05.05.2013 Lies We Believe: I am What I Possess

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Thanks to all who helped out with the Church Cleanup day –
Date night – May 18 – Could use more help with that…
This week – we’ve been going through lies people believe – today’s is, I am what I Possess – or money and possessions make me feel fulfilled, happy, and satisfied.
I once witnessed a guy driving in a store parking lot with a big new Cadillac – and an elderly woman pulled out of her spot – and hit him – and he got out of his car and was yelling and screaming:
We purchase things not just for their functionality, but what they say about us.
This car had become an extension of himself –
Lord, again, we thank You for this opportunity to worship You – with many things going on in our church – we have plans – and as a church we ask that we are sensitive to what You are doing. You want us to plan, act, and do things – but we don’t want to ever do anything without Your spirit working – working on our behalf. May Your Spirit speak to us – we look to You to do that – in Your name we pray – amen.
This whole thing being an extension of who we are – works out a lot in technology – for some of you – you are your phone! We become so attached and wouldn’t know what to do without it. This mentality starts at a young age – my kids played basketball and had to have the shoes that made them leap and dunk like Michael Jordan. It is a lie.
Stuff can be helpful and beneficial – it can aid our lives and benefit us in many ways. I go to a lot of pastor things – and they all have iPads. And I don’t. And that makes me sad. Just kidding. Some even use it when they speak – which makes you really a lot better.
Back in January – I started a new seminary program – and needed a new laptop. It is really helpful for what I am doing. That is not the problem – the problem comes in not when we possess the stuff, but when the stuff possesses me!
Luke 12: 13 Then someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But Jesus said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator between you two?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
We are given the impression that this is a matter of fairness and justice – but Jesus, being Jesus, understands and realizes and goes to the heart of the issue and sees it as an issue of greed. So He answers the real problem – and starts out with a warning – watch out! Beware – Guard yourself from all types of greed – there is extreme danger as it relates to the issue of greed – all types of greed – it comes in many forms. We tend to only think of money – that greed is only something for the rich people. It happens whether you are poor, rich, or middle class – and it can be a dangerous thing and we all need to deal with it.
He gives the answer to the lie: Ones’ life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. What you own is not who you are. Things do not satisfy, make you happy, or fulfill your life. Even really good things. We’ve all experienced the desire for something – and then when we get it, it doesn’t fulfill.
Luke 12: 16 He then told them a parable: “The land of a certain rich man produced an abundant crop, 17 so he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to myself, “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’
A certain rich man – abundant crops – it is like the millionaire winning the lottery. His stock quadrupled overnight. So what does he do? He begins to hoard what he has. He is hoarding FOOD. There are verses in the Bible against that. I see ads for shows – Hoarding – Buried Alive! Storage Wars! This is a big business – building storage units. We live in a country where we need to build buildings to store things we don’t use! We have a problem.
So this guy begins talking to himself: eat drink and celebrate – ten times he uses the words “I” “Me” “My” – he is so focused on himself he never acknowledges God in all this.
I think so often, the world we live in – that is it.
What we say to ourselves reveals our true values and motives.
When you are driving down the road and think about things – Proverbs – As a man thinks, so he is…
Luke 12: 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, but is not rich toward God.”
He is seeking, with all of his work and building – seeking security – the security the stuff will give him. He secures his economic future but fails to secure his life – to secure what matters most. He never got his relationship with God in line – because of things – and he dies and others enjoy his things.
Luke continues into the passage we looked at a few weeks ago – the birds, lilies, etc – don’t stress about things – they are not anxious. We stress about bills we have to pay – or the bills we can’t pay.
Here is the answer: Luke 12: 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out—a treasure in heaven that never decreases, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The solution is to sell or give – to change your perspective about money. Our perspective – money and possessions are things to gather and hoard – but He switches that – it is to use and give. There is heavenly and earthly treasure. Where is your focus? All of us, at times, focus on the earthly – and Jesus helps us to change that perspective.
Matthew 6: 19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The idea is to treasure the right things – not the wrong. The wrong things all end at the end of this life. The right things do not.
There are things to treasure in this world that go beyond this life – and that is what we are called to treasure.
First – you determine what you are going to treasure – it is a choice. You decide what is most important in life. You are not just a product of your environment. You can choose to go against your environment. People have chosen to make money and possessions their treasures.
Your heart will follow that treasure.
It is not that you are following your heart – you are making a choice – and your life follows your heart – becoming consumed by whatever you treasure. The things TO treasure are your relationship with God and your relationship with people. Kingdom work – it is not of this world – and if we are treasuring the right stuff – it will be the work of the kingdom – gospel work – justice – mercy – compassion – it is the work of good deeds that serve others – living for the benefit of others.
Kingdom qualities – what should we be like as his followers? All of that is how we should focus our attention.
Matt. 6: 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
This is filled with choices – rich, poor, and middle class all serve money – it is not just the rich – people of all levels of the spectrum – and all can choose to serve God. You can’t have both – money and God have opposite agendas – they are masters that are going to be served – it is that simple and clear. Did you ever see the commercial – the money that becomes orange – he knows not to spend the orange retirement money.
I think we need to have orange money for the kingdom – with our finances – it all belongs to the kingdom. When I open my wallet – is there kingdom money?
Practically – how does this work out. There are two answers to greed – generosity and contentment.
1 Tim. 6: 6 Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit. 7 For we have brought nothing into this world and so we cannot take a single thing out either. 8 But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that.
Okay – what is this saying? Food and shelter – we will be satisfied with that. I think what he is saying – we think, wow, how can we live that way? For them, it is the necessities to sustain life – the things necessary to live in their community. For us – it might be said – what would it take to make a living?
For us – we need some form of transportation. These guys woke up and they were at their job. We need food and shelter – some form of healthcare – some form of communication. It could be an old phone on the wall – or a cell phone – I don’t think the key is to make us feel guilty about what we need to get through life. This isn’t saying that you don’t need a retirement and retirement plan. The guy who was storing up – he didn’t have retirement. They ate the food of the farm until they died. BUT – we go beyond the necessities – and turn things that are not necessary into necessities, don’t we.
In Forbes magazine – what it means to live well – it requires a 4000 square foot home – nothing wrong with that – but I think you can live well with smaller – 3 luxury cars – 200,000 salary – that is what they think they need to live well.
1 Tim. 6: 9 Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
It is put out there constantly – you need this – you need this – and it stirs the desires to have more and more and it destroys lives – it doesn’t fulfill the promise being made – it does the opposite.
1 Tim. 6: 10 For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.
Everyone misquotes this – Money is the root of evil – no, the LOVE/LUST for money is the root of evil – be on guard against every form of greed – it is dangerous for your life, Jesus said.
1 Tim. 6: 17 Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others. 19 In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life.
There are going to be rich people in the world – some of them will be Christians – here are instructions – don’t be proud, haughty, or superior. Not everyone, obviously – but that is the tendency – and don’t put your hopes in them (Proverbs: it makes wings and disappears).
It is not stable – it seems stable – seems to secure our future – and that is what is deceptive about the lie – it acts like it will make us secure. Hope in God, who gives us all things to enjoy – humility and trust – God provides for us – and some he provides more – but the issue is to realize that all we have comes from God. – do good deeds and be generous – that takes the focus off ourselves and puts it back on God.
Contentment – is not denying feelings of one’s unhappiness and the desires you have. We are all humans – may be you like cars – or are into technology – it is not being controlled by those feelings.
It is NOT buying stuff because you had to have it or have always wanted it. That is being controlled.
2> It is not an attitude of complacent that helps us to improve ourselves. Contentment works for progress and leaves the rest to God – it is a joy that comes from God in spite of circumstances. It is not about having all you need or want – but that having God is enough.
1 Simple and practical word of advice – Develop a theology of enough.
Over the next six weeks – give away five things that you have – be thoughtful and prayerful about it. I bet you have enough that you can give things that will really benefit someone. It begins a process of thinking – it is a thing and it could be used -by somebody.