Sermon or Lesson:  1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV based)
[Lesson Questions included]

TITLE:  Causing A Self-inflicting Of Adversity

INTRO:  Have you ever watched a dearly-loved person make an initial choice that you know was going to lead him/her down a path that will bring much adversity into his/her life?  Why is it that we can see adversity coming when someone else is about to make a self-inflicting choice, but we cannot see adequately when we are about to make a self-inflicting choice?
     In our verse of study today, we are going to hear what God says about one way we self-inflict adversity upon our self and our life.
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READ:  1 Timothy 6:10, with vv.6-9 for context

BACKGROUND:  Previously, we learned that:
- - According to God, we believers commit sin if we "want to get rich".  (vv.5,9)
- - And thereupon, we become entrapped by and through this choice of wanting to get rich.  (v.9)
- - Subsequently, this condition incites us to develop "foolish and harmful desires".  (v.9)
- - And these desires thereupon "plunge us into ruin and destruction".  (v.9)
- - All of these aspects thereafter progressively move us farther away from maturing spiritually.
- - Let's see what else happens as a result of our making the choice of wanting to get rich.

v.10a - READ

[Lesson Question:  Explore and develop how "the love of money" exerts influence and impact that lead to and/or produce "all kinds of evil".]

SECTION POINT:  The "love of money" has or possesses within itself extreme inherent power to incite its host person to take actions of evil.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."
- - The "love of money" or "wanting to get rich" is identified here as being the source cause, and the motivation reason, and the incentive reward for engaging in "all kinds of evil" and in "many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction".  (v.9)
- - The "love of money" is a "root" - a main source cause from which all kinds of evil spring forth and branch from.
- - The "love of money" supplies a motivation reason to take action, even to the extreme of being evil action.
- - The "love of money" also supplies a promise of incentive reward, the payment that is expected after corresponding action is taken.
- - The "love of money" persuades and convinces people to take "foolish" action.  (v.9)
- - The "love of money" blinds people to impending "harm" that will result.  (v.9)
- - The "love of money" can be traced back as being a main source cause of "ruin and destruction" in people's lives.
- - The "love of money" can also be traced back as being a main source cause of generating and proliferating other kinds of evil.

- - So the "love of money" has or possesses within itself extreme inherent power, by which it effectively incites its host person to take actions of evil or harm or danger or destruction.
- - In the American culture, there is a saying, "Money talks", meaning that with enough money people can be bought to do just about anything, even if they have been adamantly refusing.
- - If the incentive reward is potentially large enough or is perceived to be large enough, people will take risks that put themselves and/or other people in danger or harm.
- - Wise thinking and proper behaviors get minimized or quenched in favor of pursuing monetary gratification for oneself.
- - So in effect, this phenomenon is a powerful form of self-worship.
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v.10b - READ

[Lesson Question:  Explore and develop the characteristics and dynamics of believers who strive for wealth are "wandering from the faith".]

SECTION POINT:  Striving after wealth automatically leads believers away from godliness and the faith.

"Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith"
- - The "love of money" progressively transforms from initially being a choice to desire or to "want" or to be "willing", into next being a "resolve" or "determined decision" (v.9, Strong's #1014, with AHD - 'resolve'), into then being action that "lusts after, a stretching of oneself in reaching out after".  (v.10, Strong's #3713)
- - These transformational aspects produce a significant change in the host person - from previously being mostly passive about wealth into now being a pursuer of wealth.
- - And somewhere in the midst of their pursuing of wealth, these believers make choices that effectively cause them to "wander from the faith".
- - Essentially, the "seducing" characteristic of the "love of money" "leads them astray", causing them to "stray" "away" from the faith.  (Strong's #0635, #0575)
- - The pursuing of or striving for wealth by nature effectively diverts, displaces, and then consumes a believer's orientation or direction in his/her proceeding through life - degenerative-ly dragging a believer away from properly living out his/her faith.
- - Striving after wealth by nature is contrary to and oppositional to the basic principles of the faith.  (cf. Matthew 6:24)
- - And striving after wealth by nature incites a compromising of one's righteous values into being corrupt.
- - Believers who strive after wealth wander from the faith not only tangibly, but also practically, morally, spiritually, and doctrinally.  (cf. Matthew 6:21)
- - Striving after wealth is not "seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" and then trusting God to supply all that you need.  (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19)
- - Striving after wealth and striving after God are diametrical polar opposites - you can do one or you can do the other, but you cannot do both.
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[Lesson Question:  Explore and develop the characteristics and dynamics of believers who strive for wealth also "pierce themselves with many griefs".]

SECTION POINT:  Striving after wealth causes believers to bring upon themselves many griefs that they would not normally be exposed to if they were pursuing godliness with contentment.

"and pierced themselves with many griefs."
- - Striving after wealth furthermore produces the effect of "piercing oneself with many griefs", in other words by a person's own actions bringing into one's life and upon oneself many griefs.
- - These griefs come through situations or conditions that naturally contain aspects of mental, or relational, or social, or legal "pain", grief, distress, anguish, torment, sorrow, and etc.  (Strong's #3601)
- - Believers who strive for wealth impale and "pierce themselves through" with these griefs, and in quantity - "many".  (Strong's #4044, #1438)
- - A correct conclusion, then, is that striving for wealth is self-destructive for believers, bringing many griefs, pain, anguish, and etc. that would not normally be present, nor encountered, nor experienced in living a life of godliness with contentment.  (v.6)
- - And ironically, the wealth that is suppose to bring great enjoyment to one's life in actuality brings a self-inflicting of griefs.
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BIG IDEA:  By striving after wealth, believers automatically stray away from the faith and they unnecessarily impale themselves with many associated griefs.

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APPLICATIONS:

Let's take some time to continue our self-examination that we began from our previous study of verse 9:
- - Have you initiated or engaged in doing one or more kinds of evil because you have been striving after wealth?
- - Have you failed to pay money you owe?
- - Have you stolen from anyone?
- - Have you been involved in illegal activities in order to gain financially?
- - Have you used your position of authority to manipulate financial gain for yourself?
- - Have you invested in or partnered with or work for people or companies that utilize and/or promote immorality or deception or unethical practices, thereby effectually compromising biblical moral values that you should be holding and maintaining?
- - Have you used legal maneuvers and actions to in effect intimidate, coerce, or extort money or conditions favorable to you gaining financially?
- - Have you made false statements in order to close a financial sale or to gain financially?
- - Have you inappropriately taken advantage of or underpaid or abused your employees or your workers?

- - Do you come to church putting on a façade of godliness and righteousness while during the rest of the week you engage in one or more of these aforementioned evil activities in order to gain financially?
- - Do you fulfill a leadership role in a church or ministry while secretively engaging in one or more of these aforementioned evil activities in order to gain financially?
- - If you have been engaging in one or more of these aforementioned evil activities in order to gain financially, how has your devotional life been proceeding with God?  Do you find it difficult to pray?  To read the Bible?

- - During your life, have you been embroiled in squabbles or conflicts over gaining money for yourself?
- - During your life and from your actions of striving after wealth, have you brought mental griefs upon yourself?  Perhaps worry?  Anxiety?  Depression?  Tension?  Stress?  Agitation?  Irritability?  Frustration?  Anger?  Rage?  Pessimism?  Criticalness?
- - During your life, have your actions of striving after wealth brought strain in your relationships with your family members?  Or your spouse?  Or your friends?  Or your co-workers?  Or your neighbors?  Or your fellow church people?

- - After having just studied these verses of 1 Timothy 6:6-10, maybe you are now ready to implement a major repentance in your life - a comprehensive and determined turning away from desiring and striving after wealth, and forthwith a comprehensive and determined turning toward adopting of desiring and striving after godliness with contentment.
- - Let this experience right here right now be the demarcation moment in your life when you genuinely and officially renounced and terminated your desire and actions of wanting to get rich.
- - And, you can declare this change of heart to God by sincerely praying verbally this prayer, which I will give the following words for (in short phrases with pauses in between):

Dear Lord, 
I confess to You, Lord, 
and I hereby turn away from 
the desire I have to get rich, 
and from the actions I have taken to get rich, 
all of which are contrary to true godliness.

Because I believe in Jesus, 
that He died on the cross 
to take the punishment for my sins 
and that He rose from the dead on the third day, 
I thank You, Lord, 
for forgiving me right now for these sins.

And now I dedicate myself 
to being content with what I have, 
and to pursuing godliness with contentment.

So, please remove right now 
any spiritual problems that I may have picked up 
from engaging in this sin of wanting to get rich.

Thank you.  Amen.
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[Additional Lesson Questions to ponder (optional, if time allows):
- - As a side exercise of interest, compare the intrinsic power that the love of money possesses with the intrinsic power that the emotion of anger possesses.  And then from your findings, what can be surmised and/or concluded about the nature of mankind?  Our intellect?  Our abilities?  Our strengths and weaknesses?  Our propensities?  If God is the One who originally created humankind with the nature that has these potentials, then why would He create humans in this way?]
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Works Cited:
The American Heritage Dictionary (AHD). 3rd ed., ver. 3.6a (CD-ROM). Cambridge, MA: SoftKey International Inc., 1994.

Bible. “The Holy Bible: New International Version.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

“Strong's Greek Dictionary.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.
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Updated:  January 12, 2018