Who is responsible for our success? How does our work relate with God's work? This Sunday's sermon text might seem foreign to us. It's an ancient business deal involving herds, breeding, and a little superstition, too. And yet at the foundation we'll see two men not unlike us today who are striving for material success no matter the cost.
In a season when many resolve and desire for more, God's word for us this week is to consider the danger of coveting and the freedom of contentment. This Sunday we'll conclude our sermon series in the 10 Commandments from this past fall with the final word: You shall not covet.
Today is Black Friday, a day to "get a steal" or a good bargain. But in God's eyes stealing is never a bargain. Few people would admit to violating the 8th Commandment in a significant way. And yet we'll see this Sunday not only what so many of us often steal, but why we do it, and finally who our treasure is for anyway.
We come this week to 1 Timothy's dramatic conclusion. It's as if the Apostle Paul is reaching through the page, grabbing Timothy by the shoulders, staring intensely into his eyes, and earnestly exhorting him: "Fight the good fight of the faith!" We'll explore this Sunday why the Christian life is a battle, and we'll see specifically what we're fighting for and against.
Money is powerful. Our passage this Sunday says love for money can lead to false teaching, strife, and all kinds of evil--even wandering from the faith. How are we to guard ourselves against this? God calls us to embrace a greater gain than any amount of money can offer.
