As we come to the end of this series of sermons about vice and virtue, our topic is one that many would not say is a sin. In fact, for many it is a laudable characteristic. What am I talking about?
Let’s start with a story that Jesus told about a greedy man- (Luke 12:13-21, NIV)
" Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
If we’re honest, a lot of us scratch our heads at Jesus’ condemnation of the choice which that successful man made. What he did, is exactly what we are taught to do. He built his wealth, stored it up, and retired to the good life!
We are left with some questions ...
Is saving wrong?
Hardly as the Bible praises thrift and preparation.
Is wealth a sin?
Not at all. In fact throughout the Old Testament, God blessed many who loved Him with wealth.
So, what’s Jesus issue? He sees not just stewardship in this man’s choices. He sees GREED.
Greed that makes ‘stuff’ into what defines us, when our possessions own us, instead of us owning our possessions.
How do we define greed?
It is a disordered desire for money and/or the things that money can buy; an attachment to wealth.
Greed can show up in a miser who refuses to spend to meet anything more than his basic need or give anything to anyone. It can also show up in bloated credit card balances and an uncontrolled desire to buy more stuff!
Greed may be revealed by a person’s love of his investment portfolio,
a closet jammed with clothes that were purchased on credit because they were ‘on sale’;
Or as a refusal to show any generosity toward others for any reason.
When I think about money and things, my real question is -
“How much is enough?”
We know we need a home, a car, money to support our families, to make the machine of life operate.
But we also know that there is something called, ‘too much.’ But how do we define ‘too much?’
We know that greed is defined at that boundary, but it is a hard line to draw, isn’t it?
“Enough” differs from person to person, really. Jesus told a story about three guys that were given treasure to manage. One received 10 units, one received 5, and yet another just 1 – each according to his ability. This helps me to understand just how wrong it is to judge another person based on what he has or even the way he uses those resources. A person who is entrusted with great responsibility for many people, will need greater resources to fulfill his calling!
And, still - I know, you know, that GREED is a real issue, a persistent spiritual problem. One of the things that we wrestle with is the principle that ‘demand increases with supply.’ In other words, the more we have, the more we need.
DeYoung uses an illustration from her first house purchase. It is about the size of the closets in that old place. I read her story with interest, because Bev and I had a quite similar experience.
Early in our marriage we lived in a very old house and one of our frustrations was about the size of the closets. Each bedroom had one, but it was just the width of a door and only about a foot or so deep, just about enough space in which to hang a couple of outfits and a two pairs of shoes! I remarked about this to my father, who looked at me with amusement. He explained that when he was a kid, he was born in 1934, he had shoes for the week and church shoes, and a pair of overalls for everyday and an outfit for Sunday wear. Bear in mind that Dad was not from a poor family. His father was a farmer and livestock dealer who owned 4 farms. That was the norm!
My house has a “his and hers “walk-in closet that could be a bedroom for a child! On the racks there are several suits, at least 6 sports jackets, more than a couple of dozen shirts, probably 12 pairs of jeans, and several dress slacks. On the floor there boots and shoes that would last for the rest of my life. And I claim not to care much about clothing.
So, what is going on? The space increased, along with income, and it got filled!
Does that make me greedy? I wonder about that sometimes.
For sure what I know is that supply increases demand!
There is another problem we grapple with in our consideration of our possessions.
Is it good to have them?
There is often a false division created between the physical and the spiritual, as though we must be one or the other. Some Christian teaching implies that if we are really spiritual we won’t care about money, or sex, or food, or our house. This ignores two important facts:
first, God created us as physical beings; and
second, He looked at what He created and said, “It is good!”
Even in the first generation church there Some were false teachers who taught that Christians should live in poverty, with no creature comforts. Paul was very direct in his criticism of those who wrongly made the Christian life into an experience of deprivation.
"Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." (1 Timothy 4:2-5, NIV)
It is true that our spiritual experience is inextricably wrapped up in our physical experience. They cannot be separated! Our relationship with Christ, is demonstrated by how we use things; the way we prioritize our relationships with people, and the actions we take. But, we need not deny real needs. Instead, we properly order them as God leads and teaches us by His Spirit.
Jesus recognizes this interplay between the physical and spiritual when He was tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread. He defeated the devil by quoting the Word which says, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, NIV)
For example - if my sexuality expressed within the context of a life that is dedicated to God, I will honor His Word by observing the boundaries He has established. I will not be promiscuous. I will not worship the pleasure, but I will fully be who I am.
In another example, I will see the resources God entrusts to my care as His, not mine, and I will manage them in a way that is honest, generous, and submitted to His purposes!
Paul’s instruction is particularly applicable to us in our rich society.
(1 Timothy 6:17-19, NIV)
"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."
{READ from NIV.... then the following}
"Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life." (1 Timothy 6:17-19, NLT)
What a holistic attitude toward possessions.
The temptation to ‘more’ is common and persistent, isn’t it?
I feel it from time to time, though I have everything a man could possibly need and much more.
We can break the power of the temptation to GREED in several ways -
A. The first is to remind ourselves of the lie that a person’s worth can be measured by what he owns!
Tom Brady, the QB of the Patriots, is surely not an important figure in the world, nor is he intrinsically worth more than you, but because he generates a ton of revenue for the team he is paid $15 million per year.
Americans may claim to be a society without nobility, but we tend to make nobility of the rich.
Christian, let’s not fall into that trap!
Remember Jesus’ words - “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
B. A second step involves the discipline of giving.
The OT sets a baseline for giving at 10%, the tithe.
Jesus says, we ought to go beyond ‘the righteousness of the Pharisees’
which leads me to believe that our giving will exceed that minimum!
Why? Generosity is the best way to break the hold of possessions. Don't just give away your junk.
Occasionally give away a treasure. The pain you feel when you do will be in direct proportion to your attachment to that thing.
Plan your charity.
Don't wait for pitiful pictures of sick or starving children to pry a few dollars from your hands.
Follow the Scriptural pattern of tithes and offerings. Build the tithe into your budget and present it to the Lord as part of your worship. Then, allow the Spirit to prompt offerings - a $5 to the hungry man on the street, a $100 to the student in need, etc.
In her book, Glittering Vices, Rebecca DeYoung makes this insight observation.
"The point of tithing is not to rigidly conform to a code of behavior, but to reform our hearts so that we learn to give, from gratitude and joy and love. Altho' many disciplines (including tithing) feel burdensome and difficult at the outset, what we realize over time is that we are traveling lighter and breathing more easily. ... It yields freedom, lightness, and joy."
There is something about deliberately giving God the first 10% of our income on a regular basis, as an act of worship. It is something I have done since my childhood. It is not that we OWE God, that we are PAYING HIM OFF, or even that there are promises attached to honoring Him with our generosity. We give as a recognition of His glory, His honor, as a tangible way to worship Him beyond our words.
C. Defeat Greed by becoming a real manager, who knows the in’s and out’s of your finances.
Many people think they know what they spend, but in fact have no real idea. They may account for the major expense, but have all kinds of leaks in their spending of which they are nearly completely unware.
Sure, we know about the car payment, the mortgage, the electric bill, the student loan.
But, do we know how much we spend at Dunkin’ Donuts or in the mall?
If we actually knew how much money was flowing through our hands for things that were not necessary, it may sober us about our spending habits.
My Dad used to caution me about controlling spending with an old farmer’s proverb-
“Watch the pennies and the mice!” Rodents, left unchecked on the farm, could consume a significant percentage of the crop, though at a rate that was almost imperceptible, at first.
Budgets are often wrecked by small expenditures, which create a kind of greed addiction, which leads to overspending on big ticket items, which causes overwhelming debt, which puts us in slavery to our creditors! The ancient wisdom of the Word is timely!
"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." (Proverbs 22:7, NIV)
A key Q - do you know the real state of your finances, are you a good manager of what God has given to you?
Fourth, adopt the discipline of fasting from time to time.
Commonly we think of fasting as only having to do with food, but we learn from the Bible that one can fast (that is, give up) many ways.
Create work-free days, when you fast all productive activity!
Create Amazon-free months,
when you commit to no spending outside of purchasing life’s basic necessities.
Fast reading advertising material for a week, or
even go radical and fast TV and its endless commercials for a week.
This discipline helps us to honor God by reminding us that we can say “no” to our cravings, that we are not slaves to our possessions, that the creature comforts we enjoy are not the essence of life itself!
Close –
Money, dear friend, is America’s god! Shopping is akin to a national religion.
The wry statement- “He who dies with the most toys, wins!” may be stated as a joke, but it is TRUTH to many.
Here’s what I want us to know today:
· God blesses us and we receive His gifts with thanksgiving.
· With blessing comes responsibility of management and in the end,
· we will ALL give an accounting to Him for the way we spent our resources of time, money, and opportunities.
I want to find a commendation from Him in that holy moment. I want to know that I have enjoyed His blessings, maximized the returns for His kingdom, and built an amazing reward in heaven, don’t you?
So break greed’s hold,
- by knowing our true worthy is declared by God and secured in Christ Jesus
- by knowing ourselves well,
- by giving generously, regularly, and by practicing the tithing principle,
- by fasting periodically,
Here’s the wisdom of God, which I read as I began today. Hear it again. "Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life." (1 Timothy 6:17-19, NLT) Amen
