Oh, good. Good morning. It's great being with you again this morning as we close off our mission month here at St. Paul's.
We have been looking at raising funds for a variety of ministries, but particularly looking at raising the profile for us as a church to seek to share what God has given to us,
but also to seek to shape us as a church of compassion and mercy as we look into the future.
So I'd like to pray before we launch in to this final message and wrapping up this mission month for us.
Gracious God, we thank you that you are the God of radical generosity.
We thank you that in the Lord Jesus, you have taken us from spiritual poverty and bankruptcy,
and you have overwhelmed us in such a way that we are rich in you beyond all measure,
beyond any comparison, we are overwhelmingly wealthy.
We pray that the good news of the gospel will shape our hearts and our lifestyles.
And so use this time now in your word to speak to us and to reform our hearts, we pray in Jesus name. Amen.
A little over three years ago now, Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest gathered the media and politicians together to announce
that he will give away $400 million of his personal fortune.
It is the largest single donation by a living person in Australian history.
Forrest said, and I quote,
All of us who have done well have been blessed by good fortune.
And so the generous person, the loving person gives back.
Now at the time of making that donation,
Andrew Forrest ranked as the sixth wealthiest Australian with a personal fortune of $6.84 billion.
Today he's apparently worth something in the order of $10 billion.
Forrest then said as part of the announcement,
Now that he was in a better financial position, he was able to be generous.
Now that statement, now that he is financially secure, which is probably an understatement in some ways.
Now that he is financially secure, he is able to give back to Australians and to be generous.
The assumption is that I can't afford to be generous.
I can't afford to help is in fact one of the biggest roadblocks that we have to a life of mercy and justice.
So can I just encourage you now to get your Bibles, open them up and also go to the St. Paul's app.
And you've got a bit of an outline of where we're going to head in today's message.
If you have just tuned into this series, we have been using the Good Samaritan in Luke chapter 10 as our foundational text for mission month.
And the purpose of the parable of the parable of the parable of the parable of the good Samaritan is to answer the question that was posed to Jesus by an expert in the law, Jewish law.
And the question that he posed to Jesus is, who is my neighbor?
And we are told that the man was seeking to justify himself.
He wanted Jesus to reduce the command, to make it manageable so that he could love his neighbor in an attainable kind of way.
Trying to narrow the command so that he could in fact obey the command.
And Jesus' answer is clear.
There is no limits to mercy.
And in fact, Jesus sets a standard for us in the parable of the good Samaritan that is unattainable.
His true goal in the parable of the good Samaritan was to show the law expert and us that he and we are in fact spiritually poor.
We are bankrupt.
And he wants to prepare us to seek the spiritual riches that are the mercy of God.
What is the mercy that Jesus is preparing the law expert for and us for?
Well, here it is.
All of humanity is like that man beaten on the road in the parable of the good Samaritan.
Lying in our own blood, waiting for death.
We are spiritually bankrupt.
We are lost.
Unable to help ourselves.
And yet God has provided spiritual health and wealth and healing and life in the Lord Jesus.
And the way he did that was he impoverished his own son, the Lord Jesus, on a cross so that all of Jesus' riches and his health and his righteousness and his life could be given to those who put their trust in him.
2 Corinthians chapter 5, 21 in the New Testament reveals this merciful transaction so clearly when it says,
God made him, this is talking about Jesus, who had no sin to be sin for us so that we in him might become the righteousness of God.
That we might become wealthy beyond our imagination.
So the foundational core element of the Christian faith is that though we are spiritually bankrupt, we have been made rich beyond our comprehension through the mercy of God.
Now one powerful effect that the gospel of grace, the core element of Christianity has on a person is that it creates a life of radical generosity.
We saw it again in the parable of the good Samaritan.
That the aid that the Samaritan rendered to the injured man was expensive.
Luke chapter 10 verse 35 says,
The next day he took two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, looked after him, he said,
And when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense that you may have.
So this man, this Samaritan, obviously ignored his schedule when he showed mercy.
Wherever it was that he was heading in that moment, he didn't get there on that particular day.
He also risked his own safety to stop on such a dangerous road to bring aid to an enemy.
He also took the man to a hotel where he got cared for him during the course of the night.
And the next day, he paid the owner of the hotel for the room until the guy recovered whenever that was going to be.
His mercy in reality to his enemy is open-handed because he says,
When I return, I'll reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.
Now in the past number of weeks, we have been looking at this issue in the Bible.
And it raises a big question for us.
One that I want to unpack for the rest of our time today.
Is it possible for us to share hope, which is what this whole series is about.
Is it possible to share hope without radically altering our lifestyle?
Now over the years, there have been many proponents of Christians adopting what could be called a simple lifestyle.
Possibly the most famous historical model was John Wesley.
When Wesley died, his estate consisted of a coat and two silver spoons.
When I've mentioned this to people recently, they go, what did he have two spoons for?
I mean, I don't know why he had two spoons.
But it's not much.
A coat and two silver spoons.
And that was despite the fact that the sale of his sermons and his books meant that in the latter stages of his life,
he earned as much as 1400 pounds a year.
Which is equivalent nowadays of $331,000 a year in Australian dollars.
When his income increased 40-fold over the years, his lifestyle never did.
He was able to maintain the cost of his living to 40 pounds a year all of his life.
That's basically $10,000 a year in today's money.
Wesley once wrote,
If I leave behind 10 pounds, you and all of humanity can bear witness against me that I lived and died a thief and a robber.
In a sermon on Matthew chapter 6 verses 19 to 23,
and the exhortation for us not to store up our treasures in heaven,
sorry, not to store up our treasures on earth,
he stated that any Christian who has more than the plain necessities of life lives in open, habitual denial of Christ,
and they gain both riches and hell.
So the idea of a simple lifestyle wasn't just confined to Wesley, though.
This is not just one guy out there on the periphery.
It was very common teaching in the evangelical churches of the 18th and 19th centuries.
John Newton was another one.
The Bible says two things very clearly about our lifestyle.
Is Wesley right?
Is the question.
Well, let's have a look at what the Bible says about two things.
And I'll give you the answers now, and then I'll unpack a bit more.
First of all, it says moderate lifestyle.
And secondly, it says be content with your lifestyle.
Now, there are no lack of passages which urge Christians to live a moderate lifestyle.
Hebrews 13 verse 5, let me just read that to you.
That is, we cannot be happy if we are not free from the love of money and covetedness,
which is defined as a continual drive to increase the standard of our living.
Hebrews 13 is not particularly specific in terms of understanding what that sort of standard of living might be.
But 1 Timothy 6 verses 6 to 10 is much more specific.
Let me read it to you.
Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap,
and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
So up there earlier in that passage, talked about food and clothing.
Some suggest that food and shelter, instead of food and clothing, is in fact a better translation.
Either way, Paul seems to be saying here that we need a lifestyle that is sufficient enough to preserve our health.
A lifestyle where we live below our means.
Let me just clarify, below our means, not a lifestyle within our means, and certainly not above our means.
Listen, what Paul is saying here is, with that you can be satisfied, you can be content.
The word content occurs in both Hebrews 13 and in 1 Timothy 6.
And it's a word that means genuine soul satisfaction.
I'm filled up on the inside by Jesus.
there is no anxiety there's no gnawing regret or resentment towards people who have what i don't
have the difference between the christian and the non-christian is a trust in god for material
provision now that doesn't mean that the christian has no motivation for making money or increasing
their income there are i think at least two motivations in the bible to do that firstly
there is the pursuit of excellence in our work the bible calls us to be skillful to work hard
as a way of glorifying god and loving our neighbor making a contribution to shape the good of society
hard work often increases income although it's a consequence rather than the motive
it's the consequence not the motive proverbs 23 4 says do not wear yourself out to get rich
the second motive to increase income is to be fruitful in good works
paul was referring to thieves who had become christians when he wrote in ephesians chapter 4
anyone who's been stealing must steal no longer but must work doing something useful with their own hands
that they may have something to share with those in need
so wealth is to be accumulated strictly for doing good works of mercy and spreading the gospel of the lord
the lord jesus christ so matthew 6 makes it clear that wealth is not to be stored up for ourselves
and this is my second point what where does wealth fit then wealth and god's calling on our life should we
just therefore give all of our money away is substantial wealth if you see of someone who's
substantially wealthy uh is that a sign that they are wicked that they lack love and they lack mercy
well i don't think the bible supports either of those ideas the bible tells us several things about wealth
firstly 1 timothy 6 verse 9 says that those who want to get rich fall into a trap and yet later in the same chapter
it says command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth
which is so uncertain but to put their hope in god who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment
command them to do good to be rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share
in this way they will lay up they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age
so that they may take hold of the life which is truly life
notice what paul doesn't say there he doesn't say you wealthy stop being wealthy
that's not what he says he does however want them to think biblically about their wealth he wants them to
have a gospel orientation towards their wealth he tells them that god gives the wealth so the rich
person should not become arrogant and that's difficult for us to believe we often consciously or
unconsciously subconsciously subconsciously put our hard our wealth down to our hard work and our abilities
the the biblical perspective is that every ability that we have every effort every opportunity we have
all of our efforts have been provided to us by god himself and they are god's gifts to us
and the means by which wealth is accumulated then in verse 18 paul says he tells the rich to use their
money so as to be rich in good deeds now this is not mere tokenism this directly echoes what jesus says
in luke chapter 12 verse 33 sell your possessions give to the poor provide purses for yourselves that will
not wear out a treasure in heaven that will never fail when no thief comes near and no moth destroys
and then in matthew 13 22 jesus offers a strong warning the seed falling among the thorn refers to someone
who hears the word but the worries of this life the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word making it
unfruitful so i think what jesus and paul are both saying here is that disposable wealth
not put to use in god's work will threaten the very roots of your spiritual life
what we must conclude from both jesus and paul is that while there might be rich christians
there should not be rich living christians
middle and upper income christians are not required to give away all of their money and their assets
but they must invest in good deeds rather than in their own comfort a good steward for the lord knows that wealth
if held and managed properly will produce more good deeds over a longer period of time than if it was just
given away for good deeds all at once wealth is wrong and it is destructive if we build it up
so that we can say the words of luke 19 sorry 12 verse 19 you have plenty of grain laid up for many years
take life easy eat drink and be merry god calls such a person a fool
notice though that the call to be content and to live a moderate lifestyle
is written both to the affluent and those who have little
in 1 timothy 6 verses 6 to 8
it instructs the poor not to resent their lack of riches
but to be satisfied with their modest economic state
and his appeal instructs the rich not to be proud
but to voluntarily be satisfied with a more modest standard of living also
so how do we get the balance in our lifestyle
let's bring some of these principles to bear on our lifestyle
firstly first point we need to give we need to be radically generous to give
until we feel the burden of the needy ourselves on our lifestyle
the 17th century american pastor and theologian jonathan edwards gave a very vivid illustration of this
he says a poor man is walking along with a burden
a burden of discomfort and inconvenience
when a christian comes along and says
i can't afford to help the poor
he says when a person comes along and says
i can't afford to help the poor
they're actually saying
if i help you in this moment with your burden
i will have to carry some of the burden
it will cut into my lifestyle
some of the poor man's burden
would slide over onto me
the helper and i will have to carry it
edward responds
that's the point
that's what the bible is calling us to live out
if our giving to the needy
to poor
to ministry
to compassion
means that we do not feel the burden
it doesn't cut into our lifestyle at all
edward says
and i think the apostle paul says
and jesus says
give more
it's possible to give
400 million dollars away
and it will
don't get me wrong
it will do an enormous amount of good
but if it hasn't put a dent in your lifestyle
in such a way that you feel the burden
of the recipients
then you can't call it radical generosity
you can call it kind
but you can't call it radical generosity
now this is a biblical principle
that has ramifications for all of us
edwards would say
if he was standing here right now
edwards would say
that the family that can give away
10% of their income
without any dent on their lifestyle
he says
you've got to give more
this is a word to those
who suggest
that all they need to do
is give 10%
of their income
no more
of course
bearing in mind
that
research
in the western world
indicates that
only 5%
of Christians
actually give
10%
or more
of their income away
and so frankly
this word
is to
potentially
95% of us
listening to it
right now
American author
and pastor
John Piper
argues this point
very strongly
on the back of
edwards comment
he says
it is a biblical truth
beyond all dispute
all of your money
is God's
Psalm 24
verse 1
and has been loaned
to you
as a steward
to use
in ways
that maximize
the glorification
of God's mercy
in the world
Matthew 25
verses 14
to 30
and it is irrational
to think
this is Piper still
it is irrational
to think
that giving
10%
of that money
to church
settles the issue
of good stewardship
in a world
of such immense need
and in a country
of such immense luxury
and under the commission
of such a powerful Lord
the issue
of stewardship
is not
should I tithe
but rather
how much
of God's
trust fund
dare I
surround
dare I use
to surround
myself
in comforts
that's the issue
so that's the first thing
we need to give
until we feel
the burden
of the needy
second
this is the other
side of the equation
we must
not be
so unwise
in our giving
that we
and our family
become liabilities
to others
this is one of the most
difficult balances
to strike
I think
on the one hand
you hear the likes
of Wesley
John Wesley
John Piper
Jonathan Edwards
they're all John
we hear them
to say things like
you shouldn't save
lots of money
and you should be
radically generous
and on the other hand
1 Timothy 5 verse 8
says anyone
who does not
provide for their
relatives
and especially
for their own
household
has denied the
faith
and is worse
than any
unbeliever
now wisdom
tells us
that we must
not give away
our income
and all of our
possessions
in such a way
that our children
our elderly
parents
or whoever it is
become financial
burdens
for others
to feed
to house
to clothe
in future years
now I think
we have a tendency
to rationalise
too much
investment
into our
family
rather than
in the poor
our children
are well
provided for
if they are
clothed
if they are
schooled
if they are
fed
and they have
a roof over
their head
and they have
access to
medical attention
they are well
provided for
and we teach
our children
a great lesson
when with
them
as a family
we work
together
to surrender
our convenience
and our comfort
for the sake
of the needy
so perhaps
it's best
not to call
us into
simple living
but to call
us into
justice
living
a justice
lifestyle
simple living
is a
helpful term
but it
carries the
idea that
it's an
option for
me
what the
Bible
is calling
us to
is not
an abstract
exercise
in self
denial
but rather
as a means
to an end
in direct
ministry
to the
needy
how then
do we
determine
do we
determine
how much
to give
away
radical
generosity
cuts into
our lifestyle
in such
a way
that we
feel the
burden
of the
needy
so this
is a
calling
here for
every person
and family
every church
in Christ
to live
below
their means
below
their means
in order
to share
hope
with
others
so let
me
point
you
to
four
things
that we
have an
opportunity
to address
right now
today
by the end
of today
number one
since
COVID-19
has hit
us
our own
parish
offertory
has been
down by
$10,000
a month
that's the
first thing
where people
were giving
we're now
pulling back
number two
we have
raised
from when
I wrote
this early
this morning
$10,944
of our
targeted
$20,000
towards
Lowe's
ministry
of planting
the church
in the
Gold Coast
that is
we have
so far
in the
last five
weeks
got
54%
of our
target
we have
raised
$4,376
of our
target
$10,000
for Narrabri
Drought Appeal
that's
43%
of that
target
in the
last five
weeks
and as
you would
also be
aware
we now
have a
St Paul's
Hope Fund
that is
operating
and we
could do
I think
with at
least
$2,000
in it
to be
ready
to meet
needs
ready
to meet
needs
as they
arise
let me
just say
that we
have been
in stronger
positions
than this
in previous
mission
months
it is
possible
that some
of us
right now
are being
cautious
because of
recent
announcements
of our
country
being
in a
recession
I
understand
that
let me
just say
though
if you're
sitting here
and you're
listening to
this
right now
and you're
a member
of St Paul's
if the
income
is still
coming
in
today
is the
day to
serve
the Lord
let him
worry about
tomorrow
let him
worry about
a month
and a year's
time
today
is the
day
to
serve
him
and
trust
him
with
the
future
heed
this
warning
Jesus
and the
apostles
considered
money
hazardous
and
helpful
it's
hazardous
and
therefore
I
encourage
you
to put
limits
on how
much
you
keep
for
yourself
don't
put
limits
on how
much
you
make
but
how
much
you
keep
secondly
it's
helpful
which
means
you
get
and
you
get
this
incredible
joy
of
giving
more
and
more
and
sharing
the
radical
generosity
of the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
to
us
to
others
Amen