WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.280 This is a very exciting time in the life of our church for a couple of reasons. 00:00:07.879 --> 00:00:12.540 Number one, as I said a little while ago, it is the season of Lent, and I personally love Lent. 00:00:12.540 --> 00:00:19.400 It's a great time that comes along every year where we have an opportunity to really focus on our relationship with God, 00:00:19.699 --> 00:00:22.859 our relationships with one another, and to figure out what's getting in the way. 00:00:23.580 --> 00:00:27.740 And it's always such a wonderful preparation for the coming celebration of Easter, 00:00:27.739 --> 00:00:31.299 behind the kind of darkness and the somber tones of Lent. 00:00:31.659 --> 00:00:36.159 You have the coming sunrise of Easter, and it's a wonderful contrast. 00:00:36.579 --> 00:00:37.539 So I love it for that reason. 00:00:37.539 --> 00:00:43.219 It's also a particularly exciting time in the life of our church, really unprecedented in many ways. 00:00:43.619 --> 00:00:50.379 This has been a time where we have together been reflecting who we are as a church and why we're here. 00:00:50.379 --> 00:00:55.320 As we look back over the last 12 years and then as we look ahead to the future, 00:00:55.320 --> 00:01:00.380 remembering our core values and the core reasons why we started this church 00:01:00.380 --> 00:01:04.460 and have felt called to be a part of this church for over a decade now. 00:01:05.079 --> 00:01:09.939 From the beginning, our goal as a church, our hope was never just to build a great church. 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:14.620 It was to see D.C. become a great city, 00:01:15.620 --> 00:01:20.180 to become a great home for all of the people who live here, 00:01:20.260 --> 00:01:23.060 the people who move here, the people who grow up here. 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:29.299 And this vision that we have tried to live out over the last 12 years, 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:33.299 this vision requires a long-term commitment. 00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:38.200 It requires a commitment that goes far beyond our lifespan. 00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:45.379 In order to make that kind of commitment, Church of the Advent needs a home, 00:01:46.340 --> 00:01:52.840 a place where we can serve this city and love this city in God's name for generations to come, 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:54.859 long after all of us are gone. 00:01:55.240 --> 00:01:59.540 And so we are embarking now on the Home Campaign, 00:01:59.859 --> 00:02:06.700 which is an effort to secure a home for Advent where we can serve the city for multiple generations to come. 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:10.560 And we have never done anything like this before as a church. 00:02:11.379 --> 00:02:15.439 I mean, for many of us, this is our first time ever being a part of something like this. 00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:17.939 And so I think for some of us who have been around for a while, 00:02:18.020 --> 00:02:20.199 this can feel a bit odd or a bit strange. 00:02:20.340 --> 00:02:20.859 And it is. 00:02:20.900 --> 00:02:22.500 This is new ground for us. 00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:26.719 I have already been talking to many of you about this. 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:28.159 And some people have been very excited. 00:02:28.439 --> 00:02:30.020 And they've wanted to come and meet with me. 00:02:30.079 --> 00:02:32.340 And so I've been having lots of conversations about this. 00:02:32.740 --> 00:02:37.979 And over 50 people in our church have already made commitments to the Home Campaign. 00:02:37.979 --> 00:02:46.060 And many of those people have actually told me that this is the single biggest financial commitment they've ever made, 00:02:46.699 --> 00:02:48.739 which to me is amazing. 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:57.419 And it's been reminding me again and again and again that this is an extraordinary opportunity for us to grow as a community of people who follow Jesus, 00:02:58.139 --> 00:03:03.959 especially when it comes to the area of financial stewardship and generosity. 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:12.900 If you look at Jesus' teaching in the Gospels, Jesus actually talks more about wealth and stewardship than almost any other topic, 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:14.379 save for the kingdom of God. 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:19.560 He talks about it way more than sex or heaven or hell. 00:03:20.280 --> 00:03:23.620 It's one of the most common themes in all of his teaching. 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:27.659 And yet as a church, we hardly ever talk about it. 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:29.379 For those of you who have been here for a while, you know, 00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:39.819 I could probably count on one hand the number of times over the last 12 years that I have directly preached on stewardship and generosity. 00:03:39.979 --> 00:03:45.000 It's so easy to come up with so many other things that we would probably rather focus on. 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:51.439 But because this is such an important time in the life of our church and because it's the season of Lent 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:57.000 and a time where we are called to reflect on the state of our hearts and our relationship with the Lord, 00:03:57.340 --> 00:04:05.719 we're going to spend the next five weeks looking at what Jesus has to say about stewardship and generosity. 00:04:05.719 --> 00:04:08.340 We're going to do this on Sundays here together. 00:04:08.500 --> 00:04:14.879 And then we're also going to be doing this as a special material that we're going to be working through together in all of our core groups. 00:04:15.180 --> 00:04:17.620 So if you're part of a core group or would like to be part of a core group, 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:21.259 for these next five weeks, this is what we're going to be focusing in our core groups as well. 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:26.819 And there's going to be a connection between what we do here on Sundays and what we're looking at in core groups throughout the week. 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:31.819 Now, if you're not a Christian and you're hearing this and you're thinking, well, none of this applies to me, 00:04:31.819 --> 00:04:35.560 I would say that I think in some ways this applies to everybody in this room. 00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:39.240 Because if you look at the core of Jesus' teaching about this stuff, 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:44.379 it's really about what it takes to live a life that is free from fear and anxiety, 00:04:45.879 --> 00:04:48.620 free from things that might grab hold of our hearts, 00:04:48.620 --> 00:04:58.480 free from the kind of sort of nagging fears that take hold of our spine and control us. 00:04:59.079 --> 00:05:01.139 Jesus is talking about how to be free from that stuff. 00:05:01.180 --> 00:05:03.180 And I don't know a single person who doesn't want that. 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:05.280 So I think it's relevant for everybody. 00:05:06.139 --> 00:05:08.959 This week we're going to be looking specifically at Luke chapter 12. 00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:17.500 We're going to be looking at this encounter that Jesus has with a man who has a dysfunctional relationship with his possessions, 00:05:17.979 --> 00:05:18.879 with his wealth. 00:05:19.699 --> 00:05:23.759 And we're going to see how Jesus responds both to this man, to the crowds, 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:27.459 and then his teaching to his disciples about these things. 00:05:27.879 --> 00:05:31.359 And I know you may be hearing this and thinking, well, if this is about a man and his wealth, 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:34.759 this definitely doesn't apply to me because I definitely don't have any wealth. 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:43.759 But I would say that it's important to remember that Jesus is teaching people who by any standard were profoundly poor. 00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:49.699 He's teaching about a rich man, but he's teaching people who are very poor. 00:05:49.899 --> 00:05:54.879 In other words, most of his audience, most of his original audience are probably people who live hand to mouth. 00:05:55.800 --> 00:06:00.120 And at most, maybe they own one additional outfit besides the one that they're wearing. 00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:07.800 So, if this applies to them, how much more might it apply to us, 00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:11.420 who compared to that standard would all be wealthy in this room. 00:06:11.780 --> 00:06:13.939 So, what we're going to see as we look at this passage are three things. 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:15.780 We're going to see the signs of dysfunction, 00:06:16.360 --> 00:06:18.939 signs that you might have a dysfunctional relationship with your wealth, 00:06:19.280 --> 00:06:22.360 the source of that dysfunction, and then the cure for the dysfunction. 00:06:22.699 --> 00:06:23.100 Let's pray. 00:06:23.100 --> 00:06:29.020 Lord, we thank you for your word, and we thank you that every week we get to come here 00:06:29.020 --> 00:06:34.879 and not just rely on human wisdom or teaching or the latest principles for living, 00:06:35.020 --> 00:06:41.240 but rather we get to open this word with expectation that through it and the power of your Holy Spirit, 00:06:41.340 --> 00:06:43.920 we would come face to face with you, Jesus Christ. 00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:49.600 It is in your presence and your grace and your love that our hearts change. 00:06:49.660 --> 00:06:51.180 And that's what we need this morning, Lord. 00:06:51.180 --> 00:06:52.660 We need to see you. 00:06:53.100 --> 00:06:56.759 We pray that you would do this, Lord, for our good and for your glory. 00:06:56.920 --> 00:06:57.780 In your son's name. 00:06:58.079 --> 00:06:58.340 Amen. 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:01.259 So, as we look at this passage together, 00:07:01.420 --> 00:07:05.600 signs that we might have a dysfunctional relationship with our possessions. 00:07:05.780 --> 00:07:10.220 The first thing we see is that if you have this kind of dysfunctional relationship, 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:14.560 money tends to get in the way of your relationships with other people. 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:19.300 It tends to cause conflict in your relationships with other people. 00:07:19.300 --> 00:07:23.600 Jesus is in the middle of teaching, and ironically, he's teaching about freedom from fear and anxiety. 00:07:24.259 --> 00:07:26.139 And this man comes and interrupts him and says, 00:07:26.220 --> 00:07:29.879 Teacher, teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 00:07:30.520 --> 00:07:33.100 The man's obviously not paying attention to anything Jesus has to say. 00:07:33.420 --> 00:07:36.300 And he says, can you settle this family dispute that we're having? 00:07:37.720 --> 00:07:41.639 And it's clear right off the bat that this man's father has recently died, 00:07:41.759 --> 00:07:44.000 and instead of grieving the death of his father, 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:48.279 he's fighting with his siblings because he doesn't think he got enough. 00:07:48.379 --> 00:07:51.139 This is maybe a younger brother in this day and age. 00:07:51.339 --> 00:07:53.500 The older brother would have gotten the bulk of the inheritance. 00:07:53.939 --> 00:07:56.180 And this guy thinks he deserves a little more. 00:07:57.939 --> 00:08:00.300 I have seen this, and you probably have too. 00:08:00.420 --> 00:08:06.639 I know personally several families that have been completely torn apart by this exact situation. 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:10.300 The mother or the father dies, there's an inheritance, 00:08:10.779 --> 00:08:13.180 and the siblings squabble over it, 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:16.579 and in some cases get to a point where nobody's speaking to each other. 00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:18.000 Right? 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:24.339 If you're married, you probably know that money is the number one topic that couples fight about. 00:08:25.319 --> 00:08:27.279 It's the number one source of tension in marriage. 00:08:28.180 --> 00:08:30.639 Certainly, Laura and I, especially in the early years of our marriage, 00:08:30.740 --> 00:08:32.279 really had to work through this stuff. 00:08:32.340 --> 00:08:32.980 It was hard. 00:08:32.980 --> 00:08:37.539 Because we were coming from very different places in terms of what money means to us 00:08:37.539 --> 00:08:39.860 and the kind of anxiety it can cause. 00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:40.480 Right? 00:08:41.500 --> 00:08:46.539 I've seen money come between roommates when the bills don't get paid 00:08:46.539 --> 00:08:49.800 or when some people feel like they're spending more on groceries than other people. 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:51.019 Right? 00:08:51.060 --> 00:08:53.139 I've seen money come between friends. 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:57.220 As you get older, further out of college, some people start making more money. 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:00.639 You were kind of all the same in college or grad school, 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:04.340 and then when some people start making money, their lifestyle follows that. 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:07.360 And so you have some friends that want to go out all the time and go party 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:10.259 and go to nice restaurants and order lots of expensive things, 00:09:10.379 --> 00:09:11.879 and you have other people who just can't keep up. 00:09:11.939 --> 00:09:15.360 I've known some people who have gone into debt just trying to keep up with their friends. 00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:17.039 Right? 00:09:17.100 --> 00:09:18.740 Going out on Thursday, Friday, Saturday night. 00:09:20.980 --> 00:09:25.279 Dysfunctional relationships with wealth also lead to all kinds of injustice. 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:27.740 Class discrimination. 00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:28.439 Right? 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:29.059 Inequity. 00:09:29.500 --> 00:09:32.399 The things that tear the social fabric apart in D.C. 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:38.000 Dysfunctional relationship with wealth also leads to overconsumption 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:41.740 and the production of enormous amounts of waste, 00:09:41.980 --> 00:09:44.279 which not only hurts the environment, 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:48.519 but it actually disproportionately impacts the poorest of the poor in the world. 00:09:48.759 --> 00:09:48.879 Right? 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:55.120 So in all of these ways, a dysfunctional relationship with wealth hurts our relationships with other people. 00:09:55.759 --> 00:09:58.799 That's the first sign that the relationship may be off. 00:09:58.919 --> 00:10:04.500 The second sign is, I already alluded to it, excessive anxiety over your financial security. 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:06.320 In verse 22, Jesus says, 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:13.700 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 00:10:13.700 --> 00:10:19.860 This isn't just talking about a kind of passing anxiety, it's talking about a pervasive anxiety. 00:10:20.040 --> 00:10:22.220 You think about this a lot, you dwell on it. 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:23.560 Right? 00:10:23.640 --> 00:10:29.420 So let me ask you, how much do you spend time and energy worrying about your finances? 00:10:30.680 --> 00:10:37.040 How much do you spend time and energy worrying about or pursuing financial security? 00:10:37.680 --> 00:10:42.020 If you look at the decisions that you make, the things that you say yes to, the things that you say no to, 00:10:42.019 --> 00:10:47.360 how much of that is driven by your desire to have more financial security? 00:10:48.899 --> 00:10:53.460 And if you're hearing this and you're thinking, well, I don't know that I have that much anxiety over this, 00:10:53.519 --> 00:10:54.559 let me ask you in a different way. 00:10:55.720 --> 00:11:01.939 Are your financial priorities aimed at minimizing anxiety, and that's why you don't feel it, 00:11:02.799 --> 00:11:05.500 or at reflecting God's priorities? 00:11:05.500 --> 00:11:15.679 To put it another way, would you be willing to dip into your savings account or your retirement account to help somebody in need? 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:17.159 Right? 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:19.620 These are the kinds of questions that we should be asking ourselves. 00:11:19.720 --> 00:11:22.919 Is anxiety over these things a pervasive issue in our lives? 00:11:23.639 --> 00:11:31.820 And then the third sign that our relationship with wealth might be dysfunctional is that we tend to operate out of a scarcity mentality. 00:11:31.820 --> 00:11:33.360 Verse 29, 00:11:33.480 --> 00:11:37.440 And do not seek what you are to eat, what you are to drink, nor be worried. 00:11:37.980 --> 00:11:41.040 For all the nations of the world seek after these things. 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:50.500 Seek after, of course, here, seek after means a kind of tunnel vision, all-consuming pursuit. 00:11:51.220 --> 00:11:52.620 A single-minded pursuit. 00:11:53.520 --> 00:11:57.300 If you have a scarcity mentality, you tend to have tunnel vision. 00:11:57.299 --> 00:12:05.639 In other words, you are so focused on what you don't have that you can tend to be blind to the things that you do have. 00:12:05.959 --> 00:12:09.899 You're focused on what's not there rather than what is there. 00:12:10.279 --> 00:12:15.559 And people with a scarcity mentality tend to operate as though life is a zero-sum game. 00:12:15.959 --> 00:12:22.899 There's a very limited amount of precious resources, and you have to grab what you can while you can before it's all gone. 00:12:22.899 --> 00:12:29.379 And so if you live with this kind of mentality, it leads to a number of other things, right? 00:12:29.439 --> 00:12:34.399 People with a scarcity mentality tend to regularly compare themselves to other people. 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:38.819 You tend to be threatened when people close to you are successful. 00:12:39.179 --> 00:12:40.819 Because it's a zero-sum game. 00:12:40.959 --> 00:12:43.679 Their success diminishes you, right? 00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:46.720 People with this kind of mentality tend to hoard their possessions. 00:12:47.019 --> 00:12:49.279 They tend to be stingy with their money. 00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:56.079 They tend to also struggle with a kind of perpetual discontentment because they're focused on what they don't have. 00:12:57.360 --> 00:12:59.759 And Jesus says this is the way of the nations. 00:12:59.860 --> 00:13:02.179 In other words, he says most people live this way. 00:13:02.740 --> 00:13:04.659 And in my experience, I think that's definitely true. 00:13:04.779 --> 00:13:07.839 This is psychologically, for me, the path of least resistance. 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:10.600 It's easiest to focus on what you're lacking. 00:13:11.319 --> 00:13:13.519 But it shapes the way you see everything else. 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:22.419 So as we look at this passage, if money has ever gotten in the way of your ability to love or have healthy relationships with other people, 00:13:23.199 --> 00:13:25.480 if it's ever caused tension in your friendships or in your marriage, 00:13:26.299 --> 00:13:31.019 if financial security and the desire for that causes anxiety for you, 00:13:32.100 --> 00:13:35.779 if you tend to operate in some ways out of a scarcity mentality, 00:13:36.259 --> 00:13:40.759 then chances are you have a dysfunctional relationship with your possessions. 00:13:40.759 --> 00:13:46.799 And so the question then becomes, what is the source of this dysfunction? 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:48.279 What is it rooted in? 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:53.080 Jesus responds to the man in the crowd by saying, 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:56.159 man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you? 00:13:56.419 --> 00:14:00.080 And I love this because at first glance, it looks like Jesus is just putting him off. 00:14:00.779 --> 00:14:01.019 Right? 00:14:01.059 --> 00:14:02.939 I don't care about your trivial little issues. 00:14:03.620 --> 00:14:08.340 But in reality, what Jesus is doing is actually he's cutting right to the heart of this man's issue. 00:14:08.340 --> 00:14:13.139 He says, you think that you need me to come and resolve a family dispute, 00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:15.200 but you need way more than that. 00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:18.440 You need me to resolve a heart issue in you. 00:14:19.040 --> 00:14:20.220 And he says in verse 15, 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:25.780 take care and be on your guard against all forms of covetousness. 00:14:25.899 --> 00:14:29.460 All covetousness, which means all kinds or all forms. 00:14:30.259 --> 00:14:33.840 For one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:37.700 So right there, Jesus names the source of the dysfunction. 00:14:38.019 --> 00:14:41.320 And the word that the Bible uses is the word covetousness. 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:45.560 Earlier when we read the Ten Commandments, you notice that last commandment is, 00:14:45.899 --> 00:14:47.019 you shall not covet. 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:49.080 That's what Jesus is talking about here. 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:55.340 And covetousness is, simply put, an inordinate desire for material things. 00:14:56.300 --> 00:14:58.720 An inordinate desire for material things. 00:14:58.800 --> 00:14:59.780 It's disproportionate. 00:14:59.960 --> 00:15:00.720 It's out of whack. 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:03.460 It's out of bounds, right? 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:06.100 And it takes different forms. 00:15:06.220 --> 00:15:09.840 This is why Jesus says, be on guard against all covetousness, all kinds. 00:15:10.580 --> 00:15:13.660 So sometimes covetousness shows up as greed. 00:15:14.660 --> 00:15:17.560 Sometimes the struggle is we just want more money, 00:15:17.660 --> 00:15:19.220 or we want a nicer house, 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:21.519 or we want, you know, a better paying job, 00:15:21.580 --> 00:15:22.899 or we want nicer things. 00:15:23.160 --> 00:15:25.060 Sometimes it just takes the form of greed. 00:15:25.500 --> 00:15:27.480 Sometimes it takes the form of envy. 00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:32.820 You know, you look at your friends who move from their starter house into their really nice house, 00:15:32.899 --> 00:15:37.779 and you think, man, what I wouldn't give for another bedroom, you know? 00:15:38.259 --> 00:15:40.060 Bigger kitchen, right? 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:43.420 You look at your friend's job, and they're like, man, we have the same skill set. 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:46.019 We came out of the same grad school, and they're making twice as much as me. 00:15:46.100 --> 00:15:47.659 I want a job like that, right? 00:15:47.659 --> 00:15:52.219 So that's a form of covetousness, right? 00:15:52.339 --> 00:15:54.339 Sometimes it takes the form of fear. 00:15:54.419 --> 00:15:57.559 We don't often associate being covetous with being fearful, 00:15:57.679 --> 00:15:59.539 but it often manifests, I think, as fear. 00:16:00.100 --> 00:16:01.699 Fear of not having enough. 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:05.039 Fear of what you have running out. 00:16:05.899 --> 00:16:07.419 All of this can be covetousness. 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:10.980 But the lie under all of this is the same. 00:16:11.860 --> 00:16:14.620 The lie under all forms of covetousness is this. 00:16:14.620 --> 00:16:20.100 If I just had a little more, then I would arrive. 00:16:21.740 --> 00:16:23.480 You know you have thought that. 00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:24.840 I have certainly thought that. 00:16:26.259 --> 00:16:30.340 If I just had a little more of this or that, whatever resource you're focused on, 00:16:31.100 --> 00:16:32.480 then I would arrive. 00:16:32.679 --> 00:16:33.620 Then I would be satisfied. 00:16:33.799 --> 00:16:34.539 Then I would be secure. 00:16:34.679 --> 00:16:36.480 I wouldn't feel anxious anymore. 00:16:36.860 --> 00:16:38.580 I wouldn't worry about this stuff anymore. 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:41.639 We wouldn't have to fight about this anymore. 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:44.600 Your satisfaction isn't far away. 00:16:44.659 --> 00:16:46.340 The lie is it's just around the corner. 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:48.740 You're not there yet, but it's just over the horizon. 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:51.240 It's like a carrot on a stick. 00:16:51.799 --> 00:16:54.340 And we just chase it and chase it and chase it and chase it. 00:16:55.539 --> 00:17:00.439 So this is the source of the dysfunction, right? 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:04.539 So then the question becomes, if that's the source and that's hurting our relationships, 00:17:04.700 --> 00:17:07.420 leading to anxiety and all of this stuff, what do we do about it? 00:17:07.420 --> 00:17:10.940 And someone might say, well, just get rid of your stuff. 00:17:12.360 --> 00:17:13.519 But that's not the answer. 00:17:14.460 --> 00:17:17.279 Because the truth is we do need some stuff, you know? 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:23.860 I had a roommate one time, a friend, strong believer, who said, I'm going to get rid of all my stuff 00:17:23.860 --> 00:17:25.220 and live without all my stuff, right? 00:17:25.539 --> 00:17:26.660 I'm getting rid of everything. 00:17:26.759 --> 00:17:27.580 I don't need it, right? 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:29.039 Because that's what Jesus calls us to do. 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:30.120 And then guess what he did? 00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:33.560 He used all my stuff, right? 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:36.339 I mean, I would go to the grocery store and buy enough groceries for the week, 00:17:36.419 --> 00:17:38.019 and I would come home a day later, and it would all be gone. 00:17:38.099 --> 00:17:41.879 Like the peanut butter jar would be scraped clean, right? 00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:45.059 He would wear my clothes, right? 00:17:46.059 --> 00:17:49.119 And I mean, I'm happy to share my stuff, but I'm like, dude, 00:17:49.220 --> 00:17:52.720 you don't get to feel spiritually superior to me and eat all my food. 00:17:52.919 --> 00:17:54.440 Like you don't get both, okay? 00:17:55.539 --> 00:17:57.980 So the truth is we do need some stuff. 00:17:58.740 --> 00:18:00.019 I mean, you need a place to live. 00:18:00.099 --> 00:18:02.139 You need a way of getting around. 00:18:02.139 --> 00:18:03.500 You need clothes to wear. 00:18:04.220 --> 00:18:06.579 Many of us, for our jobs, we need nice clothes to wear. 00:18:07.419 --> 00:18:10.500 You need a computer and you need a phone. 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:12.720 Some of you couldn't do your job without these things. 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:16.659 So then the question becomes, what's the solution? 00:18:17.859 --> 00:18:23.679 And, of course, the answer is we have to change the relationship that we have with these things, 00:18:23.919 --> 00:18:27.940 the meaning that they take on in our lives and in our hearts. 00:18:27.940 --> 00:18:36.380 And that, as we look at this passage, that transformation of our relationship with our things requires three things. 00:18:36.380 --> 00:18:43.360 Number one, as we see here, it means that we have to recognize the truth about our wealth. 00:18:44.560 --> 00:18:46.140 We have to recognize the truth about it. 00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:46.980 It's a hard truth. 00:18:46.980 --> 00:18:49.640 The man who interrupts Jesus. 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:55.340 Jesus, he believes that if he can just get a little more of his father's inheritance, then he's going to arrive. 00:18:55.700 --> 00:18:57.040 Then he will be satisfied. 00:18:57.039 --> 00:19:02.559 Jesus responds to this man by telling a parable. 00:19:03.619 --> 00:19:05.680 And if you notice, what's this parable about? 00:19:06.539 --> 00:19:09.220 It's about a rich man who has finally arrived. 00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:10.900 Right? 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:12.920 He finally got what we all want. 00:19:13.019 --> 00:19:13.120 Right? 00:19:13.180 --> 00:19:14.799 This rich man, he's already rich. 00:19:15.700 --> 00:19:20.299 But he has this great year and he ends up with more than he even knows what to do with. 00:19:20.420 --> 00:19:22.940 His problem is he doesn't know where to put all of his money. 00:19:24.060 --> 00:19:26.640 So he decides to build bigger barns. 00:19:26.660 --> 00:19:28.880 He tears the old ones down, builds bigger ones. 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:35.039 So this is a story about a man who, imagine Jesus says, hey, there was a guy who was already insanely wealthy. 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:41.299 But he had a huge year and so he added to his already bulging retirement account. 00:19:42.620 --> 00:19:47.640 And because of this, because he's finally arrived, this man, he says this in verse 17. 00:19:47.900 --> 00:19:52.480 He thought to himself, what shall I do for I have nowhere to store my crops? 00:19:52.539 --> 00:19:53.779 Listen to the language here. 00:19:54.140 --> 00:19:55.660 And then he said, I will do this. 00:19:55.900 --> 00:19:58.700 I will tear down my barns and build larger ones. 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:03.039 And there I will store all my grain and my goods. 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:07.879 And I will say to my soul, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. 00:20:08.220 --> 00:20:10.460 Relax, eat, drink, be merry. 00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:10.680 Right? 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:11.740 It's all mine. 00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:12.680 It's my money. 00:20:12.819 --> 00:20:13.460 It's my stuff. 00:20:13.639 --> 00:20:14.519 It's my time. 00:20:14.899 --> 00:20:20.000 And I read this and I think, how often is that my default way of thinking about the things in my life? 00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:21.139 It's all mine. 00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:23.299 And this is the seed of covetousness. 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:23.879 Right? 00:20:23.960 --> 00:20:29.559 The seed of covetousness, the thing that gives rise to the lie is, all of this is mine and it belongs to me. 00:20:29.559 --> 00:20:31.139 It's rightfully my possession. 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:37.519 And this parable shatters that illusion like a hammer striking glass. 00:20:39.940 --> 00:20:46.159 God says, fool, this night your soul will be required of you. 00:20:46.740 --> 00:20:48.819 And all of this stuff, whose will it be then? 00:20:50.019 --> 00:20:51.559 This man's going to die in his sleep. 00:20:51.559 --> 00:21:00.139 You don't have to believe in God to believe in what we all know to be true. 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:05.339 That one day all of us are going to die a premature death. 00:21:08.359 --> 00:21:11.779 And God says, tonight, tonight is your night. 00:21:11.779 --> 00:21:16.619 The truth is, we never arrive. 00:21:17.639 --> 00:21:19.839 We never get over the horizon. 00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:23.019 Because our wealth is not ours. 00:21:24.220 --> 00:21:26.619 You know, we don't own anything in this world. 00:21:27.220 --> 00:21:30.039 The hard truth is, we don't even own our own souls. 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:33.759 We have no control over when that day is going to come. 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:37.539 And that's a very hard truth to swallow. 00:21:38.539 --> 00:21:42.680 But it's the kind of truth that will begin to set you free if you let it sink down into your heart. 00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:47.980 Because how can I, or why should I covet something that can never be mine? 00:21:48.980 --> 00:21:51.140 That never belonged to me to begin with. 00:21:51.940 --> 00:21:54.160 Because everything in truth belongs to God. 00:21:54.900 --> 00:21:55.779 So that's the first thing. 00:21:55.799 --> 00:21:57.779 We have to recognize the hard truth about our wealth. 00:21:57.819 --> 00:21:58.519 It's not ours. 00:21:58.519 --> 00:22:04.119 The second thing that will begin to transform the relationship that we have with our stuff. 00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:09.019 Is to begin to rest in God's abundant generosity. 00:22:09.799 --> 00:22:11.619 Jesus says, consider the ravens. 00:22:11.740 --> 00:22:13.619 And you can imagine, they're standing there in a field. 00:22:13.900 --> 00:22:15.599 And he looks around, he points out to the ravens. 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:16.859 And he says, consider the ravens. 00:22:17.559 --> 00:22:20.079 They don't plant at all, and yet God provides for them. 00:22:20.900 --> 00:22:23.220 And then he points to the, you know, this area. 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:25.339 There's gorgeous wildflowers. 00:22:25.339 --> 00:22:27.720 All different varieties of wildflowers. 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:31.440 Wildflowers that grow uncultivated on the hillsides. 00:22:32.360 --> 00:22:34.000 So he points to some of those wildflowers. 00:22:34.079 --> 00:22:35.860 And you can imagine him saying, consider the lilies. 00:22:36.660 --> 00:22:37.940 They neither toil nor spin. 00:22:38.039 --> 00:22:42.819 And yet I tell you, even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 00:22:43.160 --> 00:22:45.460 Now the reference to Solomon is not an accident. 00:22:46.779 --> 00:22:53.680 Solomon spent seven years building the temple of the Lord, which was the dwelling place of God. 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:54.539 Seven years. 00:22:54.539 --> 00:22:57.879 How long did Solomon spend building his own house? 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:01.299 Thirteen years. 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:14.180 How much more time and energy and money do we pour into building up our own situation, our own financial security, our own portfolio, right? 00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:18.019 Our own retirement account than we do on the things of the Lord. 00:23:18.139 --> 00:23:20.159 That's the question that that's meant to provoke. 00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:29.519 And yet Jesus is saying, look, a common wildflower is more beautiful than anything Solomon ever built. 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:36.180 A scarcity mentality tends to focus on what we don't have. 00:23:36.799 --> 00:23:39.579 Jesus invites us into the opposite mindset. 00:23:39.859 --> 00:23:42.779 What you might think of as an abundance mindset. 00:23:43.059 --> 00:23:49.019 Jesus invites us to focus instead on God's abundant generosity all around us. 00:23:49.079 --> 00:23:50.339 He says, look all around you. 00:23:50.420 --> 00:23:52.420 Your life is filled with blessing. 00:23:52.420 --> 00:23:54.700 It is filled with things that God has given you. 00:23:54.779 --> 00:23:57.680 It is filled with beauty that you didn't create. 00:23:57.779 --> 00:24:03.840 It is filled with amazing things that are here simply for your enjoyment. 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:06.539 Just a stroll through a field. 00:24:07.779 --> 00:24:10.300 Just an afternoon hike will remind you of that. 00:24:12.060 --> 00:24:13.880 It's filled with God's generosity. 00:24:15.620 --> 00:24:16.700 Focus on that. 00:24:16.700 --> 00:24:26.360 And he says, also recognize that as beautiful as all of this is, in God's heart it's worth nothing to him compared to you. 00:24:27.279 --> 00:24:33.299 That when God looks at you, he sees the most valuable, most precious treasure that he's ever created. 00:24:34.740 --> 00:24:40.360 And that will begin to make this illusion of covetousness evaporate. 00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:43.940 Like mist being burned away by the morning sun. 00:24:43.940 --> 00:24:48.059 And you say, well how do I know that I'm worth so much to God? 00:24:48.220 --> 00:24:49.600 I'm not sure I am. 00:24:49.700 --> 00:24:52.299 Sometimes I feel like God just sort of puts up with me. 00:24:52.360 --> 00:24:54.680 But most of the time he's disappointed in me. 00:24:55.279 --> 00:24:58.019 And that's why it's so important to see what Jesus says next. 00:24:58.200 --> 00:25:02.920 Beyond all the blessings around us, Jesus says the most important thing of all. 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:04.860 Luke chapter 12 verse 32. 00:25:05.160 --> 00:25:11.880 He says, fear not little flock for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 00:25:11.880 --> 00:25:19.160 He's saying that God's greatest delight is to give you something that can never be taken away from you. 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:21.220 To give you his kingdom. 00:25:21.380 --> 00:25:24.140 To give you a place in his eternal kingdom. 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:25.040 And God doesn't do it. 00:25:25.080 --> 00:25:27.900 He doesn't roll his eyes and say, well I guess I'll let you in. 00:25:29.260 --> 00:25:29.520 Right? 00:25:29.720 --> 00:25:31.340 You meet the minimum standard. 00:25:33.040 --> 00:25:35.200 God delights to give it to you. 00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:37.500 Because you're worth that much to him. 00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:41.539 And we see Jesus Christ, the one who's teaching this. 00:25:41.640 --> 00:25:43.819 Not long after he says these words. 00:25:44.839 --> 00:25:48.660 Jesus Christ to whom all things in the universe belong. 00:25:50.259 --> 00:25:55.420 Willingly gives it up and dies on the cross so that God can give us a place in his kingdom. 00:25:55.680 --> 00:26:00.299 Which is the greatest act of generosity ever committed in history. 00:26:00.299 --> 00:26:08.079 And when you know in your heart that God has freely and joyfully given you everything you need for eternity. 00:26:08.960 --> 00:26:14.180 If you know that God loves me, he values me, and he's given me everything I need for eternity. 00:26:16.440 --> 00:26:18.740 That begins to transform your heart. 00:26:18.839 --> 00:26:22.240 And it gives you a kind of security that can never be taken away from you. 00:26:22.980 --> 00:26:24.980 And if you have that kind of eternal security. 00:26:25.099 --> 00:26:27.019 You know that everything that matters is yours. 00:26:27.019 --> 00:26:30.839 That enables you to do the third thing. 00:26:30.980 --> 00:26:31.019 Right? 00:26:31.059 --> 00:26:33.720 So we have to recognize the truth about our wealth. 00:26:33.859 --> 00:26:36.079 We have to rest in God's abundant generosity. 00:26:36.279 --> 00:26:36.920 And then number three. 00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:41.059 We then begin out of God's generosity in our life. 00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:44.059 We begin to cultivate a lifestyle of generosity. 00:26:44.700 --> 00:26:46.559 It flows out of God's generosity. 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:47.339 Verse 33. 00:26:47.940 --> 00:26:48.779 Sell your possessions. 00:26:49.039 --> 00:26:49.740 Give to the needy. 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:52.460 Provide yourself with money bags that don't grow old. 00:26:52.460 --> 00:26:56.180 With a treasure in the heavens that does not fail. 00:26:56.180 --> 00:27:00.340 He says, then you will begin to invest in things that are eternal. 00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:05.539 Rather than things that will end up in a trash dump. 00:27:08.360 --> 00:27:13.180 Generosity and a lifestyle of generosity cures covetousness. 00:27:13.940 --> 00:27:18.000 Because if you think about it, generosity and covetousness cannot coexist in your heart. 00:27:19.220 --> 00:27:24.560 Because every time you give something away, it reminds you that it was never yours to begin with. 00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:31.599 And the only way for your heart to learn that is for you to do that again and again and again. 00:27:31.700 --> 00:27:35.019 To re-habituate and re-condition your heart. 00:27:36.779 --> 00:27:39.379 To feel differently about the things in your life. 00:27:39.460 --> 00:27:40.039 It's not mine. 00:27:40.159 --> 00:27:41.000 It's God's. 00:27:41.700 --> 00:27:42.619 It was never mine. 00:27:42.619 --> 00:27:43.619 It's not mine. 00:27:43.619 --> 00:27:44.619 It's not mine. 00:27:44.619 --> 00:27:46.699 So let's bring all of this together. 00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:50.599 For all of us who have a dysfunctional relationship with our possessions. 00:27:51.119 --> 00:27:51.979 Me included. 00:27:52.939 --> 00:27:55.619 This is very challenging for me to prepare for this. 00:27:56.839 --> 00:28:01.139 The hope is that Jesus is actually able to transform the relationship that we have with our things. 00:28:02.099 --> 00:28:03.799 He can actually set us free. 00:28:03.799 --> 00:28:10.339 It requires that we recognize the hard truth that it doesn't belong to us to begin with. 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:14.500 It requires that we begin to rest in God's abundant generosity. 00:28:14.700 --> 00:28:19.279 Just take time to focus on the incredible blessings in your life. 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:23.919 The greatest generosity of all, of course, being the cross. 00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:29.800 And then finally to begin to find ways to cultivate generosity in our daily lives. 00:28:30.080 --> 00:28:34.380 And, of course, all of this requires tremendous trust in God and his goodness. 00:28:35.539 --> 00:28:41.740 And, you know, as we think about this home campaign, which is totally new ground for our church, new territory for us, 00:28:42.320 --> 00:28:46.400 this is going to be, when all is said and done, an extraordinary act of trust. 00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:50.740 Because all that is good and true and beautiful about our community has come from him. 00:28:50.740 --> 00:28:59.339 And moving forward, it means trusting that the God who has given us all of these gifts will continue to bless us and provide for us down the road. 00:28:59.400 --> 00:29:01.400 It's only going to happen if God does it. 00:29:02.740 --> 00:29:09.819 So it's this new season of learning to trust God to continue to be the good, loving God that he has always been for us. 00:29:10.680 --> 00:29:18.460 And, you know, this whole idea of trust reminds me of the time when our boys, who are now seven and nine, 00:29:18.460 --> 00:29:21.539 they're great swimmers, but not too long ago they were learning how to swim. 00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:26.799 And they mostly learned how to swim in this lake that we sometimes go over the summers. 00:29:27.559 --> 00:29:33.519 And I remember the first time that our oldest son, who's nine now, I remember the first time that he got out on the dock. 00:29:33.579 --> 00:29:34.200 His name is Riley. 00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:38.400 And I remember the first time I got in the lake and I swam around to the front of the dock. 00:29:38.460 --> 00:29:40.720 And he comes out on the dock in his little bathing suit. 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:43.940 And he's kind of clinging there to the pole. 00:29:44.120 --> 00:29:48.799 And I say, okay, Riley, now what I want you to do is I want you to let go and I want you to jump in, okay? 00:29:49.120 --> 00:29:50.400 And he just stands there. 00:29:51.500 --> 00:29:51.720 Right? 00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:53.100 Just kind of stands there kind of shivering. 00:29:53.400 --> 00:29:53.559 Right? 00:29:54.059 --> 00:29:56.900 And I say, okay, now, Riley, do you trust me? 00:29:57.400 --> 00:29:58.960 And he goes, yeah, Dad, I trust you. 00:29:59.460 --> 00:30:02.660 And I say, okay, now you want to let go and jump in now? 00:30:02.720 --> 00:30:03.620 And he goes, nope. 00:30:03.619 --> 00:30:03.899 I trust you. 00:30:05.899 --> 00:30:08.139 I trust you, but there's no way I'm getting in that water. 00:30:09.559 --> 00:30:10.339 Yeah, I love that. 00:30:10.399 --> 00:30:14.819 I think about it all the time because I think that that's in many ways what our relationship with God is like. 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:15.739 Right? 00:30:15.779 --> 00:30:18.779 Our Heavenly Father is sitting there with his arms open wide. 00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:25.119 He is inviting us to dive into this ocean of blessing and abundance that he has given us. 00:30:26.500 --> 00:30:28.099 And he's saying, do you trust me? 00:30:29.500 --> 00:30:29.899 Right? 00:30:29.900 --> 00:30:34.019 But, of course, in order to actually trust, we have to let go of the dock. 00:30:34.820 --> 00:30:40.860 As long as you're holding on to the dock, you may love the idea of trusting your Father. 00:30:42.220 --> 00:30:45.259 But only when you let go does it actually become trust. 00:30:46.460 --> 00:30:51.720 So the question that I want to leave us all with as we go into a time of prayer is this. 00:30:52.500 --> 00:30:56.140 What dock are you clinging to in your life? 00:30:57.180 --> 00:30:59.360 What is the dock that you're clinging to? 00:30:59.359 --> 00:31:01.539 What are the docks that you're clinging to? 00:31:02.459 --> 00:31:13.799 And how would your life change if you chose to trust God to let go and then to dive in? 00:31:15.059 --> 00:31:15.799 Let's pray. 00:31:15.799 --> 00:31:19.799 Lord, we love you. 00:31:20.440 --> 00:31:21.940 First, because you've loved us. 00:31:22.599 --> 00:31:28.619 Everything that we are, everything that we do, all of the things that we most treasure are gifts of yours. 00:31:29.159 --> 00:31:33.539 Because at some point, you entered into each of our lives, Lord. 00:31:33.599 --> 00:31:38.639 And you poured your grace and your love and your mercy into us because you're generous. 00:31:38.640 --> 00:31:52.360 And we pray, Lord, as we look forward that you would make our hearts grow in us a desire to reflect that generosity and that love in how we relate to one another and how we love this city, Lord. 00:31:52.359 --> 00:32:01.179 We pray this, Lord, again, not only because it would be good for us and good for this city, but because it would reflect your glory, Lord. 00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:05.279 And the radically countercultural love and generosity that you've shown the world. 00:32:05.939 --> 00:32:07.619 And we pray this in your son's holy name. 00:32:07.619 --> 00:32:08.039 Amen.