Video: Possessions (1:10 min - available on SermonCentral)
I want to begin by asking a very simple question: Do you own your possessions, or do your possession own you? Think on that for bit.
The message today will deal with all our stuff. What do we do with it all? Is all our time taken up fixing and caring for our stuff? Take a boat for example. It wonderful to have for a day out on the water. But I have learned that a boat takes a lot of care and maintenance. Over time I have found that it cost more to own a boat than to buy one. Who owns who?
This sermon series is entitled: What Every Christian Needs To Know About Stewardship. Last week we looked at everything we have is from God, and since it all belongs to God, we are therefore managers of God’s things. Or another word for being a manager is Stewardship.
Today’s message: Poor Stewardship is Dangerous. How is that? Anything that that pulls us a way from God is dangerous to our spiritual health and well-being. What will degrade our stewardship to God? Greed. The Bible calls it covetousness.
Poor stewardship is dangerous for you. [statistics show that] Between 25 and 50 percent of church attenders give nothing or next to nothing. This is not a financial problem but a spiritual one. God is a giver. Our willingness to give reveals our relationship to God. [1]
Luke 12:15–21 (NKJV) And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Revelation 3:17–18 (NKJV) Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
Let me tell you about a man who died some years ago: All he ever really wanted in life was more. He wanted more money, so he parlayed inherited wealth into a billion-dollar pile of assets. He wanted more fame, so he broke into the Hollywood scene and soon became a filmmaker and star. He wanted more sensual pleasures, so he paid handsome sums to indulge his every sexual urge. He wanted more thrills, so he designed, built, and piloted the fastest aircraft in the world. He wanted more power, so he secretly dealt political favors so skillfully that two U.S. presidents became his pawns. All he ever wanted was more. He was absolutely convinced that more would bring him true satisfaction. Unfortunately, history shows otherwise. He concluded his life emaciated; colorless; sunken chest; fingernails in grotesque, inches-long corkscrews; rotting, black teeth; tumors; innumerable needle marks from his drug addiction.
If you haven’t guessed, I’m telling you the a very brief bio of Howard Hughes. Howard Hughes died believing the myth of more. He died a billionaire junkie, insane by all reasonable standards. Leaving no will, His empire was divided among 22 cousins. [2]
What did Jesus say?
Luke 12:15 (NKJV) And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
If you looked back a couple of verses you see Jesus was answering in response to a man who asked Jesus to tell his bother to divide the inheritance with him. He was probably the younger brother who had no control over what comes to him. It was customary to ask a rabbi to decide legal matters. But Jesus refused to get involved. Why? Division of all that stuff would not solve the real problem. The stuff was not the problem. It was the desire for stuff.
Look at that word “covetousness” in verse 15. Most other translations have the word “greed.” “Thou shalt not covet” Isn’t that number 10 of the 10 commandments? It’s there for a reason, yet we ignore that commandment. We will use other words like “ambition” and "the drive to get ahead" to get around the word "covet." Don’t think that this only applies to the those who are wealthy, or financially well off. Disadvantage people will dwell on and greedily desire those things that others have. The Bible word for this is “covet” and God’s word say don’t do it.
“Households with incomes of under $13,000 a year spend an average of 9 percent of their income on lottery tickets.”
That’s almost a tithe of their income thrown away. If the legitimately poor can afford to squander 9% of their income on the lottery, then we can afford to invest 10% of our income on Kingdom causes.[3] By the way, statics show that fives years after winning a lottery, 70% are broke and are worse off than before they had won. Many big lottery winners struggle with suicide, depression and divorce. "It's the curse of the lottery because it made their lives worse instead of improving them." [4]
I’ve brought this up before. Malcom Forbs once said: “He who dies with the most toys wins.” The fact is, he who dies with the most toys stills dies.
Covetousness is an unquenchable thirst for getting more and more of something we think we need in order to be truly satisfied. It may be a thirst for money or the things that money can buy, or even a thirst for position and power. Jesus made it clear that true life does not depend on an abundance of possessions. [5]
If your stuff defines your life, then you need to seek a new definition, for all our stuff is temporary. We can’t take any of with us when we die. Let’s take a close look at this next verse:
Luke 12:16 (NKJV) Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.
What is the subject of the opening line of this parable? It is not the “certain rich man.” “Rich man” is just the adjective. “The ground” is the subject. The rich man owed the ground, but he did NOT produce the yield, rather it was the ground that produced a great crop. God provided the needed rain and sunshine. Jesus says the ground, not the rich man yielded plentiful.
The man was already rich when the ground yielded plentifully. This rich man was given a great gift. Being rich in and of itself is not a bad thing, however we must note that there are very few people who have the knowledge and wisdom and godliness to properly handle great wealth.
Now here is the problem, don’t miss this: The rich man confuses ownership with stewardship. No where does this man thank God or even acknowledge God, instead he sings a doxology to himself. This rich man is a like most of our world. The world is all about themselves. They do not acknowledge God but rather you hear: “I thank my lucky stars!” or attribute things to their "good fortune," or simply being lucky. God makes himself known though such things. Paul had this to say:
Romans 1:21–22 (NKJV) because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools
How many credit themselves with their position in life? The rich man was all about himself. Look at these next couple of verses:
Luke 12:17–19 (NKJV) And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’
Look at all the 1st person pronouns used, “I do”, “I have,” my crops” “I will,” “I will,” “my barns,” “ I will,” my crops,” My goods,” “I will” and “my soul.” This man had a horrible "I," "me," and "my" problem. It was all about him, not about others. Here is what condemned the man:
Luke 12:19 (NKJV) And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’
This is the only place in the Bible where retirement is spoken of, and here it is in the context of disapproval. Of course, the Bible recognizes aging and slowing down. But retiring to a life of self-indulgence finds no favor with God. [6] The man gathers to himself and serves himself, and as such, he is a practicing atheist. In today’s world, this man would be envied, and many would say he wisely invested and now he is able to kick back and enjoy life. But God has other plans for him.
Luke 12:20 (NKJV) But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
Jesus doesn’t use the word “fool” lightly. In the book of Luke Jesus only says it twice. The other time was in chapter 10 talking with the a Pharisee.
What was this man’s folly? It is his being oblivious to God. There are many forms of pride, but the worst of them all is to think that one has no need for God. The man was a fool not because he sought wealth, but because he imagined that wealth consisted in things, and that things rather than God could satisfy his life.
Augustine memorably exposes his folly: “He did not realize that the bellies of the poor are much safer storerooms than his barns.” [7]
Think back to Luke 10 and the story about the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan was a man who used his resources to care for another.
If Christ calls us home today, who will get all our stuff?
Luke 12:21 (NKJV) “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
The question is not wealth, but where are our treasures?
Luke 12:32–34 (NKJV) “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
This story dealt with an individual. But the mindset can apply to a whole church. Let’s consider what Jesus told the church in Laodicea. Do we see ourselves as God see us?
Revelation 3:17 (NKJV) Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—
Jesus considered this church as lukewarm. They had all they needed and had no need for God. They lost their dependency on him. They had become too comfortable.
I keep this picture of a church dedication in my office. I saw people weep that God had blessed them with a meeting place in the jungle on the island of Seram in Indonesia. They were grateful for a dirt floor and a tin roof in 100 degree heat, sitting on split palm tree logs. I keep this picture to help me keep a proper perspective. And we fret when the air conditioning goes out or someone get upset over the color of carpet in the ladies room.
The Laodiceans had become a closed system. We learned in the our sessions in Science and the Bible the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics which states that in a closed system, energy will dissipate and will die unless something is added from the outside. Jesus says without me, you can do nothing. It does not matter how much stuff we have. It is all about Jesus.
You see Jesus is on the outside waiting for us to let Him on the inside:
Revelation 3:20 (NKJV) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
We have earthly treasures that will corrupt and eventually go away. Jesus call us to obtain our treasures with Him.
Revelation 3:18 (NKJV) I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
Only what Jesus has to offer is everlasting. Will we invest in Him? Poor Stewardship is dangerous because our possession will separate us from God.
[1] CT Pastors "What I Wish I Had Known about Stewardship." www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2016/august-web-exclusives/what-i-wish-i-had-known-about-stewardship.html
[2] www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/shortsightedness-jerry-flury-sermon-on-envy-44174?ref=SermonSerps and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Hughes
[3] http://www.freshministry.net/illustrations/data/STEWARDSHIP.htm#END
[4] https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/25/heres-why-lottery-winners-go-broke.html
[5] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 220.
[6] R. Kent Hughes, Luke: That You May Know the Truth, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1998), 48.
[7] James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Luke, ed. D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2015), 370–372.
