Escaping the Rat Race
Luke 12:13-34
Thursday, November 6, 2003
Introduction
You just heard that I’m a pastor here in town, and in the interest of helping you find a decent church, I want to offer you 10 signs that the church you’re looking at is a bad one:
10. The church bus has gun racks.
9 . The church staff consists of Senior Pastor, Associate Pastor and Socio-pastor.
8. The Bible they use is the "Dr. Seuss Version."
7. There’s an ATM in the lobby.
6. The choir wears leather robes.
5. Worship services are BYOS - "Bring your own snake."
4. No cover charge, but communion is a two-drink minimum.
3. Karaoke Worship Time
2. Ushers ask, "Smoking or non-smoking?"
1. The only song the organist knows is "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida."
Tonight I want to visit with you about escaping the rat race.
The movie, “Rat Race,” is obviously a modern day tale of materialism, in that the lure of lots of “easy money” drove their lives for a day, but did you know that materialism existed in Jesus’ day? It’s true. People were caught up in accumulating possessions and wealth above all else, just like today.
You know, Jesus talked more about money than He did about heaven. Why? Because He knew the hold it could have on us if we let it.
In the movie we see a whole bunch of people willing to sacrifice anything to get the money, because they saw the money as the answer to all their problems as well as the source of new opportunities.
And you know what? I’ve been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. As I talk tonight, I’ll be sharing some things about my own life, just so you know that I’m not just up here trying to spout off about some nice spiritual platitudes we should just generally get a hold of.
What I’m going to share with you tonight is real-life stuff that you can take back and implement in your life right away.
So how do we escape the rat race? The Bible gives us some clues. Jesus tells a story and lays down some principles that will help all of us in this regard.
Allow me to read this to you. It’s found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 12, verses 13-34, and it goes like this:
13Then someone called from the crowd, "Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me."
14Jesus replied, "Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?" 15Then he said, "Beware! Don’t be greedy for what you don’t have. Real life is not measured by how much we own."
16And he gave an illustration: "A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17In fact, his barns were full to overflowing. 18So he said, `I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store everything. 19And I’ll sit back and say to myself, My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’
20"But God said to him, `You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?’
21"Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."
22Then turning to his disciples, Jesus said, "So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life--whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. 23For life consists of far more than food and clothing. 24Look at the ravens. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! 25Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not! 26And if worry can’t do little things like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?
27"Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 28And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you? You have so little faith! 29And don’t worry about food--what to eat and drink. Don’t worry whether God will provide it for you. 30These things dominate the thoughts of most people, but your Father already knows your needs. 31He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
32"So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
33"Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no holes in them. Your treasure will be safe--no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. 34Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.
In talking about getting out of the rat race, I want to point out some stuff by looking at three things we can learn from Jesus here, okay?
And my hope is that you’ll walk out of here tonight with a clearer perspective on just how we can live a much more fulfilling life than the average person. Here we go.
In escaping the rat race, the first thing we need to do is…
1. Understand that life is not ultimately measured by our possessions.
Jesus said in our passage, “Real life is not measured by how much we own.”
Part of the problem when it comes to life in our society is that many people are focused on what they don’t have, rather than what they do have.
Why is that? Because society tells us that status is tied to lifestyle, and you can’t have a decent lifestyle without a good bit of possessions.
Let me give you a way to get over this. Ready? Start being thankful for the little things.
There was a time in my life that the hot water heater in my house didn’t work real well, and I was lucky to get a lukewarm shower in the mornings. Then I discovered that if I got up in the early morning like about 4 or 5, I could let the water run in the bathtub for a minute or two, and it would make the hot water heater come on. Then I’d have hot water when I got up for my shower.
Folks, I learned to be thankful for hot water. And if that’s not real life, I don’t know what is!
Be thankful for little things. It’ll help you gain a better perspective on things, and you won’t be so focused on material wealth.
The story is told about a rich guy who had parked his expensive BMW on the side of a busy street. As he opened the door to get out, another car sped by, hit his door and tore it off completely. He cried out, “Oh no! My beautiful car!” A bystander remarked, “Forget your car, look at your arm!” Sure enough, his arm had been torn completely off. When he saw it, he cried out, “Oh no! My Rolex!”
Contributed by: Timothy Mize (SermonCentral.com)
You can’t take it with you, and so what good will your possessions be to you when you’re gone? No good at all. And so ultimately, your life is not measured by your possessions.
The second thing we need to do in escaping the rat race, is to…
2. Pursue God more than wealth.
After Jesus tells us that life is not measured by possessions, he tells us a parable about a rich guy who was caught up with his wealth, thought only of himself, and then died without enjoying all he had stashed away for himself.
Jesus ends that story by saying this: “Yes, a person is a fool to story up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
Now Jesus is not saying that it’s wrong to be wealthy. In fact, in another place Jesus says that if you are good managers with what you have, He’s likely to give you more of it.
He is not addressing wealth. He’s addressing a very basic attitude here, and that attitude that is this:
“My life, my security, and my significance come from what I can get my hands on.”
And Jesus says that’s not right. He says that gathering wealth is a waste without a relationship with God, because God is the source of real significance and security.
A number of years ago, I began pursuing wealth. My wife and I never had much, and I could never offer my wife the life I felt she deserves.
But it got to the point where my pursuit of wealth began to cost me dearly. My relationship with God was falling apart, and it affected every other area of my life, including my family, my job, and my emotional stability.
I came this close to having a nervous breakdown, between episodes of near-clinical depression.
My focus was taken off of God and onto my need for money and pursuit of earthly treasure.
Thank God, He helped me see what I was doing to myself and my family, and He helped me renew my relationship with Him as well.
And in doing so, He helped me to see the truth of verse 31: “He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the kingdom of God your primary concern.”
And I began living again in the peace of God that I once had.
Let’s review very quickly: to escape the rat race, we need to first of all understand that life is not ultimately measured by our possessions.
Second, we need to pursue God more than wealth. The third thing we need to do in escaping the rat race is to…
3. Pursue heavenly wealth above earthly wealth.
Jesus ends His talk here by saying, “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.”
When I was pursing wealth, all I could really think about was getting rich. I would never have to worry again about having enough money to pay the electric bill, or having enough money to feed my family, or a decent car that worked all the time.
And it consumed me. You see, you can be materialistic even when you’re not wealthy. Centering your life around gaining money and possessions makes you materialistic, no matter what your current financial status is.
My heart and my thoughts were focused on gaining earthly treasure, and that is the key to this whole issue: focus.
Jesus said that the pursuit of wealth dominates the thinking of most people, and that that’s a wrong focus.
When we focus on earthly treasure, we can never get enough, because of what we perceive to be that significance and security.
The story is told of two old friends who bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?"
The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars."
"That’s a lot of money."
"But, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear."
"Sounds like you’ve been blessed...."
"You don’t understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million."
Now he was really confused. "Then, why do you look so glum?" "This week...nothing!"
Contributed by: Dan Cormie (SermonCentral.com)
Turn your focus from earthly treasure to heavenly treasure. Earthly treasure has nothing of eternal value to offer you.
It cannot offer you lasting significance, because it is temporary, and temporal, meaning it does not do you any good eternally.
The security it offers can be gone in a heart-beat. Ask anybody who was wealthy with Enron or Worldcom stock, or was wealthy before the Depression.
The pursuit of heavenly treasure brings both significance and security, because it comes from God Himself, who created you in His image, and for whom He wants a full and abundant life.
You want to know the real secret for escaping the rat race? Refuse to participate.
Refuse to let the accumulation of earthly wealth become your focus in life. Focus instead on gaining heavenly treasure.
So how do you gain the heavenly treasure? That’s the last thing I want to share with you tonight, the last action in escaping the rat race, and that is to…
4. Establish the relationship with God that Jesus talked about.
"Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."
Jesus made it possible in the first place.
You see, our sins caused a gap between us and God, and we can’t get across it on our own. The Bible says that no one does enough good to get to heaven on our own merit, because even our best is no better than filthy rags.
Even Billy Graham and Mother Theresa don’t cut it on their own, according to the Bible.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not in their league, and if they don’t get to heaven by their good works, I don’t stand a chance.
But Jesus’ death on the cross made a bridge, if you will, to cross that gap, and He invites you to cross it by placing your faith in Him.
Before I explain just what that means, let me tell you what the Bible says happens for those who do that.
First, you gain forgiveness of every single sin you have ever committed, no matter how great or small.
You also have a home in heaven when you die, and that’s a good thing to have secured, since, like the rich man in the parable, you don’t know when that’s going to happen.
And you become a child of God, a new person born into God’s kingdom.
You’re probably not going to believe this, but even though I look like a cross between Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, I was not the “coolest” guy in school, especially high school.
So I tried to make up for that by getting drunk whenever one of my buddies had the booze, or stoned whenever one of my buddies had the grass.
Again, in spite of my rock star looks, I was not real “lucky” with the ladies, for which I thank God today.
But when I gave my life to Christ as a freshman in college, not only did I find forgiveness and a home in heaven as a child of God, I finally found out that my significance did not depend on how cool I thought I needed to be.
My significance lies in the fact that I was created in the image of God, and that He thought I was worth dying for.
In fact, Jesus loves me so much that He would rather die than see me spend eternity paying for my own sins. And so He did.
And He not only died for me, He died for you. He loves you that much.
The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. And you are invited to take that gift for yourself.
How do you do that? By simply placing your faith and trust in Him. You realize you have no hope outside of Him, and you call out to Him to save you from what you deserve, and to give you what you don’t deserve, eternal life.
But let me be up-front about something. Being a follower of Christ is not always easy. Jesus said that some won’t understand your faith in Christ, and some won’t even like it.
But Jesus promised a life of fulfillment in spite of all that, and let me tell you, I’ve had life with Christ and without Him. And I’ll take life with Christ any day of the week over the life I had without Him.
I’m going to lead in a prayer right now. If you would like to leave here tonight knowing that you’re a forgiven child of God who doesn’t need to participate in the rat race, then you can pray along with me in your heart.
Okay? Let’s pray.
If you prayed that prayer with me tonight, I would be thrilled if you would come up to me and tell me. Please do that. I’d love the chance to welcome you to your new life in Christ and pray with you.
Also, make sure you tell the person who brought you tonight, as well as Jarvis and Crystal. They’ll help you get grounded in this new relationship.
Or if you’re here tonight, and you would just like me to pray with you about whatever’s going on in your life, I’d be happy to do that. I’ll stay as long as it takes, so please feel free to do that, okay?
God bless you.
