WEBVTT 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:01.820 Well, good morning to all of you. 00:00:02.339 --> 00:00:06.839 As I said at the beginning, especially those who are new, joining us for the first time, 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:08.199 really delighted that you're here. 00:00:08.259 --> 00:00:08.919 My name is Tommy. 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:16.920 I'm a pastor here, and we've been for the last few weeks in the midst of the Home Campaign, 00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:18.660 which we're very excited about. 00:00:18.900 --> 00:00:23.879 This is something that has been prayed about and planned and thought about and talked about 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:24.620 for years. 00:00:24.620 --> 00:00:31.660 And it's related to the reason that we started the church, which was about 14 years ago, 00:00:31.800 --> 00:00:37.280 we were meeting in a living room in Columbia Heights, and our sense of calling was very 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:42.480 clear, and that's that we wanted to start a church in D.C. that would be committed to loving 00:00:42.480 --> 00:00:44.439 and serving the city long term. 00:00:44.920 --> 00:00:47.120 And by that, we mean for many, many generations. 00:00:48.179 --> 00:00:54.100 And so, a part of that commitment means that we are now seeking a permanent home. 00:00:54.100 --> 00:00:57.920 We've had seven locations since we started the church, and we're seeking a place where 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:02.859 we can put down roots and really live out this commitment to love the city long term. 00:01:03.300 --> 00:01:06.079 And this is something that we're going to be talking about. 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:08.719 Nobody's going to be asked to make a commitment this morning. 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:12.260 In a couple of weeks, we're going to have an opportunity for people who want to be a part 00:01:12.260 --> 00:01:12.960 of this to commit. 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:15.159 But many of us are already committed to it. 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:18.620 My wife and I, we've committed to this already. 00:01:19.219 --> 00:01:23.379 Our clergy, our staff, our parish council, all committed to this. 00:01:23.379 --> 00:01:30.199 And so, this morning, we're going to be doing in this sermon, we're going to be considering, 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:36.479 as we have the last couple of weeks, what a commitment like this entails, what it requires, 00:01:36.619 --> 00:01:41.679 and most importantly, how to do this in a way that will ultimately lead to the growth 00:01:41.679 --> 00:01:47.780 of our faith, a greater ability to trust in the Lord, a healthy view of money and resources. 00:01:47.780 --> 00:01:55.799 And as we'll see a little bit this morning, a clear sense of priorities and the kinds of 00:01:55.799 --> 00:01:56.960 priorities we should have. 00:01:57.719 --> 00:02:04.760 So, we've been in a series sort of thinking about stewardship and faith and finances. 00:02:05.620 --> 00:02:08.819 And a couple of weeks ago, we talked about what does it look like to trust God. 00:02:08.920 --> 00:02:09.780 So, we talked about trust. 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:15.219 And then last week, we talked a little bit about what it means to have God at the center 00:02:15.219 --> 00:02:15.920 of our lives. 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:19.659 And then this week, we are talking about priorities. 00:02:20.340 --> 00:02:25.979 And I think this is really timely because many of you know that in the wake of the COVID 00:02:25.979 --> 00:02:29.400 pandemic, there's been a whole lot out there on priorities. 00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:33.900 People saying this is an opportunity for us to reevaluate our priorities, to figure out 00:02:33.900 --> 00:02:41.500 what really matters in life, which begs the question, how do we determine which priorities 00:02:41.500 --> 00:02:42.360 we should have? 00:02:42.379 --> 00:02:46.120 Because there's a lot of advice out there, and a lot of it is contradictory. 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:52.020 So, we're going to be looking at Luke chapter 16, verses 1 to 13 for guidance and how we should 00:02:52.020 --> 00:02:54.599 think about priorities in our lives. 00:02:54.640 --> 00:02:59.780 And I do have to admit, I think this is probably the most difficult parable in Luke's gospel to 00:02:59.780 --> 00:03:00.319 understand. 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:04.299 You know, Jeff and I were talking before the service started just about, you read this 00:03:04.299 --> 00:03:06.840 and you think, are you sure you wrote that down correctly? 00:03:07.359 --> 00:03:09.159 You know, are you sure you remembered this? 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:11.599 And are you sure it was supposed to go here? 00:03:12.259 --> 00:03:15.259 It's one of those, it's really hard to understand at first glance. 00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:21.620 But I think that once we dig in, we begin to realize it's a treasure trove about priorities 00:03:21.620 --> 00:03:25.259 and helping us determine what our priorities are and should be. 00:03:25.780 --> 00:03:30.139 You know, the funny thing about our priorities is that we can think that we know what our 00:03:30.139 --> 00:03:35.319 priorities are, but in reality, they may actually be something quite different. 00:03:35.839 --> 00:03:37.339 So, there could be a kind of disconnect. 00:03:37.539 --> 00:03:42.599 And so, what we need is a way of figuring out what are our priorities actually, and then 00:03:42.599 --> 00:03:43.559 what should they be? 00:03:43.619 --> 00:03:44.879 How do we realign them? 00:03:45.519 --> 00:03:48.659 Look at what Jesus says here in verse 13 at the end of our passage. 00:03:48.779 --> 00:03:49.079 He says, 00:03:49.080 --> 00:04:04.680 So, what he's saying is, at the end of the day, all of your priorities boil down to this. 00:04:04.780 --> 00:04:08.220 Ultimately, every human being is serving one of two masters. 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:15.120 You're either serving God or you're serving something that God has made, right? 00:04:15.180 --> 00:04:19.480 This broad category of stuff that the Bible calls mammon. 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:21.639 And he says, don't kid yourself, you can't serve both. 00:04:21.819 --> 00:04:24.100 At the end of the day, you have a highest priority. 00:04:24.819 --> 00:04:26.879 And it's either God or it's something that God has made. 00:04:26.939 --> 00:04:27.660 So, how do we know? 00:04:28.060 --> 00:04:29.519 Well, that's why we're looking at this passage. 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:33.339 So, I want to spend a few minutes unpacking this parable and trying to understand what 00:04:33.339 --> 00:04:33.819 it means. 00:04:34.139 --> 00:04:38.759 And then we're going to draw out three, you might say, diagnostic questions to help us 00:04:38.759 --> 00:04:41.019 get at what our priorities really are. 00:04:41.359 --> 00:04:43.719 So, let's pray, and then we'll open God's Word. 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:46.180 Lord, we thank You for Your Word. 00:04:46.500 --> 00:04:51.019 And we thank You that it can be like a surgical instrument, that we can come with a sense of 00:04:51.019 --> 00:04:53.060 what we want or need or hope for this morning. 00:04:53.479 --> 00:04:57.359 And yet, You're here to do a kind of spiritual surgery in us. 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:01.379 And I pray that each one of us here, that there would be something here for us, that 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:03.100 we would hear Your voice. 00:05:04.220 --> 00:05:07.720 But that it wouldn't be the voice of a cold surgeon, that it would be the voice of a loving 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:12.520 Father who knows us better than we know ourselves, who loves us more than we can possibly imagine, 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:16.680 who is working in us now through Your Word to make us whole. 00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:22.420 We pray that for our good, but ultimately that we would be people who glorify You in all 00:05:22.420 --> 00:05:22.980 that we do, Lord. 00:05:23.020 --> 00:05:24.759 We pray this in Your Son's holy name. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:25.240 Amen. 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:25.360 Amen. 00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:29.759 So, let's just unpack this parable. 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:36.500 Jesus is having dinner, and He's with His disciples along with some tax collectors, 00:05:36.960 --> 00:05:41.699 and there are some Pharisees who are listening in on the conversation. 00:05:42.579 --> 00:05:49.620 And so, this parable that He tells is about a money manager, a steward who has been entrusted 00:05:49.620 --> 00:05:52.680 with a rich man's property to manage. 00:05:52.680 --> 00:05:58.199 So, there's the master, and the master has entrusted his stuff to this manager, this steward. 00:05:58.840 --> 00:06:01.220 But the steward has been wasteful. 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:02.500 He's been irresponsible. 00:06:02.900 --> 00:06:04.180 He's not doing a good job. 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:10.180 And so, the rich man catches him doing this, mismanaging his money, and he calls him in 00:06:10.180 --> 00:06:12.199 and says, all right, I want you to get your books. 00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:13.959 I want you to get all of your accounts in order. 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:14.840 Bring it all here. 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:15.699 You're fired. 00:06:16.100 --> 00:06:17.000 Today's your last day. 00:06:19.060 --> 00:06:25.439 So, the steward hears this, and I don't have to tell many of you, being fired is no fun. 00:06:25.540 --> 00:06:26.319 Comes out of nowhere. 00:06:26.780 --> 00:06:28.360 This guy has no prospects. 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:30.740 He's thinking about life after this job. 00:06:30.740 --> 00:06:35.439 He can't bear the thought of leaving his white-collar life and doing manual labor. 00:06:35.740 --> 00:06:37.060 He says, I'm not strong enough. 00:06:37.060 --> 00:06:37.960 I'm not cut out for that. 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:41.259 He can't bear the thought of begging on a street corner. 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:43.759 And so, he says, you know, I need a plan. 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:45.460 What am I going to do? 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:48.040 So, here's what he does. 00:06:48.900 --> 00:06:57.120 He calls up everyone who owes his master any kind of money, and he begins to meet with them 00:06:57.120 --> 00:06:57.920 one by one. 00:06:58.720 --> 00:06:59.680 How much do you owe? 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:00.960 How much do you owe? 00:07:01.100 --> 00:07:04.319 And in each case, he reduces their debts. 00:07:04.540 --> 00:07:07.420 Now, we're not quite sure what the math is here. 00:07:07.420 --> 00:07:12.800 It's very possible that he is cutting out the interest that is owed on the debts and only 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:14.100 making them pay the principal. 00:07:14.780 --> 00:07:19.900 But what we do know, almost for certain, is that whatever else he's cutting out, he's cutting 00:07:19.900 --> 00:07:21.040 out his own commission. 00:07:22.780 --> 00:07:24.180 He's cutting out his own commission. 00:07:25.400 --> 00:07:26.700 Now, think about this. 00:07:26.699 --> 00:07:28.360 First, he's fired. 00:07:28.459 --> 00:07:29.319 He has no prospects. 00:07:29.420 --> 00:07:30.759 He's going to have no source of income. 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:37.240 The last income that he has any hope of getting that's going to kind of help him meet his needs 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:39.659 is going to come from these commissions. 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:43.180 And yet, he calls these people in and says, that's okay. 00:07:43.719 --> 00:07:44.339 Cut that out. 00:07:44.419 --> 00:07:45.539 Just pay the principal, right? 00:07:46.219 --> 00:07:49.439 Now, why in the world would he do this when he knows he's going to need money? 00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:51.480 It doesn't seem to make any sense. 00:07:51.480 --> 00:07:54.939 And the answer is, he's playing the long game. 00:07:56.439 --> 00:08:01.120 He's not just thinking about the next few weeks or months or years. 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:02.960 He's playing the long game. 00:08:03.920 --> 00:08:04.780 Here's what's happening. 00:08:04.860 --> 00:08:05.420 Two things. 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:06.439 Very important to understand. 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:13.899 Number one, even though he is sacrificing his commission now, once he's on the street, what's 00:08:13.899 --> 00:08:14.480 going to happen? 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:18.360 There's going to be a whole lot of people who owe him a favor. 00:08:19.459 --> 00:08:24.480 A lot of people who are very appreciative of what he's done for them. 00:08:24.620 --> 00:08:25.279 That's number one. 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:30.560 Number two, everyone is going to assume that he is acting on his master's wishes. 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:31.240 Right? 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:36.240 They would never dream that he's doing this on his own, right? 00:08:36.379 --> 00:08:38.940 They're going to assume that he's doing this at his master's request. 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:43.360 So, they're going to say, wow, that master, that rich man is so generous. 00:08:43.940 --> 00:08:44.840 He's so generous. 00:08:44.940 --> 00:08:45.659 Isn't that amazing? 00:08:46.519 --> 00:08:49.960 So, this is going to put the rich man in a tough spot, right? 00:08:49.980 --> 00:08:52.639 The rich man is going to hear that all of these debts got reduced. 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:54.720 And he's only going to have two options. 00:08:54.720 --> 00:09:04.620 Either he just eats that loss and pretends like it was his idea all along, or he forces 00:09:04.620 --> 00:09:09.600 these people to pay back everything that was originally owed, but then everybody's going 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:10.379 to hate his guts. 00:09:10.580 --> 00:09:13.860 Because once you're told that you don't owe as much money, and then they come back to 00:09:13.860 --> 00:09:17.600 you and say, actually, you do owe that much money, that's not going to go over very well. 00:09:18.279 --> 00:09:21.740 So, more than likely, the rich man is just going to pretend like it was his idea all along. 00:09:21.740 --> 00:09:22.160 You're right. 00:09:22.220 --> 00:09:24.700 I am a very generous individual, right? 00:09:25.060 --> 00:09:28.519 So, in one fell swoop, this steward does two things. 00:09:28.800 --> 00:09:33.740 He ingratiates himself to all of these people who are going to owe him favors down the road, 00:09:33.899 --> 00:09:40.440 and he makes his master look so good that he's never going to recall the debt, right? 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:44.500 And now, what we are supposed to hear in this parable is, you know, what we're supposed 00:09:44.500 --> 00:09:47.019 to think is, wow, that guy's brilliant. 00:09:48.259 --> 00:09:49.060 He's brilliant. 00:09:49.379 --> 00:09:51.139 What an amazing business move. 00:09:52.060 --> 00:09:54.100 But here's where it really gets interesting. 00:09:54.100 --> 00:10:01.279 Jesus then says, verse 8, the master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. 00:10:01.379 --> 00:10:03.659 Okay, the master was proud of the manager. 00:10:04.620 --> 00:10:10.200 For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the 00:10:10.200 --> 00:10:10.899 sons of light. 00:10:11.540 --> 00:10:15.320 Now, that's where this seems to go off the tracks, because what it seems to be saying, 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:21.620 what we seem to read here is Jesus saying, I wish my disciples were more like this dishonest 00:10:21.620 --> 00:10:22.300 money manager. 00:10:23.560 --> 00:10:26.120 Take some notes, right? 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:26.159 Right? 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:33.080 And I think it's easy at first pass to read this and to think, this shouldn't be here, 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:33.820 right? 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:35.000 This shouldn't be in the Bible. 00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:38.559 But notice what is being commended here. 00:10:40.659 --> 00:10:42.399 He's not commending the dishonesty. 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:45.799 He's not commending the wastefulness that led to this whole debacle. 00:10:46.340 --> 00:10:48.139 He's commending the shrewdness. 00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:50.419 He's commending the street smarts. 00:10:50.620 --> 00:10:53.779 He's commending the fact that he's playing the long game. 00:10:53.960 --> 00:10:55.720 And that's what we need to have in view here. 00:10:55.720 --> 00:11:00.060 This is an example of what we would think of as teaching by contrast. 00:11:00.800 --> 00:11:02.240 Teaching by contrast. 00:11:02.980 --> 00:11:06.519 The manager is described as a son of this world. 00:11:06.639 --> 00:11:08.540 That means he's self-focused. 00:11:08.940 --> 00:11:10.360 He cares nothing for God. 00:11:10.620 --> 00:11:13.980 He's functionally atheistic, lives as though there is no God. 00:11:14.220 --> 00:11:14.940 He's corrupt. 00:11:15.220 --> 00:11:17.300 He's only focused on self-preservation. 00:11:17.480 --> 00:11:18.660 He's a son of this world. 00:11:19.460 --> 00:11:24.120 But, Jesus says, even a guy like this has his priorities in order. 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:26.259 He has his priorities in order. 00:11:27.220 --> 00:11:32.960 And so, Jesus is saying, like, if a guy like that, if a son of the world can have his priorities in order, 00:11:33.299 --> 00:11:38.440 how much more should you, the sons and daughters of light, have your priorities in order? 00:11:39.659 --> 00:11:41.980 So, that's the point of the parable. 00:11:42.740 --> 00:11:49.639 If he can do it, you who know so much more about life and eternity and what really matters, 00:11:49.899 --> 00:11:51.519 you should absolutely be able to do it. 00:11:51.519 --> 00:12:00.799 So, what this does is it sort of begs the question of us as the reader, well, do I have my priorities in order? 00:12:01.579 --> 00:12:03.620 Am I playing the long game? 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:07.019 Am I thinking about things accurately? 00:12:07.019 --> 00:12:21.759 And so, then what this parable does in the subsequent comments made by Jesus is it gives us three questions about our lives that can help us to clarify our own sense of priorities. 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:26.600 They sort of help us illuminate what our priorities really are and then what they should be. 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:33.300 And so, we're going to walk through these three questions and to try to do a little self-diagnosis here. 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:40.259 The first question that we have to ask comes from verse 1, the parable itself. 00:12:41.300 --> 00:12:53.700 Do we as individuals, as families, have priorities of an owner or do we have the priorities of a steward? 00:12:53.700 --> 00:13:00.000 Are we owner-minded in our prioritization or are we steward-minded? 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:08.360 See, owner-minded people look at the stuff in their life and they say, this stuff is mine because I earned it. 00:13:08.600 --> 00:13:09.420 Belongs to me. 00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:10.520 I worked hard for it. 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:17.120 But the Bible says actually that we are stewards of our stuff. 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:28.159 Just as the manager in the parable has been entrusted with the rich man's possessions for a while, each one of us has been entrusted with God's possessions for a while. 00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:30.860 But that has a time limit on it. 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:37.639 Our money, our time, even our own bodies, they all ultimately belong to God. 00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:51.519 So, when it comes to having the right priorities, instead of using what we've been given to advance our own interests, which is the owner-minded way to do it, a good steward does what? 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:59.860 A good steward says, my job is to actually use what's been entrusted to me to advance the interests of the owner. 00:13:59.860 --> 00:14:03.580 I want to make decisions, financial decisions and investments. 00:14:03.800 --> 00:14:08.300 I want to seize opportunities that are going to align with my master's priorities. 00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:09.860 That's what a good steward does. 00:14:11.259 --> 00:14:11.700 Right? 00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:23.220 So, and as we think about our lives, we think as stewards because we know that one day, just like the manager in this parable, one day God is going to say to each one of us, 00:14:23.220 --> 00:14:30.680 okay, it's time for you to get all of your accounts in order because your time is up. 00:14:32.220 --> 00:14:32.700 Right? 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:46.500 And that we are then going to stand before the owner, the master, and we are going to be called to give an account of all of the ways that we used what has been entrusted to us. 00:14:46.500 --> 00:14:57.019 The hard truth is, whether or not you ever get COVID, right, at some point we are all going to die a premature death. 00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:00.279 We're all going to face a premature death. 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:07.120 And at that time, we're going to have to give an account for how we have used what we've been given. 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:14.320 Do we use it in ways that further our own agendas or in ways that further the agenda of the true owner, God Himself? 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:15.360 So, that's the first thing. 00:15:15.420 --> 00:15:18.320 Do we prioritize like an owner or like a steward? 00:15:19.860 --> 00:15:22.120 Second question as we think about our priorities. 00:15:23.660 --> 00:15:28.000 Do we tend to prioritize the temporal or the eternal? 00:15:28.140 --> 00:15:29.360 This comes from verse 9. 00:15:30.620 --> 00:15:35.420 Prioritizing the temporal means living like this is the only life there is. 00:15:35.419 --> 00:15:47.159 And make no mistake, if this is the only life that we have, if at the end of this, like many people believe, when we die, we just blink out of existence into nothingness. 00:15:47.159 --> 00:15:56.699 If that is the case, and this is the only life we have, I will tell you now, we should try to get as much out of this life as we possibly can. 00:15:57.500 --> 00:16:07.939 Whatever floats your boat, money or status or pleasure, whatever it is that gets you up in the morning, you should try to get as much of that as you can while you can, while the getting's good. 00:16:07.940 --> 00:16:11.480 Because one day, you're going to blink out into nothingness. 00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:16.020 100 years, 200 years, 500 years, nobody's going to even know you were here. 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:18.900 So, get the most out of life while you can. 00:16:18.899 --> 00:16:34.039 But the point of this parable is that this life is simply a preview of the real life that will begin and continue on into eternity. 00:16:34.819 --> 00:16:37.959 This is, as some people call it, pre-existence. 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:47.039 And one day, we will begin our actual life with Christ. 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:48.980 Right? 00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:52.620 So, if that's the case, Jesus says in verse 9, 00:16:53.620 --> 00:17:03.039 I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. 00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:11.559 This is Jesus' way of saying, the resources and opportunities you have now in your pre-existence are not going to last. 00:17:11.559 --> 00:17:17.960 The economy that we are basing everything on now is going to be completely obviated. 00:17:20.019 --> 00:17:25.559 All of the value that we place in these things is going to evaporate. 00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:36.599 So, use these things while they have value to invest in the things that will continue into that actual life. 00:17:36.700 --> 00:17:39.220 Things that are going to last for eternity. 00:17:39.220 --> 00:17:50.960 And what you will find is, as you begin to think about eternity and to begin to invest in eternity and to begin to think about this life as a preview of eternity, 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:57.680 if you begin to think like that, it's actually going to begin to set you free from that need to get as much as you can, 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:01.480 to accumulate as much as you can, because your priorities begin to shift. 00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:11.940 There's a great story about two great writers, Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller, both great writers, and they were together at a party at the home of a billionaire. 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:17.720 And they're sitting there, and they're looking around at the home of just this fabulously wealthy man, 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:23.420 and they're looking at all of the original art and all of that, and Vonnegut leans over to Heller and says, 00:18:23.420 --> 00:18:33.980 Isn't it amazing to think that this guy makes in one day what you're going to make from all of your book sales over the course of your entire life? 00:18:35.100 --> 00:18:35.340 Right? 00:18:35.740 --> 00:18:38.500 He makes in one day as much as you're ever going to make, and more. 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:40.840 And Heller thinks about it for a moment. 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:44.720 He says, Yeah, but you know, I've got something that he'll never have. 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:48.900 And Vonnegut kind of laughs, and he says, What could that possibly be? 00:18:49.620 --> 00:18:51.839 And Heller says, Enough. 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:56.100 The knowledge that I have enough. 00:18:58.519 --> 00:18:59.019 Right? 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:06.019 If you prioritize the eternal, it begins to set you free to ask that question. 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:09.440 How do I know when I have enough? 00:19:11.100 --> 00:19:12.519 You know, when I make enough. 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:15.960 When I've climbed the ladder of success enough. 00:19:17.639 --> 00:19:19.160 When I have a big enough house. 00:19:20.539 --> 00:19:27.200 You know, when I have a deep enough sense of connection to the place I live. 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:32.059 When my things are nice enough. 00:19:32.859 --> 00:19:34.220 You know, my clothes are nice enough. 00:19:34.259 --> 00:19:34.980 My car is nice enough. 00:19:35.139 --> 00:19:36.160 How are you going to know? 00:19:36.220 --> 00:19:36.960 Where's that line? 00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:41.900 If you begin to think about eternity, it begins to shift the calculus around. 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:44.920 And you can think about that. 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:46.639 When is enough enough? 00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:49.019 So, that's the second question. 00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:50.539 Are we prioritizing the temporal? 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:52.579 Are we prioritizing the eternal? 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:53.940 Third diagnostic question. 00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:56.960 Are our priorities merely idealistic? 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:01.079 Or do we convert them into daily habits? 00:20:02.120 --> 00:20:03.559 This comes from verse 10. 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:09.880 You know, when Laura and I were first married, we lived in a tiny little apartment in Capitol Hill. 00:20:10.019 --> 00:20:11.319 I don't know how many square feet it was. 00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:12.860 But we were always bumping into each other. 00:20:13.140 --> 00:20:16.100 And our space was just filled with clutter. 00:20:16.099 --> 00:20:20.159 And we would always say, you know, the problem is the space. 00:20:20.219 --> 00:20:25.619 If we could just have a bigger space, then we would have somewhere to put all of our stuff. 00:20:25.679 --> 00:20:26.740 And then it wouldn't be cluttered. 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:27.659 Then the house would be clean. 00:20:28.639 --> 00:20:31.819 And so, you know, eventually down the road, we were able to move out of that apartment. 00:20:31.959 --> 00:20:33.159 We got quite a bit more space. 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:34.619 And guess what happened? 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:38.399 The house was absolutely spotless from that point forward. 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:43.259 Has anybody been over to our house recently? 00:20:44.420 --> 00:20:46.100 No, the clutter followed us. 00:20:46.780 --> 00:20:46.860 Right? 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:48.560 Now, what was the problem? 00:20:48.680 --> 00:20:50.519 Well, it was a misdiagnosis of the problem. 00:20:51.620 --> 00:20:54.640 See, we had this ideal of a decluttered home. 00:20:55.040 --> 00:20:58.400 And we misdiagnosed that as being related to a space limitation. 00:20:58.519 --> 00:21:01.940 If we have more space, then we have more closets, we have more shelves, we have more places to put things. 00:21:02.220 --> 00:21:03.019 Then their house would be clean. 00:21:03.060 --> 00:21:03.820 We just need more space. 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:06.040 About, you know, 500,000 more square feet ought to do. 00:21:06.120 --> 00:21:06.700 That's all we need. 00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:09.799 You know, it's never like I need 20 more thousand square feet. 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:11.960 It's like I need, you know, about 500 more square feet. 00:21:12.039 --> 00:21:12.840 That would be just right. 00:21:14.180 --> 00:21:17.039 And then what happens is the stuff expands. 00:21:17.600 --> 00:21:18.299 Because why? 00:21:19.640 --> 00:21:21.779 Because we never cultivated a habit of decluttering. 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:26.680 You know, decluttering is a daily habit that you have to invest in if you want a clean house. 00:21:27.019 --> 00:21:28.580 And if you don't declutter, you're going to have clutter. 00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:29.880 It's just the way it works. 00:21:29.880 --> 00:21:37.980 And this is essentially what we experienced in that moment is the truth of what Jesus is saying here. 00:21:38.060 --> 00:21:43.020 He says in verse 10, you know, one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much. 00:21:43.180 --> 00:21:47.220 And one who's dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:51.539 In other words, what is the best predictor of future behavior and outcomes? 00:21:53.660 --> 00:21:56.160 Past behavior and performance. 00:21:57.180 --> 00:21:57.640 Right? 00:21:57.700 --> 00:21:58.759 That's the best predictor. 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:01.160 What are you going to be like in 10 years? 00:22:01.720 --> 00:22:03.720 What are your daily habits right now? 00:22:05.500 --> 00:22:06.819 You become your habits. 00:22:07.360 --> 00:22:09.279 Your habits determine who you become. 00:22:10.279 --> 00:22:10.420 Right? 00:22:10.519 --> 00:22:14.160 So people say things like, I don't have time for friendship now. 00:22:14.359 --> 00:22:17.259 You know, I have a couple of people I stay in touch with, but I don't really have time for that. 00:22:17.619 --> 00:22:24.480 You know, I don't really have time to, you know, come to church every week or get involved or serve or do ministry. 00:22:24.599 --> 00:22:30.839 I don't have time for those kinds of things because, you know, things are really busy right now with the kids and my job and all of that. 00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:31.639 Things are really crazy. 00:22:31.720 --> 00:22:33.599 But at some point, I'm going to have more margin. 00:22:33.740 --> 00:22:37.399 And then I'm going to get all of that margin to investing in relationships and ministry. 00:22:37.779 --> 00:22:38.839 Then I'll give it all to that. 00:22:38.839 --> 00:22:41.959 Or people say, you know, money's really tight right now. 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:43.399 I don't have a whole lot to give. 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:45.099 We're just barely making ends meet. 00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:50.500 But, you know, when we make more money down the road, we're going to be making more money and we plan to give all that away. 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:58.579 The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior and present behavior. 00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:02.059 These are ideals like a clutter-free home. 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:11.359 But Jesus is essentially saying the best way to know how you're going to use more free time is to look at how you use the time that you have now. 00:23:11.919 --> 00:23:18.039 The best way to know how generous you would be with more money is to look at how generous you are now. 00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:21.659 And this is a shift that I think we all have to make. 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:27.099 You know, priorities, faithfulness, is not about high ideals. 00:23:27.319 --> 00:23:31.700 It's not about grand gestures that you envision yourself doing at some point in the future. 00:23:31.899 --> 00:23:33.440 It's about daily habits. 00:23:34.700 --> 00:23:36.559 That's how faithfulness is lived out. 00:23:37.579 --> 00:23:38.500 Daily habits. 00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:42.200 So our priorities need to be converted into habits. 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:44.779 It's all well and good for me to say I prioritize prayer. 00:23:45.120 --> 00:23:46.799 I prioritize spending time with the Lord. 00:23:48.440 --> 00:23:50.960 But that needs to be built into my day. 00:23:51.059 --> 00:23:52.640 It needs to be built into my week. 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:53.680 Otherwise, it's an ideal. 00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:54.620 It's not really a priority. 00:23:56.759 --> 00:24:06.039 So what I'd like for us to do is just take some time over the next few days, weeks, as individuals, as families, as a church, 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:17.920 and to think about what are our priorities really, and then what should our priorities be as people who follow Jesus. 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:22.859 So we need to ask ourselves, do we have the priorities of an owner or a steward? 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:26.000 Do we prioritize the temporal or the eternal? 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:32.240 Are our priorities merely idealistic, or do we convert them into daily habits? 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:42.599 And of course, the best example we have of someone who has their priorities in order is Jesus Christ. 00:24:43.779 --> 00:24:53.259 Do you know that all through Jesus' earthly ministry, He was surrounded by people who were continually trying to get Him to change His priorities? 00:24:54.099 --> 00:24:56.259 Even His closest friends. 00:24:56.259 --> 00:25:04.400 People around Jesus tried to convince Him to lead a military revolt, to overthrow the Roman occupiers. 00:25:04.779 --> 00:25:13.839 People around Jesus tried to convince Him to spend all of His time feeding and healing the people who were in desperate need right around Him where He was. 00:25:13.839 --> 00:25:21.039 They tried to convince Him to become a great rabbi and accumulate thousands upon thousands of disciples. 00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:29.740 They tried to convince Him to avoid danger and prioritize self-preservation by staying well clear of Jerusalem. 00:25:32.899 --> 00:25:34.899 All of these are great priorities. 00:25:35.659 --> 00:25:38.220 Who could argue with any of these priorities? 00:25:38.740 --> 00:25:40.659 They're all very justifiable. 00:25:40.819 --> 00:25:43.159 They would all do lots of good in the world. 00:25:44.720 --> 00:25:47.440 But Jesus was playing the long game. 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:52.240 Jesus knew that His life was not His own. 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:56.440 That He was here to do the will of His Father. 00:25:57.380 --> 00:25:59.900 He was thinking like a steward, not like a master. 00:26:00.440 --> 00:26:02.820 Even though He was a master. 00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:11.680 Jesus was focused not on this life only, the temporal, but He was focused on all of eternity. 00:26:11.880 --> 00:26:12.360 And guess what? 00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:14.759 Not just His eternity, our eternity. 00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:19.500 And finally, these priorities were not just ideals. 00:26:20.359 --> 00:26:27.319 They were woven into His daily life when again and again and again He did the unexpected thing. 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:36.000 He left the people who were around Him who were begging for His attention and His healing. 00:26:36.379 --> 00:26:39.879 He left the people who were trying to put a crown on His head. 00:26:39.980 --> 00:26:40.920 He moved on. 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:43.859 He, instead of avoiding Jerusalem, He made a beeline for Jerusalem. 00:26:43.859 --> 00:26:44.299 Why? 00:26:44.579 --> 00:26:45.579 Because He knew. 00:26:46.679 --> 00:26:48.839 He knew what His priorities were. 00:26:49.799 --> 00:26:51.579 They were woven into His daily life. 00:26:51.659 --> 00:26:53.099 He lived them out faithfully. 00:26:53.659 --> 00:26:57.779 And we see His priorities in John chapter 6, starting in verse 38. 00:26:57.899 --> 00:26:58.539 He says this, 00:26:58.539 --> 00:27:28.519 Jesus knew why He had been sent in the world. 00:27:28.539 --> 00:27:30.899 to give His life for sin. 00:27:30.980 --> 00:27:32.460 To overcome death. 00:27:33.059 --> 00:27:35.759 To raise His people to new life. 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:37.559 To renew and restore the world. 00:27:37.980 --> 00:27:40.599 And to take the throne as the King of the heavens and the earth. 00:27:40.859 --> 00:27:41.859 That's why He came. 00:27:42.099 --> 00:27:43.859 He was playing the long game. 00:27:43.859 --> 00:27:48.119 And it's because Jesus was clear in His priorities. 00:27:48.119 --> 00:27:51.599 And therefore accomplished all of that. 00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:55.059 That we can be secure in our priorities. 00:27:55.579 --> 00:28:01.879 That we can prioritize our lives in ways that look foolish, maybe even irresponsible to people around us. 00:28:01.880 --> 00:28:15.880 But as sons and daughters of light, we have Jesus who shows us that in these priorities, trusting God, our future, our eternal future is secure. 00:28:15.880 --> 00:28:18.220 Let's pray. 00:28:18.220 --> 00:28:21.940 Lord, we thank You for Your Word. 00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:23.440 We thank You for Your Son. 00:28:23.700 --> 00:28:30.880 We thank You for His single-minded commitment to accomplishing salvation on our behalf. 00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:41.440 Lord, I pray that this would give us the kind of peace and security to dramatically rethink how we live. 00:28:42.440 --> 00:28:44.680 Lord, knowing that we can trust. 00:28:45.620 --> 00:28:46.780 We can trust. 00:28:47.880 --> 00:28:53.580 That if we give our priorities to You, You will provide for us. 00:28:54.100 --> 00:28:56.000 You will go before us. 00:28:56.580 --> 00:28:58.560 Lord, that we can rest in You. 00:28:58.559 --> 00:29:00.279 And what You've done on our behalf. 00:29:00.419 --> 00:29:03.359 Lord, we pray this in Your Son's holy name. 00:29:03.619 --> 00:29:03.859 Amen.