Greed
Luke 12: 16-21
Introduction
You’re in Parks Mall or Irving Mall, shopping away, your going from store to store browsing at stuff. Finally something really catches your eye. You’re excited about it, you hold it, you want it. Only one final hurdle remains—the price. So you reach down for that postage stamp size tag dangling from the treasure in your hands. This is it, the price tag moment. Numbers come into focus—is it that much? 50% more than you guessed, 100% more than you can afford, and 200% more than you need to spend on this kind of thing. But still you stand there making your decision: to buy or not to buy. And you ask the question: “Is it worth it?”
We face price tag moments all the time in everyday life, we’re constantly doing cost-benefit analysis, always asking the question: “is it worth it?”. Because we live in a consumer world and we’re being constantly bombarded: buy this, buy that. And we weigh up the values, and we make our choices, one price tag moment after another.
I. Warnings from Jesus
• Into this consumer world Jesus asks his own price tag question: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul?’ (Luke 9:25)
• A recent survey asked people what they’d do for $10 million dollars
o 25% said that they’d abandon their families
o 23% said they’d be a prostitute for one week
o 16% said they’d leave their spouse
o 3% said they’d put their kids up for adoption.
• They eyed up the money, they had their price tag moment, they did their math, and said “Yep, that would be worth it”.
o But into their greedy world comes the voice of Jesus, challenging their upside down priorities, calling them to take a closer look at the price tags and work out what’s really valuable.
o Jesus says to them, “Watch out!
o Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”.
• Greed affects us all in one way or another.
o Greed is a huge blind spot for people like you and I because it’s the most socially accepted sin in our culture.
o A movie in 1987 featured the famous line “Greed is good”.
o And that’s the motto of our society.
o Australian entrepreneur Rene Rivkin put it this way: “he who dies with the most toys wins”.
o And that’s exactly how most people are living their lives.
• Here comes the voice of Jesus again, to the man who’s building his bigger barns, to the person who reckons life’s about gathering toys, “You fool, this very night your soul will be required of you” (Luke 12:20).
o You’ve read the price tags all wrong.
o He who dies with the most toys, still dies and, as you stand before God’s throne of judgment, he puts a zero value on the material things you’ve chased.
o You should’ve looked closer at the price tags.
o And worked out what’s really valuable.
• Greed affects everyone, definitely not just the rich.
o Just have a close look at the lottery line down at the corner store.
o People convinced that more money would solve every problem and meet every longing in their life.
o Greed motivates us all—to earn more than we need, to own more than we can use yet still ache for more.
o Because of greed: we muck up the price tag moments.
o Not just the little decisions but the biggest one of all.
o Because we exchange the Creator for created things and we swap eternity for things that don’t last.
o And Jesus’ warnings against greed couldn’t be stronger. “What profit is it?” he asks.
o “Watch out” he calls.
o “You fool” he rebukes.
o And then he says this: “no-one can serve both God and money”.
o Money is the biggest rival god there is: God or money –you can’t sit on the fence (Luke 16:13).
o You can’t serve both God and money: we hear it from Jesus, and now we meet it in person.
II. Getting the Price-tags Wrong
• It’s the man we meet in Luke 18:18.
• This guy comes to Jesus with a question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”.
• This guy’s a first century yuppie—drives a Porsche, carries the latest high tech cell phone, wears Italian suits.
• And what does the guy with everything want?
• He’s got the fortune, he’s got the status, but eternal life – that would definitely top things off.
• Does he really know what he’s asking?
• And that Jesus is going to ask him some questions of his own?
• You’ve got to notice as you read through this story, the way Jesus eggs this guy on, lays landmines, sets traps.
• Jesus challenges where his focus is.
• Why are you asking me?
• Hasn’t God already spoken?
• Hasn’t he already told you what he wants you to do?
• You want eternal life – well, where do you stand with God?
• Is the God who made you your God?
• Is he first in your heart?
• Now remember, Jesus is leading this guy along, testing him so he reels off a list from the ten commandments.
• The guy breathes a sigh of relief. “You bet”, he says, “I’ve never killed anyone, I’ve never committed adultery, can’t remember stealing anything, haven’t told a lie since I was a kid, I’m in!!”
• But Jesus hasn’t finished with him, because he knows the real answer hasn’t come out yet – is God really first in this man’s heart?
• So now Jesus shows the answer to that question by putting his finger on the real issue for this guy – exposing the thing that’s really first in his heart (18:22).
• The test of whether someone can have two masters – a walking, breathing, living test of what Jesus taught.
• Jesus said it point blank: a choice in front of each of us.
• It’s interesting, the first of the 10 commandments, the key to the rest—“you shall have no other gods before me” – hasn’t been mentioned yet.
• But it’s been on the agenda from the moment Jesus first spoke.
• I don’t know what it is about money: but it’s powerful, makes you do all sorts of things and Jesus puts his finger on it as the single most dominating thing that takes you away from God.
• I know plenty of people who want to test out what he says for themselves.
• “Sure, Jesus says ‘you can’t serve both God and money’, but I’ll just give it a try for a while to make sure, just in case he’s made a mistake: or didn’t really mean it”.
• And at that point they’re a bit like the guy in the Land Rover ads they ran on TV a while back: he gets in for a test drive and he’s off.
• “He’ll be back when he gets to the gate” – and he keeps going.
• “He’ll be back when he gets to the gas station” – and he keeps going.
• And you can stand there and say “he’ll be back soon” all you like.
• “He’ll be back when the new job settles down, back as soon as he’s got the business problems sorted out, he’ll be back when the renovations are finished, he’ll come back to God when he’s got a bit more spare time.
• He’s busy at work just now but it won’t stay like this.
• The over-time’s there and you’ve got to take it, don’t you?
• He’ll be back soon”.
• Serving the money god is addictive and before you know it he’s gone for good.
• Jesus says you can’t serve two masters and now he’s face to face with a guy who thinks he can.
• He’s never stolen but he doesn’t want to give either.
• He says he’s serving God but he’s also serving money.
• And, Jesus says, when push comes to shove both won’t last.
• So what’ll it be?
• Who does he really serve?
• God or money?
• Jesus puts it to him in black and white terms, you still lack one thing “sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me”.
• It’s the ultimate test, isn’t it?
• Where’s his loyalty?
• Is he going to store up his treasures on earth, or is he going to go for the treasures in heaven?
• You don’t have to wait long to find out.
• “When the young man heard this he went away sad because he had great wealth” (v 22).
• He’s reading the price tags all wrong?
• He’s so blinded by what he’s got that he can’t see what he’s turning down.
• Clinging to his toys he misses out on eternal life.
• It’s how they catch monkeys—just put shiny foil in a jar, the monkey puts in his hand and grabs the foil but now he can’t pull his fist out of the jar opening.
• He’ll sit there clutching the foil and won’t let go.
• The hunter can just walk on up and grab him because nothing will make him let go, not even the cost of his life.
• Same with this man here—he’s blind to the real price tags.
• When it comes to the choice between Jesus or the money, he’ll take the money every time.
• When it comes to the choice between riches in heaven and riches on earth, he’ll take the now every time.
• Talk about failing the price tag moment and valuing temporary things way too much and eternal life way too little.
• No wonder Jesus says such strong things about money.
• It blinds you to the real value of things.
• Like a problem gambler – you just don’t see the consequences.
• No wonder Jesus says that rich people have got a hard time turning to God (18:24).
• So, who then can be saved?
• Well, what’s really needed is a miracle, what’s needed is for God to step in and make it possible (18:27).
III. What makes the difference?
• And what does that bring you to?
• The cross of course!
• What’s the miracle that can change a sinful greedy heart? Jesus death!
• So, what does Jesus talk about next?
• He tells his disciples about his death (v 31).
• What is impossible with men is possible with God.
• And here’s God’s answer to our sinful hearts, here’s the miracle that can thread the needle with a camel, here’s God stepping in to do what we could never do.
• Because none of us have kept the commandments, none of us have really served God first in our hearts.
• What’s the miracle that can change the money-minded-man to read the price tags the right way, to see that the god of money is luring him to death and that death is exactly what his idolatry deserves?
• The death of Jesus, that’s where you see what your greed deserves.
• That’s where you see what God thinks of your idolatry.
• That’s where you see what you deserve—death—and the offer of what you don’t deserve—forgiveness.
• The chance to let go of the all the things that don’t matter to receive the one thing that does matter.
• The death of Jesus is where you really see the price tags.
• The price he paid for your greed, for all your sins—death—and the price you have to pay to receive forgiveness—nothing.
• The death of Jesus is the ultimate price tag moment and, if you read the price tag moment properly, if you read the cross of Jesus properly, you’ll grab it with both hands.
• You’ll let go of all the things you thought were precious and consider them nothing compared with eternal life.
• You’ll let go of them with hands as open as the hands nailed to the cross because you worshipped them.
• You won’t be sad about giving up the money god like this rich yuppie was because, when you read the price tags right, and you see what Jesus is offering you, sadness will be replaced with gladness.
• But could that really happen?
• Where someone could be glad to give up their money, see what Jesus is offering and grab it with both hands, so they drop all the things their hands were filled with?
• Can God really work that miracle?
• Can someone really turn from greed to generosity?
• Can the camel really go through the eye of the needle?
IV. Getting the Price-Tags Right
• Can someone really turn from greed to generosity?
• Almost straight after Jesus’ encounter with the rich, young yuppie he’s passing through Jericho and meets a guy called Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10).
• We’re told that Zacchaeus is wealthy just like the rich ruler.
• But we’re also told something else, something that makes him a bit different to the other rich guy … Zacchaeus is a chief tax collector.
• Definitely no need to even bother asking Zacchaeus if he’s kept the commandments.
• He’s a tax collector and that means one thing in those days—he’s a sinner.
• And doesn’t everyone know it (v 7) because everyone’s muttering, “Jesus has gone to be the guest of a sinner”.
• But in the end what makes Zacchaeus really different to the rich young ruler, as far as Jesus is concerned, is not that he is a sinner but that he knows he’s a sinner.
• Zacchaeus knows, as well as anyone, that he’s a sinner.
• Zacchaeus knows more than anyone that he needs forgiveness.
• He sees it the way the other rich guy couldn’t.
• Jesus doesn’t need to put the challenge out to him because Zacchaeus really sees his need for Jesus.
• Here’s the rich man who doesn’t walk away from Jesus in sadness but welcomes him into his house with gladness.
• Here’s the one who sees his need for Jesus as so massive that nothing else matters.
• Here’s the one who reads the price tags the right way.
• He can run a spiritual audit because when you see your need for salvation and you see that Jesus is offering it freely to you, then you see that you’re lost, but Jesus has come to seek and save you.
• Anything else is just junk, dirt, chicken feed, nothing.
• He’s not going to cling to what he’s got – it’s nothing.
• He’s not going to cling to who he is – he’s lost.
• Because he knows he’s a sinner he knows he needs Jesus.
• He sees what Jesus is offering and grabs it with both hands, and he drops all the things his hands were filled with, he gladly gives up his money, he gladly gives away half he has to the poor, no doubt it’d probably be the whole lot except he’s got to repay all the people he’s cheated as well.
• So did you see it?
• Did you see what just happened?
• The camel just went through the eye of the needle.
• Salvation says Jesus has come to this household (v 10).
• The money miracle just happened.
• Someone just turned from worshipping money to worshipping God, from worshipping false gods to worshipping the true God.
• A rich man just turned from death to life.
• The greedy man just became a generous man.
• You see, money as master just became money as servant.
• What happens when you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, when you realize the extreme, massive value of forgiveness, when you have your own price tag moment at the foot of the cross?
• You turn from death to life, from greed to generosity, from money as your master to money as your servant.
V. Dying to Greed, Rising to Generosity
• If you claim Jesus as your Lord then he’s your only master and the only place for money in your life is as a servant.
• It’s a useful servant: Zacchaeus doesn’t just throw it out the window he uses it for those without – he uses it to put wrongs right.
• It’s a useful servant for the Lord’s work but it’s only a servant.
• The Bible says there’s a huge difference between using your money and serving your money.
• Between using money and money using you.
• It’s a trap all of us can fall for, but Jesus says you can’t serve two masters.
• So often you can see it happening, people so blinded by materialism, they lose the plot.
• All they can think is the next scheme to make a buck.
• And when push comes to shove, just like the rich ruler, they’re ruled by riches, whether they’ve got them yet or not.
• Their decisions, their priorities, their time: it’s actually under the control of something other than God.
• Money talks: and it’s the one telling them what to do.
• How often do we see Christians who are prepared to take Jesus seriously, and turn from greed to generosity?
• Treat Jesus so seriously they’ll let go of the purse strings, and start using what they’ve got for the Kingdom of God, instead of themselves?
• How often do you? How often do I?
• Do I give enough or do I just do what’s comfortable and easy and not too threatening and not really sacrificial.
• Look at the price tags, what did Jesus give you.
• Look at his sacrifice for you, what exactly would you hold back from him?
• Look at the price tags, people without Jesus are going to hell – how much are you giving to send workers into the harvest?
Closing
This isn’t about rules. This is about your heart. 10% was the guideline for giving in the Old Testament but the New Testament calls us to go way beyond the law. Look at the cross, did Jesus give us just 10%? So if we’re dying and rising with Christ, if we’re becoming like Jesus, how generous are we prepared to be?
