Well, good morning.
Since it's July and we are having a family service, I want to make sure I point out if
you have children who are unused to being in the service, there's a table with some
goodies in the back, and as the temperature gets warmer, just to remind you that there's
water in the back, there's a water fountain in the back, and there is seating downstairs,
which is a little cooler if you're finding it uncomfortable enough that it's hard to
continue to be a part of the service.
So, all those resources are here, hopefully, to help you continue to be able to worship
the Lord together with us this morning.
In the movie, All the President's Men, the book about the Nixon-Watergate scandal, based
on a book by journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, there is a famous scene where
these two journalists investigating the corruption in the White House meet with their informant
deep throat.
And the movie, he says, follow the money.
Follow the money because it would show where the power lay.
Follow the money because it would lead them to who was responsible.
Follow the money because it would reveal the depths of the heart of those in power.
For those of you who are under 35, you've got to go out and rent it.
It would probably need to go to the coffee shop in Hamden because they probably don't
have it on Netflix.
It's a great movie.
It's wonderful.
But follow the money because it reveals the heart of the leaders.
As we look at money this morning and how wealth is used, it occurs to me that in our culture,
money is a taboo subject almost like no other in our culture.
We don't like to talk about it, even more so than what happens in the bedroom.
Don't ask me about my budget is a typical thing that is true of us.
And even more so, don't you dare tell me what I should do with my money.
But oddly enough, when we look at the Bible, we recognize that it actually has a lot of
things to say about money.
One count had over 2,000 different verses in the Bible that dealt with money and wealth.
One other account figured that one-tenth of the Gospels Jesus teaching was about money
and the use of money in our lives.
Why does God care so much about it?
Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount says this,
For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.
Follow the money because it reveals your heart's treasure.
And whether we have a little or whether we have a lot,
what we do with our money is a key area where we show
the degree to which we know and fear God or not.
And that's what our passage this morning leads us to.
We're looking in Nehemiah chapter 5 in your pew Bibles.
It's page 372.
So if you want to follow along in there, you can.
The book of Nehemiah chapter 5.
And just in case you're visiting or if you haven't been here for a couple weeks
because you've been on vacation,
remember we're looking at the story of Ezra and Nehemiah,
how God was bringing his people back from exile to the promised land to rebuild them.
To rebuild the temple where they could worship him as he described and prescribed.
To rebuild the people that they would know him and follow him
in the distinct ways that he has called them to follow him.
And to rebuild the city of Jerusalem.
This place where God in that season in redemptive history said,
this is a place where I will dwell on my people
and my light will shine to all the nations of the world from this place.
And what we've seen in the early part of Nehemiah,
it actually has this very cool structure in verses,
in chapters 3 through 7,
where chapters 1 and 2 set up the problem.
And then 3 through 7 you have this beginning of the work of building the wall in chapter 3.
Chapter 4 talks about opposition to the building of the wall and how they overcome it.
And then chapter 6 talks about opposition again to the building it.
And in the end of chapter 6 you see the finishing of the building of the wall.
And right in the middle is chapter 5.
Where as God is helping the people do these external things,
he also wants to continue to build their hearts.
Their hearts to love him and fear him above all things.
And it is in fact in the middle of the work of building the wall
that a crisis occurs that reveals these things and brings it to light.
And that leads us to our passage this morning.
Nehemiah chapter 5.
We're going to read this together.
So please read along with me.
Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.
For there were those who said,
With our sons and daughters we are many.
So let us get grain that we may eat and keep alive.
And there were those who said,
We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.
And there were those who said,
We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards.
Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers.
Our children are as their children.
Yet we are forcing our sons and daughters to be slaves.
Some of our daughters have already been enslaved.
But it is not in our power to help it.
For other men have our fields and our vineyards.
I was very angry when I heard their outcry in these words.
I took counsel with myself.
And I brought charges against the nobles and the officials.
I said to them,
You are exacting interest, each from his brother.
And I held a great assembly against them and said to them,
We, as far as we are able, have brought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations.
But you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us.
And they were silent and could not find a word to say.
And so I said,
The thing that you are doing is not good.
Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations, our enemies?
Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain.
Let us abandon this exacting of interest.
Return to them this very day.
Their fields, their vineyards, and their olive orchards, and their houses,
and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.
Then they said,
We will restore these and require nothing from them.
We will do as you say.
And so I called the priests and I made them swear to do as they had promised.
I also shook out the fold of my garment and said,
So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise.
So may he be shaken out and emptied.
And all the assembly said,
Amen!
And praised the Lord and the people did as they had promised.
Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah,
from the 20th year to the 32nd year of Artaxerxes the king, 12 years,
neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor.
The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people
and took from them for their daily ration 40 shekels of silver.
Even their servants lorded it over the people.
But I did not do so because of the fear of God.
I also persevered in the work on this wall.
And we acquired no land and all my servants were gathered there for the work.
Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials,
besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us.
Now what was prepared at my expense for each day
was one ox and six choice sheep and birds
and every 10 days all kinds of wine in abundance.
Yet for all this I did not demand a food allowance of the governor
because the service was too heavy on this people.
Remember for my good, oh my God, all that I have done for this people.
As we look at this, will you pray with me?
Lord, we thank you for this word.
We thank you for the way that it pierces to the depth of our heart,
the way that it confronts and challenges us,
the way that it shows us, Lord, what it means to be your people
and to follow you.
God, I pray this morning by your spirit that you would help us,
Lord, to see our own hearts more clearly.
Lord, that you would confront and change places
in our hearts that need to be changed.
And Lord, that we would be a people who fear you
and in fearing you live a life that brings glory and honor to you
in all that we do.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
So as we look at this passage this morning,
I think the central idea is this,
that God's people show that they fear God
by how they use their wealth.
God is building his people,
restoring them to the promised land,
having redeemed them from the slavery of exile
and restoring them to the land of promise.
And in the middle of this, he calls them to use their wealth
to help God's people because they fear God.
We see two things.
We see that God shows us how to fear him
by confronting our selfish use of wealth.
And God shows us how to fear him with an example
of sacrificial and costly use of wealth.
So this is what we're going to look at this morning,
a confrontation and an example to help us understand
what it means to fear God in the way that we use our wealth.
So first, God shows us how to fear him
by confronting our selfish use of wealth.
As we look at verses 1 through 13,
the core verses, the core confrontation happens
in verses 7 through 9.
Verse 6 says that he was angry when he heard this
and he comes to the people and he says,
how could you be doing this?
Specifically, how could you be doing this
to your fellow Jewish people?
How could you be exacting interest,
taking advantage of the poor among you
who don't have the resources to manage the famine
that seemed to be the context of this,
who don't have the resources to continue
to manage their own fields while they're working the fields?
How could you come and take advantage of them?
This is what verses 1 through 5 show.
The people cry out because they're being taken advantage of.
We have big families and we don't have enough food.
And because we don't have enough food,
we're having to mortgage our long-term resources.
And because we're mortgaging our long-term resources,
we're in a much more dire state of need
such that when we still need more,
we're having to give our children
as debt slaves to others
within the community of God's people
so that we have food to feed them.
It's not hard to see some cycles of oppression
and the ways that poverty can circle
and become a greater and greater burden
and how those with wealth can impose
greater and greater cost
in ways that crush people and destroy their lives.
Nehemiah comes and he says,
this is not good.
And in verse 9, the core of the confrontation,
ought you not rather to fear God?
Why does Nehemiah talk about fearing God here?
You might need to step back for a minute
and think about what does it mean to fear God?
Martin Luther famously made a distinction
between two different kinds of fearing God.
One is a servile fear of God.
That is, a cowering, scared response
to a cruel or an evil taskmaster.
He said that's one kind of fear that we might have
and we might think of as what it means to fear God.
But Martin Luther said rather biblically,
fearing God is more of what he called a filial fear.
It is the fear of a child
not wanting to displease or disappoint
or to cross their parents.
It is a recognition we are under an authority,
we are accountable for our lives to someone else,
but that someone else is benevolent and loving
and their instruction and even their correction
is good for us.
And we fear them not in a cowering sense,
but in a sense of recognizing with awe and reverence
the role that they're meant to have in our lives
and to respond to them by saying,
all of our lives is accountable to you
and I choose and desire to do everything to please you.
In the context of this love relationship,
we are to fear God.
This is what Nehemiah means by it.
Ought you not to fear God?
What you are doing with your stuff,
what you are doing with your wealth and power,
you who have the ability to take advantage of those,
you who are able to give out the loans,
you who are the ones who are able to give grain
in exchange for the deeds,
you who are able to give help
in exchange for the debt slavery
of the children of Israel.
Ought you not to fear God
in how you are managing your wealth?
And notice that Nehemiah,
he does not pull his punches.
He said, I was angry,
I thought about it for a little while
and then I let him have it
and I didn't do this in private.
Or maybe he did and they didn't respond.
It's not clear, that's a possibility.
But he went public with it.
He called an assembly of the people of God
and said, you rich people
are oppressing the poor among us.
This is not right.
And not only is it not right
because you are hurting your brothers,
but it is not right
because you are opening up God's people
to the taunts of the nations around.
Do you remember back in Ezra
where Ezra didn't want to ask the king for a guard
because he had said,
our God is able to protect us.
Here what we have is Nehemiah saying,
we have said our God is able to provide for us.
Our God is able to rebuild this nation
and to rebuild this people.
And now you are destroying that in selfishness.
And in doing that,
the name of God is being tarnished in the world.
You who are meant to display the glory of God,
the abundance of God's goodness
and his generosity and his favor and his grace
are showing instead selfishness
in a profound way.
And beautifully in the story,
the people respond.
Nehemiah says,
this is what you must do.
You must make this right.
Give them back their lands.
Give them back their things.
Give them back the interest you have charged.
One would assume,
although it's not in the text,
give them back their children.
Make it right.
Undo it all.
And the people do respond.
And maybe it's because
they were not principally committed
to this being the right way to do it.
Maybe because they weren't hard-heartedly saying,
let's wring every ounce of mammon
that we can out of our fellow Jews.
Maybe they were just going with the flow.
Maybe they were just living within the culture
and the society that they lived in.
This is what you do.
Someone comes and asks you for something.
You give them help,
but you make your peace out of it.
Maybe that's true.
That's a conjecture.
Maybe it's being too kind to them.
But maybe they were just swimming in the tide
of the culture that they knew.
And therefore,
when God's clear path of righteousness
was laid forth,
when God's clear path
of how to use wealth and power,
not selfishly,
but to bless God's people,
they responded and said,
yes, we will do that.
And they did.
Nehemiah held them to it,
made the priests take an oath,
to make sure that they would follow through.
He called down a curse on them.
He shook his garments and said,
may God shake you out.
May you end up with nothing
if you don't follow through.
But they did.
And it's a beautiful picture.
And again,
we noticed this earlier.
One of the interesting things
in Ezra and Nehemiah
is that compared to much
of the Old Testament,
when God's people are confronted,
they tend to be stiff-necked
and hard-hearted.
And yet,
in this story of Ezra and Nehemiah,
we see glimpses of God's grace
and his people responding
with a humble heart
and a teachable spirit.
And they actually do what is right
and turn away from their sin.
So what about us?
What does this first part
of the chapter 5 of Nehemiah teach us?
It seems at the heart of the matter
is how do we use our wealth
in ways that don't fear God.
And we just need to be honest.
It's very easy for us to be selfish.
It's very easy for us
to think,
I got to keep getting more
because you never know
what's coming around the corner.
It's up to me to take care of myself.
It's very easy for us to think,
I work hard.
I deserve this.
This is mine
to do what I want with.
Maybe we think
with a sense of hyper-responsibility,
I've got to take care of my own
before I can help anyone else.
But sometimes that's a mask
for just our selfishness.
I wonder too
if in our modern society,
in our culture today
here in New Haven,
that it's less
I won't help people in need
but more
I'm too busy
to even know
that you have a need.
I live such an isolated life
that I'm not engaged
in the people of God
and the community of God
enough to know
where the needs are.
I'm not coming alongside people
and loving them
and engaging
in a way that I could know
how I might be able to help.
Maybe we swim in the cultural tide
of I'd love to help
but it's all tied up
in investments.
I need my ING number,
my retirement number
of seven or eight digits
or whatever that silly ad
shows us on TV.
We don't think
about
how we might use it differently.
We find money
to be a place
of security
and safety for us.
And often we fall
into pride
about what we've earned,
what we've accomplished
and the life
that we've built.
And we don't want that
to be put into jeopardy
or at risk.
And in all of this,
what it shows
is a heart
that does not fear God.
We don't recognize
that everything we have
comes from God.
We don't recognize
and live
out of a heart of
God, everything I have
is yours.
How do I use it
to please you?
It's a pattern
that says
I've got to take care
of my own.
I can't think about others
and their needs.
Sometimes it's
I don't want to look
like a fool.
My friends
who invest wisely,
the parents
who I know
who spend the money
on their kids,
I don't want to look
like a fool
to feel like
I'm depriving
my kids
by being generous
even at a cost.
In all these ways,
we fear other things
more than we fear God.
But what would it look like
if we did fear God
in the use of our money
and wealth?
Well, firstly,
we cannot say to God,
get your hands off my money.
Don't tell me
what to do with it.
First and foremost,
it's just saying
we cannot say those things
if we fear God.
Instead,
we begin to ask
our question,
God,
from all that you have given me,
whether a little or a lot,
how can I use that
to bless others
and to show others
the abundant grace
of God?
Not how much
can I spend
or even how much
can I save,
but how much
can I give?
How can I
be a place
where the abundance
of God
that has come to me
overflows
to the abundance
of God
being experienced
by those
around us?
You know,
it's remarkable
in that passage
we read earlier
that Elizabeth read
from 2 Corinthians,
the Macedonian church
begged earnestly
for the favor
of taking part
in the relief
of the saints,
giving not only
what they could
but beyond
what they could
because they so
wanted to be a part
of what God
was doing
and they so
wanted to love
God's people
and they so
wanted to fear
God
and honor Him
with what they did
that they sought out
and begged
for the opportunity
to do this.
and they did this
because they had
experienced
the abundance
of God's goodness
and provision
to them
because when we know
that all that we have
has come from God
then it frees us
to count all things
as lost
for the sake
of knowing Him
and serving Him.
It means we don't
have to live our lives
grasping for those things
but we can freely trust
that He will give
and in response
we can be generous
people to others.
I'm not going to give you
prescriptions
on what this looks like.
There aren't numbers
amounts
even contexts
because I think
that it's the heart
of the matter.
And friends
if the church
really lived
with this kind
of generous spirit
if we as individuals
and we as a body
lived with this kind
of overflowing
giving heart
would we not
be distinct
and would the world
around us
not stop
and wonder
how it is
that that could
truly be what we do
and how we do it.
with our wealth.
God shows us
not only how to fear Him
by confronting
our selfish use
but then
in verses 14
through 19
He shows us
how to fear Him
with an example
of selfless
sacrificial
giving of wealth
for the good
of others.
Interestingly
in verse 14
Nehemiah
begins to talk
about his own experience
and his own role
verse 14
it talks about
how he had been
exalted
to a position
of governorship
under
under the law
the larger
rulership
of the Persian Empire
he had been given
control over this area
and he shares
about his own experience
and it might be easy
to think
well he's kind of
tooting his own horn
isn't he?
He's
he's looking pretty good
in this
isn't he?
and often
when we read
the Bible
we look
at examples
the best way
to read it
is to think
how am I like them
in their fallenness
and their sinfulness
sometimes we like
to read the Bible
looking for heroes
that we can emulate
but I think it's often
better to read the Bible
thinking
how does this
reveal my own sin
and my own fallenness
but every once in a while
we actually do see
a very clear example
of this is good
this is a pattern
to follow
this is a life
to emulate
and that's what we see here
in God's wisdom
as he confronted
the people
and as he recorded
this for us
he says
not only am I going
to rebuke
when you're not
doing it right
but I'm going to show you
what it could look like
and the pattern
is basically this
Nehemiah was at the top
of the food chain
he had power
and wealth
unrivaled
in the area
he had this position
and with that position
came perks
the governors
what do they call it
the allowance
of the governor
and yet
Nehemiah chose
not
to take advantage
of this perk
why?
well verse 15
says that
former governors
and notice
that this could have been
some of the Jewish governors
it's not clear
which ones
he's talking about
but clearly
others in this position
had used it
and abused it
they laid a heavy burden
on the people
and their servants
acted arrogantly
it's so easy
isn't it
when we have those positions
for these perks
and these
you know
this is the diva culture
in Hollywood right
I want my Perrier
to be 37 and a half degrees
and if it's not that
then
you know
it's so easy
for us
in places
of position
and power
to abuse it
and become
very accustomed
to incredible perks
in ways
that are very selfish
Nehemiah looked at that
and he said
no I can't do that
because not only
was it
abused in the past
but you see it
both in verse 16
and in 18
that it was costly
for the people
that those perks
didn't come
from nowhere
they didn't come
from the treasury
of Persia
they came
from the taxes
that were levied
on the people
in Jerusalem
and in Judea
his people
God's people
and he said
I'm not going
to do that
and interestingly
verse 16
it talks about
how he didn't
even take land
and I think
if you piece this
together
part of what he's
saying is
I had the ability
because of my
place of power
to really build
my empire
even personally
to gain more wealth
by having land
right
I could build
my real estate empire
and not only that
but then I would
build my empire
of having servants
to take care
of all these lands
but Nehemiah
said we didn't
take advantage
of those perks
either
and one of the
benefits of that
was my servants
were free
to build the wall
along with
everyone else
I didn't allow
my investments
or my possible
investments
to distract
from God's plan
of rebuilding
this city
for his glory
that's what
verse 16
points to
and instead
of taking
those perks
Nehemiah said
I took the cost
myself
verse 18
sounds like
quite a feast
and when you
multiply that out
by days
and weeks
and 12
years
you realize
Nehemiah was
a very wealthy
man
it's a lot
of oxen
and yet
he chose
to spend
his wealth
to bless
his people
as the
governor
he had
a responsibility
for the
household
for the
government
for these
150
who were
a part
of the
government
he had
a responsibility
to provide
for them
he did it
himself
as he
was welcoming
foreign dignitaries
who came
and visited
he paid
for them
in the
hospitality
himself
he said
I will
not do
this
at the
cost
of my
own
people
who are
already
suffering
but I
will take
the cost
on myself
so that
I might
please
God
interestingly
did you
notice
how he
said it
in
where is
it
I forgot
to write
it down
I did
this
because
I feared
God
such a
strong
example
he confronted
the leaders
in the
first half
because they
were not
fearing
God
here
he reveals
his own
heart
I did
this
because
I feared
God
I knew
that my
life was
accountable
to him
I knew
that this
was his
people
and that
I had a
position
to love
them
and to
bless
them
with what
he had
given
me
and I
chose
to use
it
so what
does this
mean for
us
how do
we tie
this
in to
us
today
you know
one of the
things that's
important to
notice is
that it
could be
very easy
to think
this passage
is all
for those
of us
who may
have more
and to
give
but notice
that at the
very beginning
the context
of this
was that
the poor
Jews
had committed
Nick preached
on this
last week
had committed
and they
left their
fields to
come into
Jerusalem
to build
the wall
and to
do God's
work
and though
they didn't
have great
wealth
at cost
to
themselves
they gave
what they
could
which is
their time
and their
labor
and then
most of
this passage
then
confronts
others who
had more
and how
they could
use it
to bless
God
to fear
God
is to
use
our
wealth
to be
a blessing
to God's
people
out of
reverence
to God
you know
it's so
striking
the book
of Acts
this is
one of
those passages
that we
in our
capitalistic
west
don't always
know what
to do
with
Acts
chapter
four
the end
of it
I'm going
to read
it just
so you
can hear
what the
early church
looked like
now the
full number
of those
who believed
were of
one heart
and one
soul
and no
one said
that any
of the
things that
belonged to
him was
his own
but they
had everything
in common
and with
great power
the apostles
were giving
their testimony
to the
resurrection
of the
Lord
Jesus
and the
great grace
was upon
them all
there was
not a
needy
person
among
them
for
as
many
as
were
owners
of
lands
and
houses
sold
them
and
brought
the
proceeds
of what
was sold
and laid
it at
the
apostles
feet
and it
was
distributed
to each
as
any
had
need
thus
Joseph
who is
also
called
by the
apostles
Barnabas
which means
son of
encouragement
a Levite
a native
of Cyprus
sold a
field that
belonged to
him
and brought
the money
and laid
it at
the
apostles
feet
because
Jesus
was raised
from the
dead
because
this
great
grace
of the
forgiveness
of their
sins
of the
possibility
of new
life
of a
restoration
of a
relationship
with God
of an
eternity
as God's
people
because of
Jesus
they had
all of
those riches
and therefore
what they
had
they made
available
to be used
by God
to bless
his people
so that no
one was
in need
they flourished
in serving
God as they
sacrificially gave
to one another
and again
there's some nuance
to this
if you go back
and read that
2 Corinthians 8
passage
recognize that
that the call
is not to give
what you don't
have but to give
what you do
have and to
have a ready
heart
not a full
bank account
God isn't
asking you
to do
what you
can't do
but he's
asking you
are you
willing to
do what
you can
do
to help
others
what might
this look
like
let me end
by giving
you some
examples
first of all
I just want
to say
because
this passage
in Nehemiah
talks about
leadership
and because
Billy Graham
in many ways
was such an
example
when Billy Graham
was starting out
his ministry
and he saw
the potential
for it to grow
and for it to be
a big organization
and for there to be
a lot of money
flowing through it
he set up a board
of directors
he set himself
a salary
that he was not
in control of
and then
everything else
was not to him
but was given
to the ministry
to be used
for the ongoing
work
of proclaiming
Jesus
in the 20th
century
around the
world
many many
counter examples
could be given
in the last
50 years
of American
evangelicalism
but praise
God
for this one
good example
and may we
continue to seek
leaders
who do such
things
may we
who are
leaders
in this
church
continue
to follow
that
example
what about
those of us
who aren't
leading things
how about
our everyday
lives
what does
it look
like
friends
I just
want you
to think
broadly
about
what kind
of wealth
do you
have
it's
very easy
to think
about that
in terms
of money
what's in
my pocket
what's in
my bank
account
but I want
you to think
of the wealth
of God
has given
you
some of
the ways
that I
have seen
this church
bless other
people
in the
family of
God
inviting
an individual
in need
to come
and live
for a day
for a week
for a month
for a year
sometimes not
just an
individual
sometimes a
family with
kids
squeezing them
into the
basement
throwing them
up on the
in the extra
bedrooms
in your
empty nest
I've seen
this happen
and it's
been an
incredible
testimony
I think
about those
of us
who have
cars
and vehicles
would you
consider
thinking about
who you
can give
your car
to
rather than
getting
the
measly
$800
the
dealership
will give
to you
in a
trade-in
would you
consider
giving it
to someone
who couldn't
afford it
otherwise
I know
I've seen
that happen
in this
church
I've seen
it happen
where you've
given your
vans to
Eli and
to a bunch
of youth
group leaders
to drive
to New
Hampshire
in the
snow
and usually
they've come
back in one
piece and
sometimes they
haven't
right
and yet
you
welcomed
that cost
and said
yes
I can
share
what I
have
for the
good
of others
many of
you
open
your
homes
week
in
week
out
to
host
small
groups
to
invite
God's
people
in
to
study
his
word
and
to
have
fellowship
together
many of
you
set
aside
in
your
budget
extra
what can
I cut
out
this
month
so that
I just
have money
to give
where there's
a need
that might
arise
it's a
beautiful
thing
I pray
and hope
that our
church
will continue
to excel
still more
in these
ways
and if
you're
someone
who
isn't
sure
what the
needs
are
maybe
you're
newer
to the
church
I want
to let
you know
we have
something
called
a
have
need
list
Michelle
in the
office
moderates
it
you can
let the
church
office
know
and they'd
be glad
to put
your email
address
onto it
and it
just means
when someone
has something
they don't
need
they can
put it
on the
have
need
list
say
hey
I have
a
washing
machine
does
anyone
need
it
and
similarly
if there's
a need
I need
a ride
to the
airport
or I
need
a bed
or
whatever
and we've
seen
over and
over again
God take
care of
one another
in this
church
through these
things
now what we've
talked about
so far
is all
material
things
but there are
other kinds
of wealth
as well
some of you
are great
cooks
and have
blessed one
another
with meals
when a new
baby has
come
when you've
come home
from a
hospital
even
just
in the
midst
of a
crisis
you have
blessed
one another
with meals
again
if you're
not in
on that
let
Michelle
know
we can
put you
on the
list
so that
you can
do that
some
of you
have a
great
knowledge
of the
city
of New
Haven
and our
church
is full
of people
who come
in
and don't
know much
about the
city
don't know
how it
works
some of
you have
great
knowledge
to share
about
how to
find social
services
about
how to
buy a
house
about
where there
might be
shelters
or need
places
for people
in need
you have
knowledge
to share
which is a
great wealth
seek to
use it
some of
you are
professionals
and when
appropriate
and legal
I'll put
those
little
caveats
on there
when
appropriate
and legal
consider
making
your
professional
help
available
and I
know
that gets
tricky
sometimes
but
press
on
find a
way
to do
it
in a
way
that's
okay
it doesn't
mean you
all get
free
health
care
by
finding
the
doctors
in
the
church
but
consider
that
these
people
might
be
able
to
consult
with
you
might
be
able
to
help
you
think
through
hard
problems
whether
you're
a
doctor
a
lawyer
a
social
worker
whatever
and
you know
friends
in our
modern
world
one of
the
greatest
wealth
that we
have
is
time
it's
very
precious
to us
and we're
loath to
share it
with
others
maybe
you don't
have a
lot of
wealth
maybe
you don't
have a
lot of
professional
degrees
but maybe
you have
time
to share
with
others
time
to help
to visit
the
homebound
time
to
come
alongside
those
who
may
be
struggling
one of
the things
that I
want to
say
is that
in all
of these
examples
and in
all of
these
opportunities
there's
cost
and we
need to
be prepared
for that
when we
give to
other
people
it will
be
inconvenient
and
sometimes
we will
really
lose
things
and we
need to
be
prepared
that this
isn't a
quid pro quo
kind of
world
it's an
abundance
that springs
up from
the goodness
and the
wellspring
of God's
love for
us
who then
provides
for us
who then
cascades
to those
around us
and we
don't look
for it
to be
given
back to
us
by those
that we
give to
but we
look to
God
to give
to us
so that
we might
give to
others
God
calls us
to
something
greater
than
simply
hoarding
what
we
have
he
calls
us
to
give
it
and
friends
as we
finish
and as
we
close
one of
the
things
I
want
to
point
out
is
that
these
problems
came
not
before
God's
kingdom
advanced
not
before
they
began
the
building
of
the
work
but
it
happened
in
the
context
of
it
and
as
we
continue
here
at
Trinity
to
want
to
build
our
church
to
the
glory
of
God
as
we
do
this
work
of
wanting
to
be
a
place
where
Jesus
Christ
is
lifted
up
and
his
grace
overflows
to
our
neighbors
to
our
friends
to
our
family
to
our
city
and
to
our
world
we
need
to
be
prepared
that
these
challenges
will
come
and
our
hearts
will
be
tested
are
you
willing
to
give
when
it
hurts
we
need
to
be
ready
for
our
sin
to
be
exposed
for
the
places
where
we
have
just
assumed
that
the
world
works
in
a
right
way
and
that
gets
exposed
and
we
see
it
for
what
it
is
a
heart
that
doesn't
fear
God
we
need
to
be
prepared
for
our
selfishness
to
be
tried
and
for
God's
call
on us
to
have
a
cost
in
new
ways
as
we
continue
to
pursue
God's
God
friends
this is
a big
task
and
of
course
we
cannot
do
it
on
our
own
if
we
sought
to
be
more
generous
people
simply
on
our
own
power
we
would
at
best
become
very
proud
about
how
wonderfully
gracious
and
giving
we
are
and
how
terrible
that
would
be
but
the
way
that
we
do
this
is
that
we
look
at
our
Savior
we
look
at
Jesus
that
though
he
was
rich
though
he
sat
at
the
right
hand
of
God
for
all
eternity
though
he
is
the
second
person
of
the
triune
eternal
God
by
whom
all
things
were
created
and
for
whom
all
things
were
created
though
he
was
rich
and
all
of
that
wealth
of
position
and
power
and
though
everything
he
has
belongs
to
him
he
became
poor
for
us
he
humbled
himself
and
took
on
flesh
and
blood
and
he
for
the
prerogatives
of
that
position
so
that
he
might
come
and
be
a
servant
and
not
only
a
servant
but
a
slave
and
not
only
a
slave
but
a
sacrifice
he
went
to
the
cross
to
die
for
us
to
redeem
us
from
our
selfish
hearts
and
our
love
of
everything
but
God
in
the
world
to
redeem
for
himself
a
people
who
would
fear
him
and
show
it
and
how
they
use
all
that
they
have
because
of
the
great
abundance
that
he
has
shown
us
in
Christ
and
this
leads
us
then
to
the
table
as
we
continue
our
service
we're
going
to
celebrate
the
Lord's
Supper
and
what
we do
here
this
is
the
table
of
God's
abundance
this
is
the
table
of
God's
great
provision
for
us
that
he
has
given
us
the
life
of
his
very
own
son
so
that
the
grace
that
we
receive
in
him
by
when
you
into
the