WRESTLING WITH A FAMILIAR DEMON

WRESTLING WITH A FAMILIAR DEMON Matthew 19:21 Matthew 6:19-24 October 15, 2006 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction Did you catch it in last week’s study? It was right in the middle of the Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man. He quickly dispensed with the small talk—you know, the theological question of whether or not the man had earned eternal life (he hadn’t, even though he acted as though he had), and whether or not keeping the commandments to degree he had left him lacking anything (it did). We recognize how Jesus has only a little patience with small talk when it comes to the kingdom of God. He had such a visit with Nicodemus when He went right to the point and said, Nic, you need to be born again. He does it again here when the young man asks, What do I still lack? Jesus didn’t hesitate a moment, but answered him directly, You? Here’s what you need to do. Matthew 19:21 Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. And we remember the tragic response of the young man (verse 22) - …he went away sad. He wanted both: the joy of serving the Lord and the toys & treasures of this world. But Jesus tells us, you can’t have both—you just can’t. They’re oil and water. He had already taught, No one can serve two masters… and that truth hadn’t changed since the Sermon on the Mount Materialism was the demon that stood between this man and full devotion to Christ and his kingdom. If we are honest, we will admit that this same familiar demon is very effective at tempting and distracting us from full devotion to the kingdom of God. Let’s look at the rest of that passage at Matthew 6:19-24. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in as steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money. The unspoken assumption in this scripture is that people have an investment instinct. Whatever they have they are going to invest it somewhere. Something in our nature drives us to save and to treasure and to store up—to value something. Jesus insists the key question is what are you storing up for? Logically, the next step in the equation is that wherever our treasure is being invested, that’s where our heart is going to be. Our consuming concern, our devotion, our passion. Will it be on things temporal, earthly and of transitory value, or on things eternal, heavenly and of extreme value? Twenty-three hundred years ago, Greek philosophers known as Epicureans believed that chance governed the universe. Since individuals had no influence over their circumstances, the most they hoped for was that their experiences were pleasant. This belief was generally summed up in the phrase, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die." While this motto doesn’t do justice to the Epicurean philosophy, it perfectly sums up the worldview of many, like one of America’s corporate giants: Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric. Even after he retired, General Electric provided Welch with a luxury apartment on Central Park West, free travel on company jets, and it continued to provide him with the most luxurious of lifestyles. This all hit the media four years ago when he went through yet another divorce. He was embarrassed, and promised to reimburse everything to GE. But Welch is not rethinking his idea of the good life. In 1998 Welch had suffered a heart attack and a brush with death. When asked whether he learned anything profound during that time, His answer was: "I learned I didn’t spend enough money." The reporter thought he was joking, but Welch added that, after his bypass surgery, he vowed never again to drink wine that cost less than one hundred dollars a bottle—and he was completely serious. What a sad answer. What’s even sadder is that Welch is hardly unique in this regard. In our American culture consumption as spirituality, like Epicureanism, is the product of a purely materialistic understanding of the universe. After almost two centuries of Darwinism, the materialistic worldview has deprived people of any sense of purpose to life. For many Westerners, chance does govern the universe. We are simply products of forces that did not have us in mind. If that’s the case, it makes sense to do all you can to maximize your material enjoyment. Whether it’s drinking the best wine, eating the best food, or flying in a private jet, it makes no sense not to spend more money if this life is all there is. But Jesus assesses the value of this world’s stuff as hopelessly low by comparison to investing in heavenly treasure. A couple years ago 12-pound hawksbill turtle crawled up on a Honolulu beach to die, starved. An autopsy showed that fully one-fourth of its weight was plastic. Its intestines contained beads, a comb, a golf tee, toy wheel, rope, balloon, part of a plastic bottle, a plastic toothpaste cap, the top of a plastic medical syringe, baggies and a plastic flower. The turtle had become a trash barrel, mindlessly eating everything it saw in the littered water. Spiritually speaking we are in danger of killing ourselves when we continually fill our lives with the worthless, never-satisfying trash of this world, squeezing out things of real value. We simply have to find ways to avoid confusing the "good life" with a life well-lived. This is an old, old story. A woman of immense wealth dreamed she went to heaven and was met by the angel Gabriel, who proceeded to give her a tour of the celestial city. First, she saw a palatial estate that belonged to her former maid. Then Gabriel showed her a mansion, where her former chauffeur lived. Finally, Gabriel gave her a sneak preview of her home - a shack in the back of the maid's palace. Taken aback, the woman protested: But I lived in a palace on earth! The angel Gabriel replied, I'm sorry. This is the best we could do with the material you sent up. Exhortations I’d like to take my remaining minutes to bring some practical and creative counsel on how we might wrestle down the demon of materialism—some spiritual survival tactics, if you will. 1. First, if we are going to take seriously our calling to resist materialism and devote ourselves to kingdom values, we must remember that God is the owner of everything, and that all we have, is on loan from Him. (The earth is the Lord’s, and everything it in, the world, and all who live in it…) We have formulated the following statement as a distillation of the biblical teaching and included it the “values” section of our church’s Mission/Vision statement. A CHURCH WHERE FAITHFUL STEWARDSHIP IS PRACTICED AND ENCOURAGED We dedicate ourselves to the biblical principle that God is the owner of all things (Psalm 24:1). We strive to consistently acknowledge Him as such, and to teach and model how believers ought to handle all that we have on loan from God. We must do whatever we can to remember this great principle. Let me suggest that you write out on a piece of paper this short prayer: “Lord, thank you for lending me this money. Help me be a good steward of it.” Then put it in your wallet, right next to the bills. Or write it on a sticky note and attach it to your debit card. 2. Second, schedule a “No Buy” day each week for the next month. It may seem a little hokey, but go through an entire day without “buying” anything. No coffee at Panera, no lunch at McDonald’s, no impulse purchases, no Girl Scout cookies—nothing at all. The whole point is to war against our culturally baked-in idea that we need to spend all the time. For the really stout of heart, continue the practice through the entire Christmas season. Or, make it two days a week. The whole purpose is to remind ourselves that we don’t organize our lives around Money, but we organize them around God. Try it—then take some meditative time studying what you learn from the experience. Fill a Christmas box with the money you save. 3. When you plan your budget, write the Lord’s check first. It’s a radical discipline, but it may be just the ticket to help you truly prioritize God in your financial matters. Just let your offering check be the first one you write, before anything else. If you are serious about your commitment to the Lord and His church, this little exercise can be a practical reminder to you and a reinforcement of that commitment. Not only that, it can prevent you from falling into the trap of only giving to God from what’s left. It is unfortunate that we’ve so arranged our personal budgets that we say, “Let’s see, so much for uncle Sam, so much for the car payment, the mortgage, the credit card payment, the time share payment, new clothes. Oops, nothing left for offering again this month!” I’ve done this for many years, and it has helped me in those times of temptation to put lesser things first. Try it. See if it helps. 4. Give away more. Rather than dedicating every discretionary dollar to you and your comfort, consider giving more of it away—literally, away—away from you and your materialistic tendencies. For instance, we’ve mentioned a couple of needs that could use financial help: Christmas boxes for the underprivileged, the “Tile Project” or the Gregory family in Brazil. Maybe you know someone with a personal need right now. Put a $50 bill in a security envelope and mail it to them anonymously. There are four distinct benefits to being more generous to causes outside yourself: 1. It honors the Lord more than self-indulgence 2. It blesses others 3. It builds your investment/treasure in heaven 4. It helps strengthen self-discipline to resist materialistic urges. Let me share the rest of our Values Statement on giving: We believe, and teach others to believe, that God will demand an accounting of us as to how we use our time, talents, and treasures. As such, we will always consider the free and gracious contributions of time, effort, and finances as normal Christian behavior, and expect it from one another. Would you please focus on the words FREE and GRACIOUS. I want to remind you of the conviction of this church’s leadership. We believe that the best place for you to commit financially to the Lord is through the local church. And we think that our congregation acts with integrity and responsibly handles the funds we receive, but we will never bring untoward pressure on any giver that we reasonably expect will cause them to give with regret or resentment. If your giving to the Lord’s work is not free and gracious, it will not honor Him, nor bless you. For God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)   [Back to Top]