1 Timóteo 6

1 Timóteo 6:9

Piper comments… In the end covetousness destroys the soul in hell. The reason I am sure that this destruction is not some temporary financial fiasco but final destruction in hell is that Paul says in 1Ti 6:12 that covetousness is to be resisted with the fight of faith; and then he adds, "take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession." What's at stake in fleeing covetousness and fighting the fight of faith is eternal life. (See 1Ti 6:19.) So 1Ti 6:9 isn't saying that greed can mess up your marriage or your business (which it certainly can!), but it's saying covetousness can mess up your eternity with ruin and destruction. Or as 1Ti 6:10 says at the end, "it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs." (Literally: "impaled themselves with many pains.") God has gone the extra mile in the Bible to warn us mercifully that the idolatry of covetousness is a no win situation. It's a dead end street in the worst sense of the word. It's a trick and a trap. So my word to you is the word of 1 Timothy 6:11: Flee from it. When you see it coming (in a TV ad, or a Christmas catalog, or a neighbor's purchase), run from it the way you would run from a roaring lion escaped from the zoo and starving. But Where Do You Run? You run to the arsenal of faith, and quickly take the mantle of prayer from Psalm 119:36-note and throw it around yourself: "O Lord, incline my heart to your testimonies and not to worldly gain." And then quickly you take down two cutlasses, a short one and a long one, specially made by the Holy Spirit to slay covetousness. And you stand your ground at the door. When he shows his deadly face you show him the shorter cutlass: 1 Timothy 6:6 "There is great gain in godliness with contentment." GREAT GAIN! GREAT GAIN! Stay where you are, Lion of Covetousness. I have great gain in God. This is my faith! Then, before he has time to attack, you take the longer cutlass (Hebrews 13:5-6-note), Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content (arkeo) with what you have; for [God] has said, 'I will never fail you nor forsake you.' (Ed: This last clause in Greek has five negatives! I think God means it!) Hence we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?'" And drive it home. Do exactly what Paul says to do in Colossians 3:5, "Put covetousness to death." Brothers and sisters, all covetousness is unbelief. Learn with me, O learn with me, how to use the sword of the Spirit to fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life! (Battling the Unbelief of Covetousness) Illustration of Plunged into Ruin - In December 1993, a small Canadian mining company named Bre-X reported favorable gold mining results in the jungles of Indonesia. Gold fever gripped St. Paul in Alberta, the hometown of Bre-X. More than 100 of the 5,200 residents invested heavily in the company. "I've never been so broke," says Real Michaud, a small business owner who tossed all his liquid investments into the stock when it floated near $12 a share. The stock skyrocketed to a high of $286 a share, making millionaires of ordinary people virtually overnight. Press releases issued from the firm's modest Calgary offices proclaimed their Indonesian gold mine to be the richest gold mine ever found. The party ended on March 19, 1997, when a report that the company's chief geologist, Michael de Guzman, had committed suicide by hurling himself out of a helicopter over the jungles of Borneo. Almost overnight, the company lost $5 billion. Pension and retirement funds along with thousands of individual investors were hit hard. "Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine this could happen in Canada in the year 1997," says Greg Chorney, who lost several million dollars in the fiasco. (Read about the scandal - Bre-X Fraud - See Wikipedia) (Preaching Illustrations Vol 1) NOBODY DIES A MILLIONAIRE Ray