul warns Timothy, "flee from these things (a desire for money) and follow (desire rather) after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life”.
So...
Let us be motivated by a desire for righteousness.
Let us be motivated by a desire for godliness.
Let us be motivated by a desire for faith.
Let us be motivated by a desire for love.
Let us be motivated by a desire for patience.
Let us be motivated by a desire for gentleness.
Let us be motivated to fight a good fight. Let us be motivated by eternal life. Or in 1 John 2:15-17:
Consider the scenario that I opened with. The actions of the first man enriched the house of God, financially. But to the buyer who later finds out the fair price, to him he is a swindler and a cheat. And he must ask what kind of God is it that he follows. And a child of God is potentially lost to the kingdom. Consider your motivation so you see opportunities, so you may take opportunities, and so you seek opportunities, to act according to the will of God.
Title: Motive and Opportunity
Given an opportunity, it is your motive that determines whether you will see it, how you will approach it, and how you use it.
Suppose this situation, a well known God fearing merchant man is holding some goods, and a buyer approaches him to buy the good at a really good price, far in excess of what they are worth, and much more than any informed buyer would reasonably offer. This is the opportunity. How might a godly man react?
One godly man says praise God! God has given me this opportunity to make lots of money. After I sell this I will be able to afford that really big house, and that luxury sports car. Ah! But first I have got to tithe. Sounds reasonable.
Or another godly man may ask about the buyer, only to find that he has been misinformed about the proper price of such things. And he offer to sell at the reasonable price, to make a reasonable profit, with which he has more than enough to feed and clothe his family and continue his business, yet at the same time acting in a way consistent with his beliefs. Sounds reasonable too.
We will be reading from 1Timothy 6:6-10:
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
In the verses before this, Paul in v3-5 talks about the type of person who might teach in misalignment with the words and message of our Lord Jesus Christ, one very interesting characteristic mentioned is "who suppose that godliness is a means of gain". And in the following verse he contrasts this with "godliness with contentment is great gain". What is the difference?
The first could be paraphrased ‘godliness is a method by which I will have gain’. Some other translations narrow this to financial gain. The real motive behind life in God for this person, is not a fear of God, or following Christ, but belies a desire to be rich/successful. It is like using God as a wishing tree because he desires to bless his children with good things. 'Bless me with this.' 'Bless me with good results.' 'Bless me with a job.' Yes it is God’s heart to love, but something is wrong when the gift becomes more important to you than the giver.
You might say, I’m not like that, but what is wrong to want that bigger house, or that fancier car, and to have those things I must have money. Why do you want these things? What is the motive behind the desire? Is it to looking good in front of others? Is it to keep up with others?
Well the bible says… it is a temptation, it is a trap. So God knows it’s tempting, it looks good, but even, so it is not right in my eyes. It is a path that leads to other lusts which are foolish (in other words useless) and harmful to you and others, which drown men in destruction and perdition (perdition=hell).
Motive
The first could be paraphrased ‘godliness is a method by which I will have gain’. Some other translations narrow this to financial gain. The real motive behind life in God for this person, is not a fear of God, or following Christ, but belies a desire to be rich/successful. It is like using God as a wishing tree because he desires to bless his children with good things. 'Bless me with this.' 'Bless me with good results.' 'Bless me with a job.' Yes it is God’s heart to love, but something is wrong when the gift becomes more important to you than the giver.
You might say, I’m not like that, but what is wrong to want that bigger house, or that fancier car, and to have those things I must have money. Why do you want these things? What is the motive behind the desire? Is it to looking good in front of others? Is it to keep up with others?
Well the bible says… it is a temptation, it is a trap. So God knows it’s tempting, it looks good, but even, so it is not right in my eyes. It is a path that leads to other lusts which are foolish (in other words useless) and harmful to you and others, which drown men in destruction and perdition (perdition=hell).
Why does this lead to Hell? Because this desire leads onto other desires, and each one of these cloud your moral judgment a little bit more, even on things you were once sure of. As it says in v10, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (in other words, a desire for money leads onto other dubious acts), for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness (this implies Paul is talking about people who were once faithful, but have lost their path, so as to stray from what they once held to. And having turned their back on your faith, they are on a path to hell).
What I haven’t said is, to have money, is evil. What matters is where your heart is? What your motives are behind your actions. It is like a kitchen knife. It is a tool that was designed by its creator for cooking, and in cooking you can provide food to yourself and others. But if you are not careful in using it, it can hurt you. But if you don’t take care of it, it will become damaged and no longer useful. But if your intent is to hurt others, it too could be used for such a purpose.
Money is a tool.
Ok. So at this point we understand we should examine our motives. But what should our motivators be? Read v11, Paul warns Timothy, "flee from these things (a desire for money) and follow (desire rather) after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life”.
So...
Let us be motivated by a desire for righteousness.
Let us be motivated by a desire for godliness.
Let us be motivated by a desire for faith.
Let us be motivated by a desire for love.
Let us be motivated by a desire for patience.
Let us be motivated by a desire for gentleness.
Let us be motivated to fight a good fight. Let us be motivated by eternal life. Or in 1 John 2:15-17:
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.Be motivated by a desire to do the will of God - being content with what you have, because you will be provided with the things which are necessary. As it says in Matthew 6:26:
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?So I put to you, examine the motives behind your actions. Examine the desires that motivate you. Examine even actions in service to the house of God, or of benefit to the house of God.
Consider the scenario that I opened with. The actions of the first man enriched the house of God, financially. But to the buyer who later finds out the fair price, to him he is a swindler and a cheat. And he must ask what kind of God is it that he follows. And a child of God is potentially lost to the kingdom. Consider your motivation so you see opportunities, so you may take opportunities, and so you seek opportunities, to act according to the will of God.