WEBVTT 00:00:05.720 --> 00:00:09.500 We are in our second to last week. We've been 00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:12.259 in three weeks so far in this sermon series, 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:14.480 Stored Up, where we're looking at our treasures, 00:00:14.740 --> 00:00:18.339 gospel treasures in our life, recognizing flat 00:00:18.339 --> 00:00:21.160 out that the Bible talks about money. Churches 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:23.300 should talk about money. Now, do churches do 00:00:23.300 --> 00:00:25.539 it in inappropriate ways? Absolutely they do. 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:29.399 But what does it mean to be a good steward of 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:32.039 the resources, time, talents, treasures, we hear 00:00:32.039 --> 00:00:35.259 that all the time, that Christ gives us? And 00:00:35.259 --> 00:00:37.240 we are in our fourth week. We'll finish it up 00:00:37.240 --> 00:00:39.899 next week, which is crazy to think that's already 00:00:39.899 --> 00:00:42.859 Labor Day weekend. Where did August go? But then 00:00:42.859 --> 00:00:46.200 we're going to start up that second week in September. 00:00:46.780 --> 00:00:48.859 We're going to be in the book of Acts. It is 00:00:48.859 --> 00:00:52.219 a text I've really never preached before in a 00:00:52.219 --> 00:00:54.979 kind of expository way, earth, wind, and fire. 00:00:55.079 --> 00:00:57.759 We're going to dive in to that. The sermon discussion 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:00.280 group will start back up. And yeah, like I said, 00:01:00.299 --> 00:01:01.920 all the other ministries will as well. So I'm 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:04.180 excited about that. But we're going to kind of 00:01:04.180 --> 00:01:07.159 come to another kind of, not roadblock, but just 00:01:07.159 --> 00:01:11.439 kind of a yield sign in Luke chapter 12 about 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:16.200 money, about resources. I chose the title Rich 00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:19.359 Toward God because that is not something we think 00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:23.140 about a lot. We want God's riches to be lavished 00:01:23.140 --> 00:01:26.239 upon us, which isn't always money. But how do 00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:31.359 we return that into a life that is... The perspective 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:34.519 is that we are rich, right? And not by the world's 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:37.099 standards, but by biblical standards. And how 00:01:37.099 --> 00:01:40.319 can we give back? How can we be rich towards 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:43.159 God? Well, we're going to start by defining what 00:01:43.159 --> 00:01:46.700 that looks like in Luke 12, verses 13 through 00:01:46.700 --> 00:01:49.879 21. So again, we use the ESV here, but feel free, 00:01:49.900 --> 00:01:51.260 if you have your Bible, to pull it out or your 00:01:51.260 --> 00:01:55.480 Bible app to follow along. Luke chapter 12, starting 00:01:55.480 --> 00:01:59.870 with verse 13. Someone in the crowd said to him, 00:01:59.930 --> 00:02:15.129 him being Jesus, And he said to them, And he 00:02:15.129 --> 00:02:26.360 told them a parable saying, And he thought to 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:29.159 himself, what shall I do? For I have nowhere 00:02:29.159 --> 00:02:32.860 to store my crops. And he said, I will do this. 00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:35.199 I will tear down my barns and build a larger 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:38.159 one. And there I will store all my grain and 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:41.000 my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, you 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:44.080 have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, 00:02:44.419 --> 00:02:47.900 eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, fool, 00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:51.419 this night your soul is required of you and the 00:02:51.419 --> 00:02:54.889 things you have prepared. Whose will they be? 00:02:55.169 --> 00:02:58.270 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself 00:02:58.270 --> 00:03:04.610 and is not rich towards God. Some strong language 00:03:04.610 --> 00:03:08.750 that we see. When God calls somebody a fool, 00:03:08.930 --> 00:03:11.110 I don't know about you, I don't want to be on 00:03:11.110 --> 00:03:13.189 the receiving end of it, though I have been a 00:03:13.189 --> 00:03:16.610 lot in my life. That is probably not a good place 00:03:16.610 --> 00:03:19.870 to be. But it starts with a man and his inheritance. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:24.159 And it's one thing that seminary does not prepare 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:28.159 you for, spoiler alert, Evan, how to sit and 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:31.780 be a conflict mediator when it comes to a family 00:03:31.780 --> 00:03:37.460 executing a will. I have absolutely no expertise 00:03:37.460 --> 00:03:42.539 in it. I have the Bible. I have some... pastoral 00:03:42.539 --> 00:03:45.300 counseling classes under me, some experience 00:03:45.300 --> 00:03:48.620 in clinical pastoral education. I can sit with 00:03:48.620 --> 00:03:51.439 someone dying of cancer and hopefully bring them 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:53.819 comfort with just the power of presence and a 00:03:53.819 --> 00:03:57.099 good Lord's Day one. But you bring Lord's Day 00:03:57.099 --> 00:04:01.139 one up in a family battle about money, it doesn't 00:04:01.139 --> 00:04:04.379 work. They don't want to hear it. Because they 00:04:04.379 --> 00:04:07.240 come to the table with what kind of mentality? 00:04:07.580 --> 00:04:09.780 If you've ever been in that room where someone 00:04:09.780 --> 00:04:12.099 is executing a will, hopefully a lawyer, and 00:04:12.099 --> 00:04:15.860 hopefully it's spelled out. I have a great couple 00:04:15.860 --> 00:04:17.600 lawyers that would be good for that. Shameless 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:21.779 plug. But how many have ever sat at that table? 00:04:23.339 --> 00:04:25.759 Only a couple of you. And it can get awkward. 00:04:26.139 --> 00:04:28.160 If you don't have someone that knows what they're 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:31.980 doing, it can get awkward. I know families that 00:04:31.980 --> 00:04:38.250 now for... 10 years have not spoken to each other 00:04:38.250 --> 00:04:43.250 because of inheritances. And what they thought 00:04:43.250 --> 00:04:45.870 or demanded or had created in their mind, what 00:04:45.870 --> 00:04:48.149 they were going to get and what the deceased 00:04:48.149 --> 00:04:52.970 didn't give them. And it's so sad to watch. It's 00:04:52.970 --> 00:04:55.449 so sad to see. You know, you might be like, oh, 00:04:55.470 --> 00:04:57.410 I'd want to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. 00:04:57.689 --> 00:05:01.709 No, you don't. It's not fun. Because when someone's 00:05:01.709 --> 00:05:04.769 life is laid out to just What's on a sheet of 00:05:04.769 --> 00:05:07.509 paper or what's in a ledger or bank account or 00:05:07.509 --> 00:05:12.750 whatever? It's a real awkward conversation. But 00:05:12.750 --> 00:05:14.850 I have watched families tear each other apart. 00:05:14.910 --> 00:05:17.750 They eat their own. And I find it interesting 00:05:17.750 --> 00:05:19.870 that in this passage where we're being called 00:05:19.870 --> 00:05:23.850 to be rich toward God starts with a man and his 00:05:23.850 --> 00:05:27.339 inheritance. The passage begins with a man interrupting 00:05:27.339 --> 00:05:29.759 Jesus. If you would have read a little bit before, 00:05:29.819 --> 00:05:32.519 he actually interrupts Jesus. And it's interesting. 00:05:32.600 --> 00:05:37.160 He says, teacher, tell my brother to divide the 00:05:37.160 --> 00:05:41.699 inheritance with me. At this point, I feel comfortable 00:05:41.699 --> 00:05:45.079 saying that. That's like one of you asking me 00:05:45.079 --> 00:05:48.040 to tell your sibling to split an inheritance. 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:54.009 What am I going to say? No. Give it all to the 00:05:54.009 --> 00:05:57.310 legacy fund and then just run away. Right? That's 00:05:57.310 --> 00:06:00.009 probably what I would do. Like, no, your heart's 00:06:00.009 --> 00:06:01.910 earning a good place. Give it to the legacy fund. 00:06:02.430 --> 00:06:06.689 But this isn't unusual back then. Rabbis were 00:06:06.689 --> 00:06:10.129 often asked to settle disputes because rabbis 00:06:10.129 --> 00:06:13.509 had made themselves very important in the life 00:06:13.509 --> 00:06:16.149 of a community. Not just the religious side, 00:06:16.230 --> 00:06:18.689 temple, teaching, all of that, but in all of 00:06:18.689 --> 00:06:20.569 the other things. They were in bed with Rome. 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:24.759 There was a corruption going on there, but rabbis 00:06:24.759 --> 00:06:27.019 were often asked to settle disputes. I'm asked 00:06:27.019 --> 00:06:30.399 to settle disputes, but I try not to touch inheritance 00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:33.959 conversations with a 10 -foot pole. If you're 00:06:33.959 --> 00:06:37.160 going in disputing, how many people think it's 00:06:37.160 --> 00:06:40.639 going to end well? I don't have to call any of 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:42.480 you fools because you kind of picked it up in 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:45.680 context. But the request is telling this man, 00:06:45.860 --> 00:06:49.500 or the request that this man is asking and kind 00:06:49.500 --> 00:06:52.339 of demanding Jesus to do, it's not about justice, 00:06:52.600 --> 00:06:55.000 it's not about being fair, but it's about getting 00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:59.560 his stuff. He wants his stuff. We don't really 00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:01.980 know where the inheritance comes from. We don't 00:07:01.980 --> 00:07:04.800 really know the size of it, though it sounds 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:08.279 like it's pretty hefty. But Jesus refuses to 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:11.220 play arbiter for the property. I love this. I 00:07:11.220 --> 00:07:14.540 think it's great. Instead, Jesus uses this as 00:07:14.540 --> 00:07:17.579 a teaching moment. Only Jesus could do this. 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:19.639 Because I tried this week to put myself in that 00:07:19.639 --> 00:07:22.040 situation with one of the families I had to deal 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:23.620 with this about 10 years ago in Crown Point. 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:26.899 And what if, you know, they're all coming demanding, 00:07:27.180 --> 00:07:29.300 they all have lawyered up. If you have to lawyer 00:07:29.300 --> 00:07:31.680 up against a brother or a sister, that usually 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:34.519 doesn't start well, right? So everyone has their 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:37.000 lawyers and I come in. I was like, do I wear 00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:38.920 a clerical collar to try to like be intimidating? 00:07:39.819 --> 00:07:44.100 I didn't. Like, what if I try to go, guys, you're 00:07:44.100 --> 00:07:46.600 all fools, but let me teach you that the Lord 00:07:46.600 --> 00:07:51.060 is your shepherd and you shall not want. Nope. 00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:53.819 I just kind of sat there. And I was just kind 00:07:53.819 --> 00:07:55.779 of like, the only thing I really offered to that 00:07:55.779 --> 00:07:58.139 is, just remember, this is your brother, this 00:07:58.139 --> 00:08:00.660 is your sister. You have Jesus in you. They have 00:08:00.660 --> 00:08:05.100 Jesus in you. You guys can work this out. Unfortunately, 00:08:05.139 --> 00:08:07.740 it didn't really go, right? Because I'm not Jesus. 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:11.769 I'm fallible man. But I love that Jesus refuses 00:08:11.769 --> 00:08:14.970 because he seizes this moment to expose the deeper 00:08:14.970 --> 00:08:17.649 problem, and this is the problem that a lot of 00:08:17.649 --> 00:08:20.029 us deal with today, and it's why I put it forth 00:08:20.029 --> 00:08:25.769 in five sermons, greed. Ugh, ugly word, greed. 00:08:27.649 --> 00:08:31.430 Greed, in a simple Pastor Jim definition, which 00:08:31.430 --> 00:08:35.909 is very simple, is desiring more than you have. 00:08:36.549 --> 00:08:38.629 Right? You may argue with me on the definition. 00:08:38.669 --> 00:08:40.250 I'm not going to get into the linguistics of 00:08:40.250 --> 00:08:42.870 it. But for the purpose of our discussion today, 00:08:43.049 --> 00:08:45.629 Jesus is going to call out greed. He says, take 00:08:45.629 --> 00:08:49.129 care and be on your guard against all covetedness. 00:08:49.929 --> 00:08:51.990 Now, where do we hear that word, thou shall not 00:08:51.990 --> 00:08:55.389 covet? In the Ten Commandments. We're going to 00:08:55.389 --> 00:08:57.370 read them next week. Do you not think I'm going 00:08:57.370 --> 00:08:59.450 to center on that one for this sermon series? 00:08:59.570 --> 00:09:03.210 You better believe it. Be on your guard against 00:09:03.210 --> 00:09:06.389 all covetousness for one's life does not consist 00:09:06.389 --> 00:09:13.250 in the abundance of possessions. So the question 00:09:13.250 --> 00:09:16.889 today behind the text is very simple yet profound. 00:09:17.570 --> 00:09:20.509 Friend, what are you living for today? Are you 00:09:20.509 --> 00:09:24.649 living for bigger barns? Are you living for a 00:09:24.649 --> 00:09:28.110 bigger God? Just let that hang for a minute. 00:09:28.649 --> 00:09:30.470 I keep looking over there at Jesse who actually 00:09:30.470 --> 00:09:33.070 has barns. And so I'm like, okay, I'm sorry. 00:09:33.529 --> 00:09:36.590 This one's, I guess, straight for you. But understand, 00:09:36.909 --> 00:09:40.009 that's a question for all of us no matter what 00:09:40.009 --> 00:09:43.129 we're going through. Whether it's a problem in 00:09:43.129 --> 00:09:45.649 a marriage, problem in relationships, problem 00:09:45.649 --> 00:09:50.049 in a family, issues on your sports team, in school 00:09:50.049 --> 00:09:52.730 already, whatever it is. Are you wanting bigger 00:09:52.730 --> 00:09:55.590 barns so you can house all your stuff for it? 00:09:55.629 --> 00:09:57.929 Or are you looking for a bigger God to intervene? 00:09:58.570 --> 00:10:00.610 Because I guarantee you one's always available. 00:10:01.090 --> 00:10:04.850 And it's not the barns. So Jesus, in perfect 00:10:04.850 --> 00:10:07.710 Jesus fashion, goes to teach. The parable of 00:10:07.710 --> 00:10:11.129 the rich fool. So verse 17, it's not going to 00:10:11.129 --> 00:10:12.490 be on the slide because I want you to just hear 00:10:12.490 --> 00:10:15.809 me read it. But the parable of the rich fool 00:10:15.809 --> 00:10:19.950 is so, I think it's so apropos for our time in 00:10:19.950 --> 00:10:23.580 2025 as it was in this moment. What Jesus calls 00:10:23.580 --> 00:10:26.759 out first is the language of self in verse 17 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:31.000 through 19 of chapter 12. So 17 through 19 says 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:34.360 this. And he thought to himself, what shall I 00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:37.899 do for I have nowhere to store my crops? And 00:10:37.899 --> 00:10:39.899 he said, I will do. I love he's having like a 00:10:39.899 --> 00:10:41.740 conversation with himself and I totally do this 00:10:41.740 --> 00:10:44.980 in the car by myself. I will do this. I will 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:47.559 tear down my barns and build a bigger one. And 00:10:47.559 --> 00:10:50.059 there I will store all my grain and my goods. 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:54.980 And I will say to my soul, soul, you have ample 00:10:54.980 --> 00:10:59.059 goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, 00:10:59.259 --> 00:11:04.720 be merry. I may have just given an exercise you 00:11:04.720 --> 00:11:07.340 do with yourself. That you give yourself some 00:11:07.340 --> 00:11:10.500 kind of self -affirmation or self -talk. Not 00:11:10.500 --> 00:11:13.940 a bad thing, right? But the whole plan, he is 00:11:13.940 --> 00:11:16.960 telling to himself. This is the language of self. 00:11:17.139 --> 00:11:20.200 The man in Jesus' parable has a problem. Too 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:23.620 many crops. A good problem, right? But notice 00:11:23.620 --> 00:11:31.059 the way he says it. What shall I do? For I have 00:11:31.059 --> 00:11:35.539 nowhere to store my crops. I will do this. I 00:11:35.539 --> 00:11:40.629 will store up. I will say to my soul. In just 00:11:40.629 --> 00:11:43.789 three verses, he refers to himself more than 00:11:43.789 --> 00:11:48.289 ten times. Friend, his wealth is not the issue. 00:11:48.610 --> 00:11:52.370 It's his worship. He is putting himself first 00:11:52.370 --> 00:11:55.990 in all things. He's not thanking God. He's not 00:11:55.990 --> 00:11:58.509 serving others. He's not thinking eternally. 00:11:58.690 --> 00:12:03.750 His eyes are on himself. This is what St. Augustine... 00:12:04.029 --> 00:12:08.730 Calls the homo incurvasus ense that the human 00:12:08.730 --> 00:12:13.529 heart is curved toward itself. We have a word 00:12:13.529 --> 00:12:16.429 for that in our reform lingo. It is called total 00:12:16.429 --> 00:12:22.029 depravity. That we are bent towards ourselves 00:12:22.029 --> 00:12:27.509 in all things. We all do it. So I think he's 00:12:27.509 --> 00:12:30.899 got to change the language. Have you ever done 00:12:30.899 --> 00:12:33.480 that in your prayers? Where all of a sudden you're 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:35.480 praying and then you kind of punk yourself out 00:12:35.480 --> 00:12:40.399 and go, man, I sound selfish. All I'm doing is 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:43.080 praying for all my wants to make sure my bank 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:45.340 account looks good, to make sure I get this or 00:12:45.340 --> 00:12:49.399 that or the other. And it's okay to pray those 00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:52.899 things, but it's not okay to exalt that over 00:12:52.899 --> 00:12:56.559 others. Because we immediately in verse 20 get 00:12:56.559 --> 00:13:01.299 God's verdict. But God says to him, fool. Probably 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:04.700 shows we shouldn't do it. This night your soul 00:13:04.700 --> 00:13:07.820 is required of you and the things you have prepared, 00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:13.059 whose will they be? The word, the Greek word 00:13:13.059 --> 00:13:16.200 for required here is actually a commercial term. 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:20.720 It's fascinating. As if God is calling in a loan 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:24.779 from this guy. Maybe you've gotten that call 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:26.879 from a debt collector. Maybe you've gotten that 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:29.220 call or a reminder on your phone. Your mortgage 00:13:29.220 --> 00:13:32.659 just went out. And I don't know how many people 00:13:32.659 --> 00:13:36.860 go, yay. Right? That doesn't feel good. I remember 00:13:36.860 --> 00:13:39.259 when I was at Crossroads, total rabbit trail, 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:41.019 but I was at Crossroads Community Church in Aurora 00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:43.179 where I was a college young adult teaching pastor. 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:48.120 And this is a while now. There was hot debate 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:50.419 in the elders room and in the staff of whether 00:13:50.419 --> 00:13:54.250 we should go to online giving. And we had an 00:13:54.250 --> 00:13:56.129 older pastor, the founding pastor, Ed Doble, 00:13:56.230 --> 00:13:59.049 great guy, love him to death. He was really against 00:13:59.049 --> 00:14:00.769 it because he had more of that old school mentality. 00:14:01.110 --> 00:14:02.929 And he says, and Jesse, you're going to appreciate 00:14:02.929 --> 00:14:07.190 this. He goes, I just, I love the pain of, he 00:14:07.190 --> 00:14:10.490 said it that way, of writing that check and putting 00:14:10.490 --> 00:14:13.409 it in that plate. Yeah, you get it. You're laughing 00:14:13.409 --> 00:14:17.230 over there. Calm down. And it was just so funny. 00:14:17.309 --> 00:14:21.720 And then we had our youth pastor goes, Ed. The 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:24.240 younger families are going to feel the same pain 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:27.019 when they see the notification that the money 00:14:27.019 --> 00:14:29.899 just went out of their account. I thought I was 00:14:29.899 --> 00:14:31.320 going to get a bigger laugh than that, but that's 00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:34.639 okay. It was definitely more of a realization 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:38.460 of why we want to give. There's a struggle. We 00:14:38.460 --> 00:14:41.679 need to give it. Yet the Bible says that he wants 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:45.120 joyful givers. Though we may feel that pain and 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:48.299 though it may be a sacrifice, it's still about 00:14:48.299 --> 00:14:53.220 God and not about us. But God's calling in alone, 00:14:53.399 --> 00:14:55.960 it seems. Your life, your breath, your very soul. 00:14:56.159 --> 00:14:59.899 He's reminding the guy, it has never been yours. 00:15:02.259 --> 00:15:07.059 This week, when I got to that. One thing we try 00:15:07.059 --> 00:15:09.860 to take ownership of in our life is our life. 00:15:10.980 --> 00:15:13.980 But friend, that was given to you. You didn't 00:15:13.980 --> 00:15:16.480 do anything to earn that life. You didn't do 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:20.419 anything to create that life. You were born. 00:15:21.070 --> 00:15:23.809 Not because you picked a number and it was your 00:15:23.809 --> 00:15:29.429 turn. No. God gave you that life. Your life has 00:15:29.429 --> 00:15:32.889 been given to you. It was never yours. Your life 00:15:32.889 --> 00:15:36.629 is on loan from God. Some of you don't like that. 00:15:36.830 --> 00:15:38.570 Some of you are really uncomfortable. They're 00:15:38.570 --> 00:15:40.870 like, ooh, Jim, I don't know. Think about it. 00:15:40.950 --> 00:15:45.269 What Jesus is saying, the verdict God has for 00:15:45.269 --> 00:15:49.129 this guy is none of this has been yours. And 00:15:49.129 --> 00:15:53.269 guess what? Your inheritances, they're not on 00:15:53.269 --> 00:15:56.769 you either. You didn't earn those. The joke in 00:15:56.769 --> 00:15:58.529 the family on the wealth side, that's my mom's 00:15:58.529 --> 00:16:02.029 side, is my papa, God bless him, he worked for 00:16:02.029 --> 00:16:04.850 Juul and Produce for like 40 years, you know, 00:16:04.889 --> 00:16:08.170 and always did these little things. financially 00:16:08.170 --> 00:16:11.549 to let his grandkids know that he's got their 00:16:11.549 --> 00:16:14.429 back. And I remember I was talking to my cousin 00:16:14.429 --> 00:16:16.289 Mark, you know, we would get like in eighth grade, 00:16:16.429 --> 00:16:18.850 he would, our whole entire year, all of that 00:16:18.850 --> 00:16:24.370 year for us, he would put dimes in a jar for 00:16:24.370 --> 00:16:26.330 that whole year. And then however many dimes 00:16:26.330 --> 00:16:28.149 were in there, then, you know, you would think 00:16:28.149 --> 00:16:30.690 he would just give it to us. He wrapped it in 00:16:30.690 --> 00:16:33.629 like a foot of masking tape and gave it to us 00:16:33.629 --> 00:16:36.789 when we turned 13. These are just my funny little 00:16:36.789 --> 00:16:39.850 quirky things that my papa did. But we all loved 00:16:39.850 --> 00:16:42.750 that kind of mentality. And then I remember when 00:16:42.750 --> 00:16:44.610 we got to college, whenever we saw him, he would 00:16:44.610 --> 00:16:46.470 always get these little envelopes. And he would 00:16:46.470 --> 00:16:49.389 just, not flashy, not showy. When he'd hug us, 00:16:49.450 --> 00:16:51.190 he'd just slip it in our pocket. Or when he shook 00:16:51.190 --> 00:16:53.190 our hand, he'd put it in there like he was making 00:16:53.190 --> 00:16:57.169 a drug deal. And just on there, it just said, 00:16:57.169 --> 00:17:00.409 a little help. And I remember one of the first 00:17:00.409 --> 00:17:02.269 times my cousin Mark, who's a year younger than 00:17:02.269 --> 00:17:05.490 me, got it. He called me, and he said, so what 00:17:05.490 --> 00:17:09.650 is Papa trying to do? And I go, well, read it. 00:17:09.690 --> 00:17:11.950 It's just a little help. It's just a little encouragement 00:17:11.950 --> 00:17:15.309 along the way. And Mark goes, does he not realize 00:17:15.309 --> 00:17:20.109 college is expensive? Because he would put like 00:17:20.109 --> 00:17:24.150 $19 in there. He'd put like $32, just a little 00:17:24.150 --> 00:17:26.589 something. But I remember as Papa was dying, 00:17:26.650 --> 00:17:29.150 I asked him why he did it. And he just said, 00:17:29.250 --> 00:17:32.789 I just want you guys to receive blessing. Learn 00:17:32.789 --> 00:17:35.630 to receive blessing. Because guess what? That's 00:17:35.630 --> 00:17:40.369 $19 you didn't have the day before. Whew. Man. 00:17:41.190 --> 00:17:44.410 And what a jerk am I that I wish he put $1 ,900 00:17:44.410 --> 00:17:46.750 in there. Right? Which, yeah, that would have 00:17:46.750 --> 00:17:48.349 been better. But that's because I'm thinking 00:17:48.349 --> 00:17:51.950 of self and not receiving the blessing. The tragedy. 00:17:52.619 --> 00:17:55.819 of this man is not that he was wealthy, but that 00:17:55.819 --> 00:17:59.339 he was unprepared to receive that he is not his 00:17:59.339 --> 00:18:02.500 own. Right? Evan just said it up from the stage 00:18:02.500 --> 00:18:06.279 20 minutes ago. We are not our own, but we belong 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:10.519 to somebody else. We belong to God. He was unprepared. 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:13.839 He spent his life preparing for himself, not 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:17.880 for eternity. Okay, pastor, here comes the stewardship 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:19.839 side, blah, blah, blah, blah. We're not even 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:20.779 going to get there. We're going to get to the 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:25.079 morale next, verse 21. So is the one who lays 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:28.059 up treasure for himself and is not rich toward 00:18:28.059 --> 00:18:32.000 God. The key phrase, rich toward God, this is 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:33.819 the only time this phrase appears in Scripture. 00:18:34.460 --> 00:18:37.579 It means a life orientated towards generosity, 00:18:38.059 --> 00:18:42.579 dependence, worship, and eternal investment. 00:18:44.579 --> 00:18:47.200 Friends, the world has the opposites ready to 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:49.900 go and wants you to live that way. Wants you 00:18:49.900 --> 00:18:52.839 to be more of a miser and be greedy. Wants to 00:18:52.839 --> 00:18:55.680 be independent, not dependent. Would rather worship 00:18:55.680 --> 00:18:58.700 something else, yourself, besides God. And don't 00:18:58.700 --> 00:19:00.819 care about eternity, care about the here and 00:19:00.819 --> 00:19:05.980 now. Which is why money, finances, times, talents, 00:19:06.099 --> 00:19:09.660 treasures, even from the Ten Commandments through 00:19:09.660 --> 00:19:14.640 Jesus, the completion of those. Right? That he 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:17.440 doubles down on them with the way he says love 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:19.859 God and love people. It's all about stewardship 00:19:19.859 --> 00:19:23.559 and it's all about idolatry. Heidelberg Catechism 00:19:23.559 --> 00:19:28.220 110 warns not only against theft, but also against 00:19:28.220 --> 00:19:32.119 greed, waste, and hoarding. Instead, it calls 00:19:32.119 --> 00:19:35.140 us to work faithfully so that we may give to 00:19:35.140 --> 00:19:39.420 those in need. Our deacons do a wonderful job 00:19:39.420 --> 00:19:40.819 of this, and I've been having a conversation 00:19:40.819 --> 00:19:43.480 with one of them about kind of where we're at 00:19:43.480 --> 00:19:45.500 with the money we set aside for mental health. 00:19:45.819 --> 00:19:49.579 And it's a wonderful conversation, and our deacons 00:19:49.579 --> 00:19:51.480 are so generous when it comes to people that 00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:54.000 need it because it's a crisis, really, in our 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:56.680 culture. And you may not believe in it, and that's 00:19:56.680 --> 00:19:59.200 your prerogative, but I do and our church does 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:01.680 because it's about perspective, and I think meeting 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:05.079 that need is part of benevolence. The problem 00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:07.759 here, though, isn't possessions. It's possessions 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:12.480 without perspective. Man, am I preaching at myself. 00:20:12.680 --> 00:20:14.680 You guys don't even need to be here for this. 00:20:14.680 --> 00:20:17.299 You're not? Don't leave. That's weird. But understand, 00:20:17.420 --> 00:20:20.799 I need this. That there are times I look at my 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:23.519 possessions, our possessions as a family, without 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:27.140 eternal perspective. And we've never missed a 00:20:27.140 --> 00:20:31.599 meal. Our cars run. Right? We've always been 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:37.700 clothed. Our basic needs are met. And the Belgic 00:20:37.700 --> 00:20:39.920 Confession reminds me, and it may remind you 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:42.720 today, that good works are not the fruit of faith. 00:20:42.920 --> 00:20:46.160 It's not the root. Sorry, that reminds us that 00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:48.559 good works are the fruit of faith. It's not the 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:52.119 root of faith. To be rich toward God is to live 00:20:52.119 --> 00:20:55.880 by grace and respond with what? Gratitude for 00:20:55.880 --> 00:20:59.000 that grace. John Calvin puts it this way. We 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:01.259 should not merely bury the gifts of God, but 00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:05.660 make them bear fruit. Make them bear fruit. How 00:21:05.660 --> 00:21:08.559 are you bearing fruit? How to be rich toward 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:11.579 God? As we start landing the plane this morning, 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:14.279 being rich toward God is more than just simply 00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:18.700 avoiding greed, but it's an intentional way of 00:21:18.700 --> 00:21:21.279 living. You see, Jesus does something. He doubles 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:24.480 down by contrasting the fool who lays up treasures 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:27.759 for himself with the wise disciple who lays up 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:31.339 treasures in heaven. So let's look at some practicality 00:21:31.339 --> 00:21:34.059 this morning. How do we actually do this? First, 00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:40.619 we need to guard against greed daily. Greed is 00:21:40.619 --> 00:21:44.420 rarely obvious. It often hides behind languages 00:21:44.420 --> 00:21:49.069 like responsibility, security, investment. Just 00:21:49.069 --> 00:21:52.950 a little more. Jesus says, be on your guard, 00:21:53.029 --> 00:21:55.849 friends, which implies that greed is always crouching 00:21:55.849 --> 00:21:59.410 at your door. We resist greed by confessing it, 00:21:59.470 --> 00:22:03.670 naming it, and inviting God to search our heart. 00:22:04.670 --> 00:22:07.910 Second, that we should see life as a stewardship, 00:22:08.130 --> 00:22:12.349 not ownership. The rich fool forgot that his 00:22:12.349 --> 00:22:16.730 very soul was required of him by God. Everything 00:22:16.730 --> 00:22:19.890 we have, our days, our money, our home, even 00:22:19.890 --> 00:22:24.470 our talents, are loans from the Lord. To be rich 00:22:24.470 --> 00:22:27.829 toward God means asking, how would the true owner 00:22:27.829 --> 00:22:31.230 want me to use this gift? Have you ever been 00:22:31.230 --> 00:22:35.309 given a gift? And you're like, how do I put this 00:22:35.309 --> 00:22:37.930 into practice? I remember, go back to my papa. 00:22:38.069 --> 00:22:40.150 One of the things my papa wanted to do, he was 00:22:40.150 --> 00:22:44.430 a car guy, right? He always wanted to pass down 00:22:44.430 --> 00:22:48.549 his cars. and it never really became any kind 00:22:48.549 --> 00:22:50.750 of like inheritance issue or anything like that. 00:22:50.809 --> 00:22:53.009 It just seemed at the right time, the right grandkid 00:22:53.009 --> 00:22:54.930 needed a car, and when he went through his cars, 00:22:54.970 --> 00:22:58.730 he did that, right? And I was blessed to have, 00:22:58.890 --> 00:23:02.109 at a very young age, a Chrysler 300M. This thing 00:23:02.109 --> 00:23:04.950 was half a boat. The only unfortunate thing was, 00:23:05.089 --> 00:23:10.289 I love my papa, but he had just souped this thing 00:23:10.289 --> 00:23:14.220 up. How do I say this delicately? I can't, so 00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:16.519 I'm not going to say it. But it was like super 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:20.000 tinted windows, chrome, beautiful chrome hubcaps, 00:23:20.019 --> 00:23:22.980 had a chrome extender on the exhaust pipe, right? 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:25.119 That was about this big. And that's not exaggeration. 00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:27.460 It was about that. You don't know. But after 00:23:27.460 --> 00:23:30.579 the third time of me singeing the hair off my 00:23:30.579 --> 00:23:34.380 leg, I ripped it off, right? And for the first 00:23:34.380 --> 00:23:38.769 six months. Whenever, my papa always wanted me 00:23:38.769 --> 00:23:40.349 to pick him up and drive him around, like go 00:23:40.349 --> 00:23:43.410 to White Castles with this car, right? It's the 00:23:43.410 --> 00:23:45.230 only car I've ever had with leather interior 00:23:45.230 --> 00:23:47.369 and a sound system that was worth something. 00:23:47.609 --> 00:23:50.269 And he goes, let's go to White Castles. And I 00:23:50.269 --> 00:23:51.750 was like, how does this work? Like, I didn't 00:23:51.750 --> 00:23:54.130 even want to park it in the driveway. But I just 00:23:54.130 --> 00:23:57.269 remember for six months, he yelled at me because 00:23:57.269 --> 00:24:01.630 I closed the door too hard. Because he told me, 00:24:01.670 --> 00:24:04.049 oh, these are the special heavy doors, and you 00:24:04.049 --> 00:24:06.650 don't need to, that's going to hurt. And you 00:24:06.650 --> 00:24:09.549 just endure it. But I had this blessing and I 00:24:09.549 --> 00:24:11.309 felt like I needed to live it out in a certain 00:24:11.309 --> 00:24:15.630 way for him to be a good steward of it. But that's 00:24:15.630 --> 00:24:18.410 really what the Lord is saying to us. To be rich 00:24:18.410 --> 00:24:21.910 toward God means asking, how would the true owner 00:24:21.910 --> 00:24:26.809 of my life want me to use my life? That might 00:24:26.809 --> 00:24:28.470 be a perspective shift for you. You may have 00:24:28.470 --> 00:24:32.109 never thought about that. If your life is not 00:24:32.109 --> 00:24:35.099 your own but God's, How do you think God wants 00:24:35.099 --> 00:24:38.880 you to use it? Well, third, prioritize eternal 00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:44.440 investments. As my barn owners in the congregation 00:24:44.440 --> 00:24:53.559 know, earthly barns rot. They fall apart. They 00:24:53.559 --> 00:24:56.400 blow away. But guess what? Eternal investments 00:24:56.400 --> 00:25:00.009 do not. Every dollar invested in gospel work, 00:25:00.170 --> 00:25:03.369 every hour spent discipling someone, every act 00:25:03.369 --> 00:25:08.430 of mercy done in Jesus' name is a deposit into 00:25:08.430 --> 00:25:11.769 a treasure where we learned two weeks ago no 00:25:11.769 --> 00:25:17.049 moth and no rust will ever destroy. So how else 00:25:17.049 --> 00:25:20.950 do we live it out? Practice radical generosity. 00:25:22.089 --> 00:25:25.190 Generosity is not measured. It's not measured 00:25:25.190 --> 00:25:28.190 by how much you give. but how much you keep. 00:25:28.670 --> 00:25:31.210 The widow gave her two coins, we see in Luke 00:25:31.210 --> 00:25:34.289 21. Gave more than all the wealthy donors because 00:25:34.289 --> 00:25:37.970 of her faith. To be rich toward God means living 00:25:37.970 --> 00:25:41.490 with hands open because your heart is already 00:25:41.490 --> 00:25:44.849 secured by Christ. And you know that you know 00:25:44.849 --> 00:25:49.490 that you know you can't take it with you. Fifth, 00:25:49.630 --> 00:25:53.809 live with an eternal perspective. Psalm 90 teaches 00:25:53.809 --> 00:25:59.410 us to number our days. And I so, even though 00:25:59.410 --> 00:26:01.990 I'm not rich, I'm not rich, but I'm a fool. But 00:26:01.990 --> 00:26:07.069 the rich fool had plans for what? Decades. But 00:26:07.069 --> 00:26:10.789 no thought about eternity. That's painfully laughable. 00:26:10.970 --> 00:26:13.549 Being rich toward God means remembering that 00:26:13.549 --> 00:26:17.069 today could be the day your soul is required 00:26:17.069 --> 00:26:20.269 of you. So how would you live differently if 00:26:20.269 --> 00:26:23.309 we actually believed that? Starting today. Today. 00:26:25.769 --> 00:26:29.130 Because we also look to Christ. The riches of 00:26:29.130 --> 00:26:32.990 God given to us in the person of Jesus. If the 00:26:32.990 --> 00:26:36.690 rich fool hoarded, Jesus emptied. He shows us 00:26:36.690 --> 00:26:39.230 what it means to truly be rich toward God. The 00:26:39.230 --> 00:26:41.769 life of Jesus is the one that we should model 00:26:41.769 --> 00:26:44.730 because we claim Christian, little Christ, and 00:26:44.730 --> 00:26:47.809 here are ways Jesus did that first. He emptied 00:26:47.809 --> 00:26:51.660 himself of heavenly wealth. 2 Corinthians 8, 00:26:51.700 --> 00:26:55.420 9. He was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, 00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:58.420 so that you by his poverty might become rich. 00:26:59.180 --> 00:27:02.180 Christ set aside treasures of heaven to enter 00:27:02.180 --> 00:27:06.680 our poverty. Not for his sake, but for ours. 00:27:07.259 --> 00:27:10.740 Jesus gave rather than stored. While the fool 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:13.819 built bigger barns, Jesus built a bigger family. 00:27:13.880 --> 00:27:17.660 How do I know? We're all in it. He invested not 00:27:17.660 --> 00:27:21.480 in silos of grain, but in disciples, in healings, 00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:24.859 in relationships that would last into eternity. 00:27:25.720 --> 00:27:31.240 His wealth was people reconciled to God. Third, 00:27:31.339 --> 00:27:34.319 Jesus' death purchased true treasure. Because 00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:37.500 on the cross, Jesus gave something for his wealth 00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:40.640 that none of us ever have. He gave everything, 00:27:40.740 --> 00:27:43.980 his body, his blood, his life. He died with no 00:27:43.980 --> 00:27:47.059 possessions, no savings, no inheritance but his 00:27:47.059 --> 00:27:50.400 people. In doing so, he secured us an inheritance 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:54.460 of eternal life. As Romans says, making us heirs, 00:27:54.460 --> 00:27:58.859 sons and daughters of the king. Fourth, and this 00:27:58.859 --> 00:28:02.059 is one we can do right now today. Jesus invites 00:28:02.059 --> 00:28:05.440 us into his riches. To be rich toward God is 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:07.940 not about what you give up. It's about what you 00:28:07.940 --> 00:28:12.819 gain in him. Union with Christ makes us heirs 00:28:12.819 --> 00:28:17.759 to his kingdom. And some of you, you want that 00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:22.019 now. We don't get that now. Thy kingdom come, 00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:24.579 thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:28.440 Not our kingdoms, not our will, but it's on earth 00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:31.380 as it is in heaven. What we see lit dimly in 00:28:31.380 --> 00:28:36.250 a mirror, we will one day see face to face. So 00:28:36.250 --> 00:28:40.450 how are we investing in that? How are we showing 00:28:40.450 --> 00:28:43.130 the world our union is with Christ, which makes 00:28:43.130 --> 00:28:46.089 us heirs to his kingdom, not to stand over people, 00:28:46.309 --> 00:28:49.329 but to come from underneath and serve them and 00:28:49.329 --> 00:28:53.190 love them because we're co -owners of his promises 00:28:53.190 --> 00:28:58.089 and partakers of his joy. The rich fool clung 00:28:58.089 --> 00:29:01.269 to his barns, friends, and he lost his soul. 00:29:02.029 --> 00:29:05.609 Jesus gave up everything. and gain to people 00:29:05.609 --> 00:29:09.349 for his own possessions. I don't know about you, 00:29:09.410 --> 00:29:11.369 but last week we talked about kingdom economics. 00:29:11.650 --> 00:29:17.309 That's what this is. And that's the gospel. You 00:29:17.309 --> 00:29:20.470 probably have someone in your life that is fretting 00:29:20.470 --> 00:29:23.670 and worrying and losing sleep and all of these 00:29:23.670 --> 00:29:25.970 things about their financial situation, their 00:29:25.970 --> 00:29:29.789 relationship situation, all of the things. Friend, 00:29:29.829 --> 00:29:32.839 we can offer something much better. It's not 00:29:32.839 --> 00:29:35.359 answers always to those earthly problems, but 00:29:35.359 --> 00:29:38.339 it's an eternal perspective of the cross. That 00:29:38.339 --> 00:29:42.279 that person has been forgiven. That if they profess 00:29:42.279 --> 00:29:45.400 that Jesus is Lord, believe in their heart that 00:29:45.400 --> 00:29:48.039 God raised him from the dead, they will be saved, 00:29:48.039 --> 00:29:51.200 not from their earthly problems. When you're 00:29:51.200 --> 00:29:53.440 saved, guess what? You still pay your mortgage. 00:29:53.799 --> 00:29:56.160 You still have your credit card debt. You're 00:29:56.160 --> 00:29:58.240 still trying to figure some of it out. But your 00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:02.049 perspective shifts to the cross of Christ. to 00:30:02.049 --> 00:30:07.630 the glory of heaven. So when I pray, Lord, let 00:30:07.630 --> 00:30:10.470 us shine lights into dark places, this is one 00:30:10.470 --> 00:30:13.329 of them. And friend, I need to look at my mirror 00:30:13.329 --> 00:30:15.150 first because I get freaked out about this stuff. 00:30:15.769 --> 00:30:18.650 And I need to find that perspective. And God 00:30:18.650 --> 00:30:22.869 tends to give that to me in her, in Carrie. She 00:30:22.869 --> 00:30:27.269 tells me very nicely sometimes that I have my 00:30:27.269 --> 00:30:30.269 perspectives off. But guess what? Sometimes she 00:30:30.269 --> 00:30:33.990 has to put it right here. If you don't have people 00:30:33.990 --> 00:30:37.109 like that in your life, get them. If you're the 00:30:37.109 --> 00:30:40.109 one that always just brings down the golf foursome 00:30:40.109 --> 00:30:42.710 you do every week or the coffee you have or whatever 00:30:42.710 --> 00:30:45.349 it is because you're worried about all the worldly 00:30:45.349 --> 00:30:48.730 things, what if your soul is required of you 00:30:48.730 --> 00:30:55.069 tonight? All the things don't matter. Get yourself 00:30:55.069 --> 00:30:57.049 that kingdom perspective, and if you have it, 00:30:57.109 --> 00:30:59.250 give it. To others.