You know, the great physicist Albert Einstein
once said, not everything that counts can be
counted, and not everything that can be counted
counts. Now, you might want to spin that in your
mind a couple times, but what he's really saying
is we spend a lot of time counting things that
don't really matter, and we don't count some
things that matter most. How do you get out of
the rat race? That's today. Welcome to this edition
of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Our mission
is to inspire Christians to be genuine followers
of Jesus and to empower them to be active disciple
makers in our world. Thanks for being with us
as we near the end of our series, Balancing Life's
Demands. For these last couple of programs, Chip
will focus on how we can stop wasting our lives
chasing one thing after another. by uncovering
God's plan for lasting contentment and peace.
So if you're ready, here's Chip with his talk,
How to Escape the Rat Race Forever. Go in your
Bible to Matthew chapter 6. I'd like to start
with a little story. It's kind of a, I don't
know, I think it's a little bit of a funny story,
but it comes out of the Midwest. It may be even
apocryphal, so don't try and find this anywhere,
but I think it's an old, old story. The story
goes like this. There was a very strong Bible
church, Bible teaching church, and they had what
they called... years ago, revival meetings. And
so once a year, they would bring in a great Bible
teacher and they had revival meetings. It was
a very small town. It was up in the mountains
and a very small community and everyone knew
everyone. And so it was a big thing in town and
a lot of people would come from the town. And
every year, a number of people would come to
Christ and Christians who needed their priorities
realigned would get their priorities realigned.
But they always knew what was going to happen
on Friday night. On Friday night, they had a
town drunk and he chose Friday night and he would
come and he would sit in the back and he would
listen to the message. And near the end of the
message, you would hear, oh, amen. Yes, Lord,
that's what I need to do. And so they would give
a time of invitation where people could come
forward and deal with God. And everyone knew
on Friday night, the town drunk came through.
I mean, for the last 15 years, every Friday night,
he would come forward. So it was Friday night.
He had moaned, he had groaned, he had amen. And
now he is walking forward and he comes and, you
know, he sort of had this down. Oh, Lord, oh,
Lord. Oh, the cobwebs of sin that I have been
entangled in. Oh, Lord, I just ask once, please
remove the cobwebs. Remove the cobwebs and the
tangled sin of my life. And there was a man after
15 years who'd heard this for 14 years, and he
stood up in the back and in a very loud voice
said, Dear Lord, forget the cobwebs. Kill the
spider. And I'd like to suggest that we've really
addressed a lot of the cobwebs of priorities
of time and money and relationships that we have
said, okay, what's really important? We want
to put first things first. We want to keep. First
things first, we want to develop some discipline.
We want to do it in the right way. We want to
do it with a perspective that is relational and
from the heart. And my concern is that you'll
go for two weeks, maybe some of you for two months,
and you'll start knocking out the cobwebs. Oh,
we've got a budget now. We're now giving off
the first portion. Okay, I'm starting to spend
some time with God. You start reading your Bible
more, might even join a small group or get in
a Bible study. You know, you start changing a
little bit what you're going to do with your
giving. And all these things are extraordinarily
important. And, but you know, you sort of, and
then after three months, six months, eight months,
nine months, a year. Oh, Lord, the cobwebs of
those priorities. Oh, Lord, you know what it's
like. There's so many demands on my time. Oh,
Lord, you know, we were on a budget for a while,
and we didn't expect that, Dr. Bill, and then
there was that camp, and then we really need,
and I'm kind of messing with you. But I like
to suggest that to move beyond the periphery,
we need to get to the kill the spider. What's
at the heart of misplaced priorities? What is
it that keeps pulling us in ways that our priorities
over and over and over get out of whack? And
Jesus is gonna address it. Jesus is gonna say
there is a singular root cause to misplaced priorities,
and it is the spider. And you need to kill the
spider. And when you do, The cobwebs will go
away. And if you'll notice in your notes, he's
going to give a warning, and Jesus will teach
us in Matthew 6, 19 to the end of the chapter,
that the root problem in priority living is,
and here's the word you can write, materialism.
Materialism. Now, before you get all uptight
and think, oh, he's going to talk about I have
too much, and is it wrong to have this, and every
time someone brings this up, I feel guilty, just
lighten up, okay? Just lighten up. Let's analyze
what is materialism. First, let me give you a
definition, and don't try and write all this
down at this point. Try and think about what
it says. Materialism, by the way, is a disease
of both the rich and the poor and everyone in
between. It has little or nothing to do with
what you have. It is a condition of the heart
where I am leaning, trusting, depending, or even
believing that the outward props of things, money,
and possessions, and the fame, status, and power
that they provide have the ability to achieve
for me inward peace, happiness, and satisfaction
in my life. Materialism is a condition of the
heart. I can show you people that don't have
two nickels to rub against each other that are
shot through with materialism as evidenced by
when they get their first $3, they go to 7 -Eleven
and buy a lotto ticket because, man, if I could
hit the lotto, then everything would be okay.
And most of them will never take the time to
read some of the research and actually some of
the... It's sad books of tracing the lives of
people after they've won the lotto. The percentage
who end in divorce, the percentage that say it
ruined their life, the percentage who say, if
I could do it all over again and not get it,
I would do it. But it's a condition of the heart.
And I could show you people with great wealth
who have so many things to keep up with. So much
stuff, so much demand that their time and their
energy, it's not like they feel stuck on it.
It's just their time and their energy because
they unconsciously have been led to believe,
I need to have these things. And there's no margin
in their life. Their problem is not, can I get
it or ever have it? Their problem is it has them
and they don't even know it. Material things
are in no way, listen carefully, evil in and
of themselves. You might jot in the notes, I've
quoted it several times, 1 Timothy 6 .18. Paul
says, instruct those, teach those who are rich
in this present world, that's you, that's me,
not to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches.
but to fix their hope on God who supplies us
with all things to enjoy. The all things are
material things. The goal is to enjoy. They can
never be my hope. Don't be conceited. Don't be
arrogant, he says, and fix your hope on those
things. So the problem is not that things are
evil in themselves. It's when I'm trusting in
or even desiring them with the belief. that they
can fill the inner void in my life and bring
significance, security, peace, joy, and meaning.
And what he's going to do from verse 19 to the
end of the chapter is he's going to teach you
and he's going to teach me how to kill the spider
of materialism so it will once and for all begin
to remove the cobwebs of misplaced priorities.
Now, the structure of this is very important.
You've noticed in your notes, I've put it on
the right side. The context is what? It's Matthew
6, verses 1 through 18. And remember, he talked
about what? He talked about giving, he talked
about prayer, and he talked about fasting. What
is the one thing that was true of his teaching
about giving, prayer, and fasting? When you pray,
when you fast, when you give, don't do it like
the... To be seen of men, but when you do it,
do it in secret so your father who sees in secret.
Here's my point. Here's what I want you to get.
The context of what we're going to see is two
motives. You can either impress people or you
can please God. And then the text will unfold
because the question is, well, how do you know
what your motives are? I mean, he just told me
my motives need to be secret and to pleasing
God. Well, how do I know? Who can know what's
in your heart? Well, in verses 19 through 21,
he's gonna say, guess what? I will show you a
very clear way to know exactly what your motives
are. The two motives will reveal two treasures.
And then after that, he's gonna say, now that
you understand that there's two treasures, one
eternal and one temporal, I'm gonna tell you
where those treasures come from. There are two
eyes. There's two perspectives about life. And
then finally, those two perspectives will determine
two options, two masters. Let me walk through
the passage with you. Okay, Lord, we understand
when we pray, when we give, when we fast, we
need to do it with the right motive. Your means
of protecting our motive is secrecy. Well, how
do we know what our motives are? Here's what
he says, verse 19, Matthew 6. Do not store up
for yourselves treasures on earth. The reason,
where moth and rust destroy and where thieves
break in and steal. Translation, it's a bad investment.
But store up for yourselves. Will you underline
the word for yourselves? This is not about deprivation.
This is about doing something good for you. But
store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where
moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves
do not break in and steal. For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also. And so he
just makes a point. He goes, if you want to know
what your motives are, it's pretty simple. Where's
your treasure? Your money is the greatest. clearest,
true revealer of your heart. Our trust always
follows our treasure. Our trust, what I believe
is going to come through for me. People whose
God is gold always have anxiety. People whose
God is Christ, even in the midst of varied circumstances,
can relax. He says there's two treasures. So
he says, be smart. Invest your treasures in what's
ahead. And then he says, well, okay, okay, now
I can see where my motives are. If I want to
do an acid test of where my motives and heart
is, I'm going to look at my treasure, and the
treasure of money for sure, but I would also
say the treasure of my time, the treasure of
my energy. What are the resources? What is the
wealth that I have, and where do I spend that
wealth? That will tell me my true treasure, my
true motives. And then there's this kind of interesting
passage. I mean, really interesting little passage
here. And notice what it says. He says that the
eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are
good, circle the word good, and then above it,
write the word singular. If your eyes are good,
your whole body will be full of light. But if
your eyes are bad, circle bad, and actually then
write the word evil underneath that, your whole
body will be full of darkness. If then the light
within you is darkness, how great is that darkness?
Now, it's really interesting here. He's going
to say the eye is the lamp of the body, you know,
and he's using this play on words. And he's going
to help you see is that your outlook will determine
your outcome. Your perception will determine
your pursuits. He's gonna say, what you and I
perceive to be as important is what we will passionately
pursue. So, you know, I jotted a few thoughts.
A mother, her children. A man, his work. An athlete,
his workout. An artist, his art. A musician,
his music. A Christian, his God. He's gonna say,
if you don't know, What drives your desires?
He says, if your eye is clear, the word is haplos.
It literally means to be without any folds in
it. In Latin, it's translated simplex. It has
the idea of simplicity, clear, singular focus.
On the contrast from clear, singular, there's
two motives, there's two treasures. Really, he's
getting down to the eye physically, wherever
the eye goes, the whole body follows, right?
I mean, I don't have eyes in the back of my head.
Whatever I see, I can see, perceive, make direction.
He says, your desire, your core beliefs, your
passions, your pursuits, what you believe, if
it's clear, if it's singular, if it's on God,
if it's honoring him. If it's being the man,
the woman that you know he wants you to be, he
says your whole body will be full of light. Everything
else comes. You're listening to Living on the
Edge. We'll get you back to today's program in
just a second. But first, did you know that other
believers are paramount to your faith journey?
Keep listening after this message as Chip explains
why and highlights some resources we have to
help you connect with authentic community today.
Stick around to learn more. But for now, here
again is Chip. He said, however, you can have
these external things going on in religious activities
if your eye is evil, if there's duplicity, if
your deep belief is that things and power and
status and possessions can deliver satisfaction,
meaning, and significance. He says your whole
body will be full of darkness. Your eye or desire,
if it's clean, healthy, undivided, and godly,
your whole life will be directed and affected
by God's blessing, power, and presence. It has
the idea of undivided loyalty to God, singleness
of purpose, if you will. If your eye focus is
bad, your whole life will be infected by darkness
and ultimately destroyed. The word for evil here,
it's very interesting. It's poneros. It means
evil, corrupt, perverted. It's used for food
that has been spoiled or is un... unsuitable
to eat. It's something separated or anti -God.
It's translated Matthew 18, 22. Remember the
worthless servant? That's this word. John's gospel
contrasts this word. You'll hear it against God's
light, God's word, God's work. In Matthew 13,
19, the article there is added and the ho poneros
is the evil one. And the point I want to make
here is simply at the heart of all these things
we're talking about, cobwebs, priorities, time,
money, symptoms. He said there's two motives
in walking with me. Those two motives lead to
your treasure. Your treasure will tell you where
your motives are. But what treasure you pursue
has to do with your core beliefs, passions, desires.
What do you really, really want? What do you
believe? Not what you say, not even what you
verbalize, but what do your actions demonstrate
is your core pursuit in life. And then notice
what Jesus will say. He says, you can have only
one of two masters. It will be either mammon,
or him. Right after the two I's. I mean, it's
an amazing thought here. He says, no one can
serve two masters. Either you will hate the one
and love the other, or he'll be devoted to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve both
God and money. It doesn't say you cannot have
God and have money. It says you cannot serve
God and money. The battle in priorities boils
down to you either have faith in God and his
promises for peace, security, significance, and
your passion is relationship with him, or you
have faith in things and their power to deliver
for your life. And so what you have here is it
is clearly laid out as anywhere in Scripture.
This is the issue. Materialism. It's a condition
of the heart. How do you go about it? Well, check
your motives. There's some practices. Where's
your treasure? It's the revealer. Check then
your eye. Where is it focused? And then finally,
your eye will reveal one master or another master.
Now here's the question. I mean, this is the
question that brings everything we've talked
about in the series to a head. Here's the fundamental
question. You'll notice I put it in your notes.
It says, do not allow the pursuit of material
things to thwart your spiritual development.
I mean, that's the statement. That's what he's
saying. But then the question is, how can we
live in a material world without becoming materialistic?
I mean, isn't that it? I mean, I got news for
you. There's college tuitions and you save for
this and you have house payments and, you know,
I got to rent this. I've got to do that. I've
got to buy food. I've got responsibilities. So
I live in a material world. I can't come up to
some mountaintop and hear great things about
God. Buddy, when I get home, I got bills to pay.
I got issues. I've got tuition. I've got car
repairs. I got doctor bills. How do you live
in a material world? world without being materialistic.
And you notice, you remember when Jesus was talking
about spiritual growth and spiritual development,
how it happens, and he was talking about the
power of God's Word, and he says the Word of
God is like a seed, and the man went out and
sowed the seed, and there's four types of soils,
and the soils are the human hearts, and you know,
Satan comes, and the hard soil takes it away,
and there's the one that sprouts up quickly,
and then persecution comes, and it dies out.
The third seed Remember, it grows up, but the
thorns grow up around it and it chokes out the
life of truth in your heart and soul. Does anybody
remember? It's the worries of the world, the
deceitfulness of riches, the deceitfulness. By
the way, when your money is messing you up, when
your possessions are messing you up, I got news,
you don't know about it. That's what deceit means.
You know, we read stuff, oh yeah, boy, I bet
there's some people out there that are really
deceived. No, no, you don't get it. I'm deceived.
It's how much. And then that last part, this
is why we don't have margin in our lives. Not
just the deceitfulness of riches, but he says,
and the concern, the worry, the preoccupation
with what? Other things. What other things? Other
things other than what really matters. He's talking
about priorities. And so what I wanna do is I
wanna walk now through verses 24 through 33,
and we're gonna get the solution. This is how
you kill the spider. And then those priorities
and practices and disciplines are how you maintain
that relationship of what? Having the right motives.
I want to please God. Of doing what? Looking
at treasure as some tug of war? No. I want my
treasure to be an investment where it's going
to make the most. So I want to invest the treasure
of my money and my time and my heart and my energy
in people, not in things. In doing things that
last forever, in loving people rather than using
people to get things. Well, how's it happen?
Well, let's pick it up at verse 24. He says,
no one can serve two masters, we've heard that,
either hate the one or love the other, or be
devoted to one and despise the other. And before
we go on, because we are Americans, can you just
swallow hard? You can't have it both ways, all
right? That's what we wanna do. I love God with
all my heart and, all right? You can't have it
both ways, according to Jesus. You cannot serve
both God and money. Therefore, I tell you, Therefore,
when you see that, what do you mean? Say, hey,
hey, I understand. This is axiomatic. This is
truth. Therefore, let me give you the solution.
Let me help you learn how not to be materialistic.
Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your
life, what you will eat or drink or your body,
what you will wear. And then we get a rhetorical
question. Is not life more important than food
and the body more important than clothes? And
we would all say, well, yes. Or illustration
number two, look at the birds of the air. They
don't sow or reap or store away in barns and
yet your heavenly father feeds them. And then
some logic application. Are you not much more
valuable than they? And it's grammatically in
such a way that the answer is overwhelmingly,
of course you are. Then, by the way, who of you,
by worrying, can add a single hour to this life?
Logical conclusion, let's see, no one. And then
a question, and why do you worry about clothes?
Illustration number two. I mean, see the lilies
of the field? They don't labor or spin. They're
not wiped out. They're not in minivans and SUVs
and having bills up to their eyeballs. You know,
they're not stressed out. They're not uptight.
They don't feel like their life's out of control.
They're not taking pills to go to sleep at night
and pills to get them up in the morning. They
don't feel like everyone's pulling on them from
every direction and there's no way to find some
peace and direction. Gosh, that passage really
opened up, didn't it? It says, I tell you that
Solomon in all of his splendor wasn't dressed
like one of these. Now, again, the a priori logic
from lesser to greater. If that is how God clothes
the grass of the field, which is here today and
tomorrow is thrown in the fire, will he not much
more clothe you and circle this phrase, O you
of little faith? The issue behind materialism
at the core has nothing to do with things or
even money. It has to do with faith. It has to
do with trust. Do you trust me? Do you trust
me to come through for you? Yes, in the material
necessities. But do you trust me to come through
for you that you're significant and valuable
the way I made you? Do you trust that if you
would find my purpose and my role for your life,
that you don't have to look like that, you don't
have to live in that zip code, you don't have
to drive that, you don't have to have so many
people know you? Can you trust me that if you
do life my way, the deepest things that you long
for in your heart, I'm going to give you because
I'm good and I love you? That's really what he's
getting to. So do not worry, saying, what are
we gonna eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what
shall we wear? And then, and then just, this
is more than a mild rebuke. For the pagans run
after all these things and your heavenly father
knows what you need, that you need them. Put
a little line under run after because he's gonna
use a play on words. It means to vigorously pursue.
And that verse that we like that's coming up
that tells us how to really arrange our. priorities
where it says, but seek ye first. The word seek,
this word is in an intensive form of that. It's
the same word. The pagans are seeking, are running,
are pursuing after all these things. And his
point is, is that you don't look any different
than the pagans. When you're running after all
these things, when your priorities are out of
whack, when your relationships are being deteriorated,
when you think that things and status and stuff
And letters behind your name and kids getting
into certain schools and SAT scores being a certain
way and vicariously your little league teams
of your kids and grandkids winning little championships
that you can tell your friends about at cocktail
parties. And of course, Christians drink different
stuff at cocktail parties depending on what kind
of background they come from. In fact, our cocktail
powders are often in the foyer of the church.
Have you heard about my grandson? Yeah, you know,
Harvard really didn't quite work out, but we
thought MIT would be a good second choice. Yeah,
well, did you hear about my daughter? Yes, well,
she's in the, of course, she's been doing it
for 11 years. How old is she? She's 12. And at
one, we put her in the pre -Olympic gymnastic
team. They could see from, they ran tests on
her DNA for $100 ,000, and we could see that
she had high side potential. Actually, in the
Olympics of 2042, we're expecting a gold medal.
And we've rearranged our entire life. We'll be
moving to Houston soon so that, you know, that's
where the gymnasts, I mean, I'm putting you on.
But so help me, you just back that off a little
bit and we all play those games. And we think
our meaning and our significance and our value
is what we've done, what we've accomplished,
who we know. what our kids have done. Now, is
there a place for a God -honoring sense of accomplishment
and pride? Of course. That's not what it's talking
about here. And by the way, when this sucks you
in, it's deceitful. This is Living on the Edge
with Chip Ingram, and you've been listening to
part one of Chip's message, How to Escape the
Rat Race Forever. from our series, Balancing
Life's Demands. Chip will be back shortly to
share some helpful application for us to think
about. Are you overwhelmed by the pressure to
do more, have more, and achieve more? In this
10 -part series, Chip provides practical biblical
steps to help you move your life from chaos to
contentment. Discover how to align your priorities
around God's vision for your life and the discipline
to not only put first things first, but keep
them there. You're not going to want to miss
a single program of this series. Well, our Bible
teacher, Chip Ingram, is with us again in studio
to share a compelling word with all of you. Chip?
Thanks so much, Dave. The culture around us is
a battleground, and we're not called to retreat,
but to engage. And we have resources designed
to equip you and your community to live courageously
for Christ in today's culture. On our website,
you'll find studies and tools that will affirm
your faith and help you discover the unique giftings
God has given you to advance his kingdom in this
world. These small group materials will help
you connect authentically, grow spiritually,
and live out your faith in your community. Let's
not just go to church. Let's be the church. powerful
challenge, Chip. Well, to learn more about our
small group resources, visit livingontheedge
.org. Let me tell you, they're so easy to use.
Chip provides the teaching, and you'll have time
to discuss what you've heard alongside our helpful
study guides. We also offer guidance for leaders
to lead their groups effectively. So if you're
not yet in a small group or looking for what
to study next, check out our resources. And for
a limited time, we've discounted all our small
group resources so you can get into community
today. To learn more, go to livingontheedge .org
or call 888 -333 -6003. Well, with that, here
again is Chip. As we close today's message, I
wish, I mean, I really wish I could sit down
with a cup of coffee. you know, across a small
table and just look you in the eye, you look
me in the eye and say, you know, we heard the
very words of Jesus. He said, there's two motives,
there's two treasures, there's two eyes, and
there's two masters. And he's either our master
or mammon or riches are. And I wish, I mean,
at a level of deep accountability, we could just
ask one another the hard question, you know,
who's really your master right now? I mean, if
you looked into, you know, My schedule and my
time and my money, what story would it tell?
And if I looked into yours, what story would
yours tell? And I believe that of all the areas
here in America especially, it's about people
that sincerely love God and yet their lives are
often out of control. And the driving force that's
hard to admit, it's the dollar. It's the movement.
It's the stuff you got to have. And it's very,
very subtle. It's the deceitfulness of riches.
And so as we talk together, I just want to ask
you to kind of have a real heart check and ask
God to help you be honest with yourself. I can't
remember the last time that someone in a Bible
study said, you know, I just want everyone to
know I'm struggling with materialism, and I think
it's an idol in my life. Would you pray for me?
I mean, this is one of those things that's so
close to all of us, it's insidious. And I had
a guy recently come up after service and say,
I realize that no matter how much I've made,
I've figured a way to up my lifestyle and spend
more and more and more. And in the last seven
months, the best gift from God was I lost my
job. We're on a budget. I begin to give the first
portion to God. I'm in the Bible again regularly.
I now understand what really matters. Could it
be? Could it be? that some of the hardship that
you might be going through is the loving hand
of a kind God drawing you back to himself. Why
don't you get a good friend, since we can't have
coffee, and talk about that from the heart, and
then do what God shows you to do. Really challenging
word, Chip. Thanks. As we close, I want to thank
each of you who makes this program possible through
your generous giving. 100 % of your gifts go
directly to the ministry to help Christians live
like Christians. Now, if you found this teaching
helpful, but aren't yet on the team. Consider
doing that today. Sending a gift is easy. Go
to livingontheedge .org or call us at 888 -333
-6003. That's 888 -333 -6003 or visit livingontheedge
.org. App listeners, tap donate. And let me thank
you in advance for doing whatever the Lord leads
you to do. We'll listen in next time as Chip
wraps up his series, Balancing Life's Demands.
Until then, this is Dave Drewy saying thanks
for joining us for this edition of Living on
the Edge.