giv 2024 Week Three
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
If this is your first time with us want to welcome you my name is Isaac I'm one of the pastors here at mil City we're glad that you decided to join us this morning uh as Chad mentioned at the beginning in the announcements we are in what we call our give series um the every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas when uh the consumerism in our culture has taken it up three levels that we want to um not be conformed to this world.
But be transformed by the renewal of our mind and so we go to the Scriptures to see what does Jesus have to say about where we can find life even in the way that we approach our money and our stuff and so this morning as we start off what I want to do is I've got a couple quotes that I want to read from uh for you from some authors who have been reflecting on um our cultural moment and our approach what our money what our stuff is and seemingly what it has been doing to us.
And so this first quote it comes from an author named John Steinbeck this was found in a letter that he wrote he writes this a strange species we are we can stand anything God and nature throw at us except only plenty if I wanted to destroy a nation I would give it too much and I would have it on its knees miserable greedy and sick this next quote comes from Thomas Soul he was College economics professor he writes this the fact is is that the average person in the United States.
Today lives better than royalty did in past centuries kings and queens of past eras lived in smaller less comfortable homes without many of the conveniences that people today take for granted the average person in the United States has access to Modern Transportation Healthcare and technology that even the richest people of earliest centuries could not have imagined this final quote comes from a writer named Arthur Brooks he says this in many ways there has never been a better time to be alive fewer Among Us are poor fewer are hungry fewer children are dying and more men and women can read than ever before how strange.
Then to see such anger and great discontent in some of the world's richest nations in the United States Britain and across the European continent people report great une easiness about their own Futures that seems to border on hopelessness wow these are some startling quotes some startling thoughts when you begin to contemplate and realize that they're talking about the daytoday world that you and I live in that we have seemingly in this cultural moment built up such Prosperity but where has it gotten us have you not felt the anger have you not felt the discontent have you not felt the anxiety maybe you feel hopeless we need a different way to approach our money.
And so that's why we go to the Scriptures so a couple weeks ago Spencer taught on financial wisdom for eternity that we are forever creatures and so we want to approach our finances in light of such then we talked about financial wisdom for the future that we don't just live today there are days ahead and what we're going to do this morning is we're going to look at Financial wisdom for today that we do live in today so how do we approach our finances and our stuff in light of what the Scriptures teach.
So let me pray and then we will Dive In Father we thank you very much for your word in the way that it reveals who you are and what you're doing because left to ourselves we can't figure it out that we turn to silly things like money and trinkets and stuff to try to solve our problem but we need something bigger we need something better so would you reveal to us what that is this morning Jesus name amen so if this is where we are at.
If any amount of what these authors have reflected on written on is anything true then we need some kind of different approach to the way that we handle our money and our stuff in our everyday life and so let's turn to Luke 12 you can open your Bible and turn there we're going to start in verse 15 uh Spencer he preached on this two weeks ago and he was looking at it mainly from the perspective of Eternity we're going to go back through.
Look at this teaching of Jesus again and consider how does this apply to my everyday life so Luke 12 starting in verse 15 Jesus he's responding to a guy who shouted out from the crowd asking if he can solve some dispute between he and his brother and he says take care and be on your guard against all covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions and he told them a parable saying the land of a rich man produced plentifully does that sound familiar and he thought to himself what shall I do.
For I have nowhere to store my crops and he said I will do this I will tear down my Barns and build larger ones and there I will store all my grain and my goods and I will say to my soul soul you have ample Goods laid up for many years relax eat drink be merry but God said to him fool this night your soul is required of you and the things you have prepared whose will they be so is the one who lays up treasure.
For himself and is not rich toward God so Jesus interjects into this man's question and he has this Punchy statement where he says be on guard against covetousness because life isn't found in the abundance of your possessions and then he tells this Parable uh to highlight this idea that there isn't life in all the stuff that we have and this idea of covetousness that Jesus is talking about here it's not anything new this wasn't the first time that this idea of covetousness has come up as a matter of fact this idea of covetousness this drive within us this inner desire to take what isn't ours and try to make it fulfill our deep inner longings.
It's been around since day one of sin right look back at Eve and the way that she took the fruit of the tree was it not born out of her seeing something that wasn't hers and she desired to have it well if we're honest Eve she had one tree that wasn't hers the rest of the garden was hers and Adams to tend to and take care of it was just one tree that she wasn't supposed to have that didn't belonged to her how many things have you scrolled past driven by walk down the aisle of watch some advertisement.
For that wasn't yours now I'm not making a one toone comparison between the fruit from the tree and the twinkie that's on the Walmart shelf no I'm making a onetoone comparison to that feeling that desire that began to swell up in Eve that is also within us and we are a thousand times more in a day inundated with things that are not ours that would pull our attention this is deep Heart level stuff Jesus is talking about real issues of belief on the line here and how easily do we just hit the buy.
Now with one click on Amazon when your friend comes walking in Rocking those new Nikes and you think oo those are shiny bright got to get me a pair of those how easy after uh your coworker comes walking in holding the latest iteration of the iPhone all of a sudden your phone's not good enough you got to reason 20 things long as the why it's the worst thing you've ever owned ever for those of you that know me you know I'm a I like tools I'm a tool guy I like to build things I like to uh fix things make things new and uh you got to have.
Well you don't have to have tools but tools are super handy when it comes to fixing things and uh uh if you're like me and you like tools maybe you found yourself watching some videos of some other guys that whether they be reviewing tools or maybe they're building a thing and inevitably if you're like that you'll come across some video and you'll see some tool that isn't in your toolbx and boy oh boy when that comes up you start to think wow that's a that's a cool tool and it's got you.
See that it's got that new design on there man that thing can you imagine what I could do with that I mean I'm not building a 10,000 ft house but if I were that tool would be great and then all of a sudden and me even just watching a simple video my heart is drawn trying to take a thing that's just a thing and trying to make it something that it's not because the tricky thing about it is that inherently there's nothing wrong with clicking the button on Amazon there's nothing inherently wrong with a pair of Nikes there's nothing inherently wrong with a new tool or a new phone.
So what's the problem the problem is us the problem is in my heart the way that I'm approaching all of this stuff we're we're so easily driven by making decisions out of covetousness it is our base mode of operation ation that we're so often not purchasing from a place of contentment but we actually believe we need this stuff let for a moment just to have a thought exercise I want you to ask yourself the question do I really need the stuff I buy.
So often I'm not talking about the groceries you have to buy so you can eat I'm not talking about the bills you have to pay you know what I'm talking about do you need the stuff you buy so often and if you answer no then what I would argue is that there's a follow-up question that you also must ask why do I buy this stuff I don't need so often and if you come to the conclusion well it's because I want to I would say you haven't gone deep enough search deeper in your heart ask the spirit of.
God to reveal your heart to you and what I would venture to guess is that what you will begin to find at the core is what Jesus calls covetousness what you will find in the depths of your heart what we so often find in the depths of our heart is that we're trying to find life in the abundance of our possessions but Jesus said it doesn't work that way and he doesn't stop there in his teaching he continues on and this honest reflection of our hearts and what we truly need.
So let's pick back up in verse 22 and he said to his disciples therefore I tell you do not be anxious about your life what you will eat nor about your body what you will put on for life is more than food and the body more than clothing so Jesus he comes in and he gives a command that's directly born out of what he's just said that's what the therefor is is that he's tying what he has just said with what he is about to say.
So this idea that life doesn't come from the abundance of possessions is informing this command that he's giving of do not be anxious now if you're in the room this morning and you struggle with anxiety especially when it comes to your finances when you think about your bills then you might be thinking thanks I hadn't thought about that and you feel like I don't have control over my anxiety it's ruling over me it's the one in the driver seat Well Jesus he gives the command he only gives commands that are good that are lovely and true and he's going to help us out here he's going to start to give us reasons why this command.
Is good good and I think through it we'll begin to see and learn that maybe we have a little bit more say over this anxiousness in our hearts than we think we do Jesus continues on he says consider the Ravens they neither sow nor reap they have neither Storehouse nor barn and yet God feeds them so Jesus he's talking to this crowd I'm sure there are many among in the crowd that are maybe a little bit worried about what money looks like things are tight Maybe some of them are worried about what food is going to be at the table that night.
Jesus says don't be anxious have you thought about birds and I think that can be our response we laugh what what are you do what are you talking about Jesus but let's be honest here Jesus he's a wise guy so let's consider what he has to say have you considered the birds have you thought about that little chicky that's perched on the tree branch outside your kitchen window as you do the dishes when that Cardinal comes and lands on the rose bush right outside your living room as you sit down have you contemplated that bird it's life do you know that it doesn't work it makes no paycheck do you know that it doesn't have.
A savings account for some bird emergency that might come up do you know that there's no health insurance for when that little Bird's Wing breaks and yet what does Jesus say God feeds them God cares so much for that little bird that you just saw and contemplated that as it's fluttering about not even worrying about working and toiling trying to get a paycheck month to month God feeds them he cares for the birds now get this Jesus says of how much more value are you than the birds this is.
So simple yet it's so profound we know it in our heads and it's even easy to say out loud with our mouths I am more valuable than a bird try it try saying it simple isn't it but how does it show up in the way that we are worrying about our finances has this truth really sunk into our hearts that our father cares for us that he loves us so deeply he loves us and cares for us more than the birds that he feeds every day.
Jesus continues and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his lifespan we don't even have the ability to add time to our days I'm sure there's some study out there that talks about being anxious actually makes you live less but if then you are not able to do a small a thing as that why are you anxious about the rest how great is it that Jesus considers out adding an hour of life just a small thing this is another Tuesday he he thinks he sees.
So far beyond what you and I do and he takes that lens for how to look at life and then he comes at us and he asks the question why would you worry you're not in control of all of this why when you open the Bank app on your phone three times a day does your blood pressure shoot through the roof don't you know that I provide for you when it's three days out from your next paycheck why do you frantically reconsider every life decision that you've ever made don't you know that I care.
For you do you know that the father cares for you deeply he loves you deeply and he tends to every need that you have Jesus he has one last picture to paint for us to help this sink in he says this consider the lies how they grow so we've thought about Birds now let's think about flowers they neither toil nor spin yet I tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not a raid like one of these but if God.
So clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven how much more will he clothe you now I think this reference to Solomon is maybe a little bit lost on us because we're so far removed from the time uh but Solomon he was king of Israel when it was at the height of its economic Prosperity it was a great nation you know it had a lot of wealth and Solomon he would have been one of.
If not the richest man that ever lived in all of Israelite history now I'm not going to try I'm not going to embarrass myself by trying to name some pop icons here in front of you but whatever movie star or music legend or somehow now on the list Tik Tock star that you can consider that has the most elegant of apparel it doesn't even compare to a lily a simple flower that our God cared so much that he would clothe a plant in such beauty do you not know that he cares.
For you our father he loves us he cares deeply for us he's providing for us this is why there is no need to be anxious Jesus continues oh you of little faith ouch that stings if we're being honest where was all this talk of him caring for us but I think it stings because Jesus has now gotten to the heart of the issue the word of Jesus it's just cut through flesh and Bone and what has it exposed it's exposed that we're placing our faith we're putting our trust in something other than the one that cares.
For us that's what you and I at our base nature do we put our trust in something that does not care for us don't you know that life isn't found in the abundance of your possessions that don't have a mind enough to even consider you as a thing we've been living our lives with this idea that maybe some of this stuff in the world out there it can it can maybe resurrect what's dead inside of me we've been spending our money day in and day out thinking that there's life in the abundance of our possessions we've mistaken that high that we get.
When we receive a package with the Amazon logo as true Eternal Kingdom Life this isn't it and we need to know where to find this kind of life that Jesus is talking about well he's not done talking so let's keep reading verse 29 and do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink nor be worried for all the nations of the world seek after these things and your father knows that you need him he says don't go there stop buying things like that stop spending your money that way everybody's tried it it it never works stop instead seek his kingdom and these things will be added to you fear not.
Little flock for it is your father's good pleasure to give give you the kingdom our heavenly father knows what we need he knows what you need it is his pleasure God finds so much joy in giving you his kingdom he's aware that you need to eat to have strength for the day he knows that he knows you need lunch after this he knows that you need clothes on your back to protect you as these days get oh so cold he knows that I need a massive jacket.
Because I can't take it he knows about that water bill that you have he knows about that rent check that's due at the end of this month after you've spent your money on presents and secret Santas and white elephants and stocking stuffers he knows about that $50,000 of student debt that you'd have and you don't know how you're going to make this next payment he knows do you know that he cares do you know that it is his pleasure to give you his kingdom that is his desire he loves you more than lies and more than Ravens he loves you.
So much that he gave you his own son he gave you his own life real true life that's what he's given us and so while we continue to look for the for look for life and the abundance of our possessions Jesus comes and he says hey it's not there life isn't there I know where life is it's found in me and the father loves and cares for you so deeply that he's tending to your every need and this is a beautiful wonderful encouragement who would not want to live in light of this truth.
But there's a question now that we have to ask what does this mean for me in my every day it's beautiful news that the father cares for us he's tending to us he loves us us but what does that mean for me and the way that I live out every day in approach to my money and my stuff surely it's got to mean something cuz all we've talked about so far is that you and I our Baseline Drive is toward covetousness and fear.
When it comes to our money and our stuff the things that most often rule our heart is covetousness and fear well we know there's no life there I know you felt the anger and the discontent and the anxiety and the hopelessness surely it's not where we've been looking for life so what we're going to do with the rest of our time is that first I want to walk through some practices some ways that we can participate in this life that Jesus is offering us.
And then we'll look at one final principle that Jesus closes with In this passage so practical thing number one for us in Hebrews chapter 13 the author writes this keep your life free from Love of Money and be content with what you have for he has said I will never leave you nor forsake you so we can confidently say the Lord is my helper I will not fear what can man do to me so the author here he writes that the love of money is combed by being being content and the practical application that comes out of this I think is a little expli uh implicit rather than explicit he doesn't immediately come out.
Say what it is because if I were to tell you go be content you'd be like thanks but what does that look like what does that mean and there are two things that we do according to this passage we be content and then what's the other thing we can confidently say the Lord is my helper so the thing that we can do that we can engage in in a practical day-to-day basis to not put our hope our life in the abundance of possessions.
Because it doesn't come there is to rehearse the truth that the Lord is my helper that if you want to work to combat the covetousness in your own heart every day you get to rehearse this simple truth you ready for it Jesus is better than everything else assuming it won't be too hard for you to remember that cuz we say it enough times on a Sunday morning but it's a simple truth that we get to rehearse and as we sit in that remembrance that.
Jesus really is better and he's given us himself he's given us his life we begin to be washed with contentment and there's real life there so that's practical step number one that daily we get to rehearse the truth that the Lord is my hel that Jesus really is better than everything else number two now this one might sound a little outlandish stop buying things that you don't need to scratch and itch stop buying things that you don't need to scratch and itch how many of you have ever had poison ivy or maybe poison oak poison sumac I mean.
Look it can be any rash of any kind if you're not raising your hand you're lying everybody's had a rash what's the thing they tell you not to do when you get poison ivy or whatever asash don't scratch it oh but what do you want to do oh you just want to get in there you want to scratch it some of us we try to play it off you know I'm just just with my palm just a little bit with my palm.
But we want to scratch it the very thing that seems so right that we just want to do is the thing that is making it worse that's why they say don't do it and when it comes to the way that we buy stuff if we don't stop engaging in the things that drive us to covet why do we think that anything will change 100% rehearse the truth but if you just keep go going and buying everything that you can get your hands on to don't you know that you're scratching your itch don't you know that you're making it worse.
Jesus said that if your eye causes you to sin pluck it out and if your hand causes you to sin cut it off what do you need to get rid of to help you be content that's the opposite way of what we think we think what do I need to get to be content what do you need to get rid of to be content do you need to delete the Amazon app from your phone do you need to get rid of your Amazon account completely you'd be like one in a million do you need to be like me and you got to be careful what kind of entertainment you consume what kind of videos you.
Watch cuz it'll just drive you to covet you'll just want more of what's not yours and you'll think there's life there do you need to stop going to a particular store because there's literally not a single thing there that you need I I don't know what it is for you but if we can see this in terms of Heart level unbelief My Hope Is that the spirit would Empower us to take actual steps toward freedom in our life actual steps toward freedom from coveting.
And then we would sit in the freedom and the joy of contentment that's practical step number two stop buying stuff we don't need to scratch and itch number three in Matthew chapter 6 Jesus he's teaching on the model prayer the model prayer starts off by saying Our Father in heaven so first of all we're addressing the father who cares for us deeply and in the middle of the prayer Jesus says give us this day our daily bread so every day Jesus wants us to go before the.
Father the one who cares for us immensely and to ask him to provide for our needs now notice that Jesus didn't qualify it with whether you're rich or you're poor he doesn't qualify it with whether you're pantry is full or empty he doesn't qualify it with whether there's one pair of jeans or tin in your dresser it doesn't matter that every day we are to go before the Lord and say father would you take care of me today would you put food on my table.
Today would you put clothes on my back today that every day we can rehearse this truth over and over that we can go before the Lord and pray asking that he would tend to us now you take this teaching from Jesus on prayer and you combine it with what Paul says in Philippians chapter 4 he says don't be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving make your requests known to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ.
Jesus that if you're here this morning and you are anxious about your money that you are worried about the bills that you have due go before the Lord and pray and everything will work out for you no beyond your understanding beyond my understanding because maybe our situation won't change a lick the peace of God will become ours that is this third daily practice in the way that we can find Life as we approach our money and stuff is that we can pray to our.
Father asking that he would tend to us because he cares practical step number four for us in Ecclesiastes chapter 5 the author writes this everyone also to whom God has given given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil this is the gift of God everyone here has stuff H maybe you got more maybe you got less but the wisdom from the author here is that we should accept what we have.
Because it's a gift it's given to us from God we should rejoice and be thankful for what God has given us because every good and perfect gift that exists in your life has come from him that's what the Scripture teaches us that whatever it might be for you a house a car meals vacations job random knick-knacks whatever it is the day-to-day wisdom of how to approach this is to be thankful to go to God and thanks for what he has given this and it's also beautiful here.
Because I think we can maybe begin to be driven by guilt as we consider all this stuff but the author says that we can enjoy it because it's come from him we're coming up on Christmas you know all the little kids that get gifts and they're just full of joy that Mom and Dad have given them something you can't help but just play with it and it brings you such Joy it brings joy to our father that we would enjoy the things that he has given us.
But the heart posture is one of thanks recognizing that it's come from him not because we've managed to work enough to get it so with these four practices that we've talked about we rehearse the truth that Jesus is better than everything else that we stop buying things we don't need to scratch and itch that we go before the Lord in prayer asking that he would tend to us and that we we give thanks for the things that he has given us to enjoy there's one final principle that we have that.
Jesus talks about In this passage in Luke so let's go back to Luke chapter 12 pick back up in verse 33 this is right after Jesus has just said that it is the Father's good pleasure to give you his kingdom so what does he say after that sell your possessions and give to the needy provide yourself with money bags that do not grow old with a treasure in the heavens that does not fade where no Thief approaches and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is there will your heart be also when we live in such a way that our treasure is bound up in our possessions when we're living selfishly we're living in greed we think it's about us but what does Jesus offer instead he says give to the needy Jesus says that participating in true life is participating in generosity that's where true life can be found this is how Paul says in 1 Timothy chapter 6 he writes as for the rich in this present age which what I've learned up to this point is that's me as.
For the rich in this present age charge them not to be huy nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy they are to do good to be rich in Good Works to be generous and ready to share thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of that which is truly life did you see it Paul just told us where we can find True Life where we can take a hold of true life and it's not through the Amazon button or the stuff that we've managed to jam into our closets it's in.
Our generosity it's in the way that we would give and give and give so there are two final practical ways in which in our everyday life we can approach our money and our stuff in a way that actually produces life in US so using a language from this passage in 1 Timothy we are to be rich in good works that's another practical step for us and it's such a good play on words be rich in good works that desire in us that drives us to seek after wealth should be the same fervor that drives us to participate in good works that's what Paul says that's what it means to be rich in good works.
Now we don't have time this morning to talk about every way that you could participate in Good Works the Bible is full of them Paul writes all about them in his letters whether be hospitable helping the weak being patient helping the widows and orphans living peaceably with others forgiving one another bearing one another's burdens on and on and on the list can go you can go read it for yourself and I don't know what it would exactly look like for you.
Today tomorrow the next day for you to participate in one of these kinds of works that the father has laid before you in your day but you can participate in it and when you do you'll start to experience real life when it's no longer about me and about what I can get but about what I can give to help others to support others to build others up all of a sudden there's life there there and lastly we are to be generous Paul says we are to be ready to share this means that we should be people that give our money and our stuff away that should Mark our lives that we would give our money.
And give our stuff away if you want to come back that the greed that's buried in your heart cuz you've come to the realization that Jesus is right and there's no life there be generous give your money away somehow there is life there donate to the local Church donate to overseas missionary work like 1040 hope donate to relief organizations like Oliver Gospel Mission or to Providence home donate to our give project and help house a family donate to help widows or orphan care help pay the water bill of that person in your group that's been saying money is.
So tight right now give to your coworker who's worried about the amount of food that their children are going to have at the end of the week give and give and give and as you give experience the life that is found there that Jesus is giving to us because he has given us life in his generosity I'll close with this aw toer he writes this he says materialism has become the enemy of the spiritual life in craving what we do not have we lose sight of the.
God who provides for our deepest needs we don't live in a world that helps us to practice trust over anxiety we don't live in a world that helps us to practice contentment over covetousness and we don't live in a world that helps us practice General generosity over greed so we must be vigilant and recognizing our need for deep Heart level change and then when we see it begin to rear its ugly head that we would confess it that we would turn to.
Jesus and say would you forgive me at the cross you have given for given me yourself please forgive me and then we would get to actually walk in the new Resurrection Life that Jesus is giving us every single day as we approach our money and our stuff this new life that Jesus offers it's not theoretical it does not just exist in the way that we talk to each other it does not just exist and the way that words are coming out of my mouth right.
Now no this life exists in power for freedom to live apart from sin and as it relates to our money and our stuff well this power can show up in the three principles that we have talked about this morning that we can be content not Covetous that we can be faith filled not fearful and we can be generous not greedy and as the band comes up I would just remind us of the daytoday practices that we have talked about because it shows up in every day.
Remember it's not just ethereal it's real stuff it shows up in our actual lives that we can can give our money and our stuff away that we can stop buying so much stuff that we don't need to scratch an itch that we can participate in the good works that the father has laid before us and we can give thanks to God for how he has taken care of us and given us things to enjoy we can petition before the father every day.
Father would you take care of my needs today and we can rehearse the simple Gospel truth that Jesus really is better than anything else that this life has to offer because there's no life in this world apart from Jesus and when we do these things when we slowly begin to engage in this kind of Lifestyle we are participating in the Eternal Kingdom of life that Jesus has brought that's what it looks like so let's go before the Lord now and praise him and exalt him to rehearse the truth and to go before him and ask would you take care of me.
Today.