Sermon Transcript

0:00:14.0

Well, the year 1987 was simultaneously an exhilarating year and also a challenging year for many people, especially those who were Wall Street investors. You may remember that the stock market was on fire that year, up 44% for most of the year. When I scroll back in my memory to those days, I was two years out of college, and I had just passed my Series 7 exam, thinking that I was going to be a stockbroker. And then October 19^th, 1987, changed everything. That's the date that historians refer to as Black Monday. It's the day that the stock market crashed, losing 20% of it's annual gains in a single day. Black Monday just sent shockwaves throughout the financial markets worldwide. What was happening on Wall Street affected markets in other parts of the world, and that's why the Australians refer to it as Black Tuesday because of the time zone differences.

0:01:24.8

1987 was also the year that Hollywood released a blockbuster movie called Wall Street. It was directed by Oliver Stone. Charlie Sheen played the part of kind of an upstart, young stockbroker who befriended a very wealthy but unscrupulous corporate raider named Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, who later won an Academy Award for best actor for his part. Wall Street was that move that sort of captured the success and the greed of the 1980s. Gordon Gekko, the character that Michael Douglas played, became famous for saying these words. Are you ready for this? He said, "Greed, for lack of a better term, is good." Can you imagine such a brash statement? His character made that statement at an annual shareholders meeting in the movie. And he went on to say, "Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarified, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind." So were the words of Gordon Gekko.

0:02:41.2

Was Gordon Gekko right? Is greed good? Jesus said in Luke 12:15, "Watch out; be on guard against all forms of greed, for man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." So, who is right? Gordon Gekko or Jesus? Did Gordon Gekko ever consider the words of Jesus about greed and the warnings of scripture about greed? Have you? Have I considered the words of Jesus? Well, today that's what we're doing.

0:03:20.6

We're in this series of message called "Undefeated." Today we're concluding the series. We've been on quite a journey over these now eight weeks, overcoming the deadly sins that drug us down. We've talked about pride, anger, lust, laziness, gluttony, envy, and, now today, greed. We talk about defeating greed. Now, as you might expect, the Bible has much to say about greed, much of it warning us against its dangers. I want to survey some of the places in scripture that do this for us. But as we do, I want us to remember this. Money is not the root of all kinds of evil. Have you ever heard that? How many have heard that before, that money is the root of all kinds of evil? Well, it's wrong. The Bible says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. There is nothing evil in and of itself about money. And I want you to understand on the front end of this that we're not talking about or bashing rich people. If you have money, you're not evil. But our relationship to it and how we interact with it and where greed and predatory desire for more comes into play, that's a fair discussion, especially for us as followers of Jesus Christ. It's not wrong to have money as long as money doesn't have you. It's not wrong to possess things as long as those things don't possess you and come before God.

0:04:57.7

Jesus said, "You cannot serve God and money." He drew the line in the sand there, and He says, "You cannot serve God and money; either one will be your master or the other will." The apostle Paul warned young Timothy, his protégé and his disciple in the ministry. 1 Timothy 6, He said, "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." Then He goes on to say, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people," He says, "eager for money…" That's what we're talking about today, those who are eager for it, greedy for it, have a predatory desire for it. These people "have wandered from the faith," He says, "and pierce themselves with many griefs." Did Gordon Gekko ever consider those words? No, he just says, "Greed is good." He wanted to feed the system with more and more greed.

0:06:03.9

Well, Proverbs 15:27 says, "A greedy person brings trouble to his family." Proverbs 28:25 says, "A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trust in the Lord will be enriched." Ecclesiastes 4:6, these are the words of a very wealthy man named Solomon in the scripture who also had great wisdom. He says, "Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after the wind." Solomon learned that all of his material pursuits became a "striving after the wind." He says it's better to just have a little handful of quietness than all of that striving with two hands full.  The Bible, believe it or not, lists greed among the characteristics of the morally depraved. Check it out in Romans 1. Greed also enslaves. I think that's what Jesus had in mind when He said, "You cannot serve God and money." Either one or the other will be your master. One or the other will, in effect, enslave you.

0:07:13.6

According to James 4, greed causes division. And according to that same passage in James 4, greed negatively affects our prayer life. If greed and the predatory desire for more and more governs our heart, we're not on praying ground with our heavenly Father. Likewise, it should be no surprise that one of the qualifications of a leader in the church—and elder, we might say, or pastor—is that a man should not be greedy. So, there's lots that the Bible has to say, and that's certainly not all of it.

0:07:47.8

Another place where the Bible directs its attention straight onto this deadly sin we call greed is Luke 12 where Jesus told a story about a rich and greedy fool. He did so reluctantly after finding Himself in the middle of a conversation, actually a debate, between two brothers who had just received a family inheritance. And they were fighting over the inheritance. Luke records the story this way in his Gospel. Luke 12 beginning in verse 13 says, "Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.' But Jesus said to him, 'Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbitrator over you?' Then he said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed, for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.' And Jesus told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, "What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?" Then he said, "This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?" 21 So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.'” What a story.

0:09:34.6

Jesus was quite a storyteller. This story in Luke 12 sort of debunks anybody's theory about the Bible as being irrelevant in our world today. No, this is the kind of story and the kind of conversation that, though it took place 2000 years ago, it could have happened yesterday. And it could have happened in anybody's family. It could have happened in your family. Maybe grandma and grandpa have passed away, or your mother and father have passed away, and now the family inheritance. And otherwise family members who get along and enjoy one another's company and you have good family relationships, boy, you drop the inheritance in the middle of the kitchen table, and now you're in a snarl. We can picture this, can't we? This is what was happening between two brothers. "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." Apparently, one of the two brothers had…maybe he was the executor of the estate, and the other brother was saying, "Hey, they're not doing this right." Jesus knew not to get involved in conversations like this. His first response was, "Man, who am I? I'm not the judge. I'm not the arbitrator between the two of you. Who appointed Me to be the executor of the estate? You boys work it out."

0:10:57.7 

But then, just as quickly, He didn't miss the teaching moment, the opportunity to directly say something to these two brothers who were in a snarl over some money, let alone later, as we'll find out, to teach His disciples. And Jesus, in so many words, said to these two brothers that they were fools because of their greediness. It kind of reminds me a guy in Hollywood named Lawrence Tero. You and I know him as Mr. T. Remember Mr. T? He's the guy who built his Hollywood career around the phrase, "I pity the fool." "I pity the fool." The old saying, "There's no fool like an old fool," that's true. It's also true that there's no fool like a rich fool, and Mr. T would pity even the rich fool.

0:11:49.5

Before we go any further and before we get into some details in the story that uncover why this rich man was indeed a fool, let me just be quick to say and to warn every one of us, including myself, not to exit out of the story with the idea that "this doesn't apply to me because I'm not rich. This applies to somebody else. This applies to…" And you've got somebody in your mind who is really, really rich and needs to hear this sermon and to hear this story. No, greed is something that cuts across all financial levels. You can be a rich fool with your money. You can also be a poor fool with your money. A fool is somebody who lacks the moral reason to make wise decisions. Let me say that again. A fool in the Bible is somebody who lacks the moral reason to make wise decisions. You can be rich, you can be poor, you can be middle class and still lack the moral and biblical reason to make wise decisions with your money. And besides that, we are rich. Compared to the average standard of living across the world today, I read somewhere…and maybe this has changed some…but that there are up to 3 billion people on planet earth who live on $2 a day. And you know who they think are the rich in this world? Take a look in the mirror. It's you and me.

0:13:23.4

Now, I know there is always somebody who has more. There is somebody who has less. But just understand, as we interact with this truth from 2000 years ago recorded in the pages of scripture, there is somebody right now who thinks you're rich. There is somebody who is looking at you and saying, "Wow, if I only had what they had." So, this is not a time to exit out of the story. It's a time to say, "Lord, what have You got to say to me, and how can I learn from it?"

0:13:52.5

This man in the story obviously possessed the ability to make money. He was good at it, and he made a lot of money. In fact, he had a surplus of grain. His farming enterprise was booming, but he lacked the wisdom to act honorably and generously with his money. In what ways? Well, number one, he hoarded his surplus. He hoarded it. He had a bumper crop. Sales were good. And he didn’t know what to do with all of his grain. He had these barns, and he says, "Well, I'll just tear down my barns and build bigger ones." Didn't think at all about giving it away or generously providing for others. He just built bigger barns. And he crossed over what I would say is the line between savings and hoarding. Do you know the difference between the two? It's an important demarcation to create in your financial thinking. When is enough, enough? Maybe a financial planner can help you figure out, do some calculations on into the future, and talk about your goals and family needs and all of that. But when it enough, enough?

0:15:19.6

I could make a case in the Bible for legitimate savings. The Bible isn't anti-savings. By the way, The Wall Street Journal says that the average American today has less than $500 in the bank. Several years ago, the percentage was 70% of Americans. I think it's 75% of Americans. Years ago, 70% didn't have $1000 in the bank. Seventy-five percent of Americans today have only $500 in the bank. Are you kidding me? I could make a case in the Bible for legitimate savings. But when does saving cross over into hoarding? This man hoarded his wealth. That's one of the reasons he was a fool.

0:16:03.1

Secondly, he focused on himself. Didn’t have anywhere in his radar the needs of others. Why do I say that? Because when you kind of get into the story here and he's starting to reason amongst his own self, I count no less than 10 times he uses the personal pronouns "I" or "my." He says, "I will do this. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones. And there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for years.'" It's just "I, I, I, my, my, my, me, me, me." He's a selfish guy and so focused upon himself.

0:16:47.8

Thirdly, he acted presumptuously. This is why he was a fool. It says he began to reason to himself. Now, friends, we can base our life on one of two things. You base it on the revelation of God or upon human reason. And human reason always has its limits. In this case, this man reasoned amongst himself. Just reasoned in his own mind. He didn't even seek any wisdom outside of himself, even human wisdom. There is no indication of that. And there's no indication that he ever prayed. There's no indication that he ever sought the scripture and the mind of God about what he should do with his surplus. He was presumptuous about it, just reasoning amongst himself.

0:17:37.2

Fourthly, he had a false sense of security. As he was reasoning in his own mind, he begins to talk to himself. And he says, "I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink and be merry.'" He just thought, hey, I'm going to be around for a long time, and I've got things covered. I was watching a documentary recently on Netflix about this very successful and wealthy music producer. A long documentary, probably two or three hours long. He's very, very successful; very wealthy. He's worked with some of the top music artists in the world. At one point he made this comment. He's into his 70's now and working on some Broadway things. And he just says, "You know, I think I've got maybe another 13 summers to work on this." Presumptuous statement. You don't know that you've got your next breath. The Bible says life is but a mist, and we're not promised anything in terms of the next. Now, plan for the future? Sure, but don't plan presumptuously. And don't built into your planning a false sense of security, because all that you've built up, that you've invested here could be gone tomorrow in the economic whims of (0:19:00.0) national and international economies today.

0:19:05.3

Finally, he was stingy, just a stingy guy. With all of his surplus, never once thought of other people in need. And the indictment comes from the Lord. He says, "But God said to him, 'You fool! This night your soul is required of you. And the things you've prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." Greediness is all about being rich toward yourself, but not being rich toward God. And this man was presumptuous enough to believe, "I've got lots of years and lots stored up, and eat, drink and be merry." But the Lord says to him, "Tonight your soul is required of you. And the things that you've stored up, who's going to have them then?" It's kind of a reminder that you can't take (0:20:00.1) it with you, can you? There is no U-Haul truck following your hearse. Oh, I know the pharaohs of old in Egypt thought they could take it with them, and they stuffed their tombs with their gold. But we dig them up today, and there's the gold. They didn't take it with them.

0:20:19.1

No, you can't take it with you, but you can send it ahead. That's why Jesus said, "Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven." This man is the one who laid up treasure for himself and was called a fool because he was not rich toward God. If I could put some words in the mouth of Mr. T, he might say, "I pity the rich fool who is not rich toward God. I pity the poor fool who is not rich toward God."

0:20:47.4

I always say you need two portfolios in life. You need an eternal portfolio, and you need an earthly portfolio. The earthly portfolio made up of legitimate savings and investments. Watch that line that you cross over from savings to hoarding. How much is enough? I mean, how much is enough? And it's not about your personal security, as we'll find out in a moment. Your faith is in the Lord. But you need that earthly portfolio. You need an eternal portfolio. Jesus said it in a parallel passage. Matthew 6, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on this earth, where moth and rust corrupt and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt and where thieves do not break in and steal." Your earthly portfolio and your eternal portfolio, you need both of those.

0:21:41.3

Well, so much for greed and the warnings of scripture against it and the story that Jesus told here. What are some ways for us to defeat greed? That's what we're talking about in this series, aren't we? Overcoming the deadly sins that drag you down. We want to live an undefeated life over pride, anger, lust, laziness, gluttony, envy and, yes, now greed. How do we defeat greed?

0:22:03.9

Well, I think the best way to answer that question is just to stay in the text here, because Jesus continues on. In fact, it says in Luke 12:22, "And He said to His disciples…" Now He's done with the two brothers. Maybe they're there within earshot of Him, but He's already thumped them in the chest by the telling of the story and basically called them greedy fools. But now He takes the time to turn to His disciples and deepen the teaching. And from this I just want to mention three quick ways to defeat greed.

0:22:38.2

Number one is don't worry. Jesus goes on to say, "Therefore I tell you." And keep in mind the "therefore" is connected to the previous story, so there is a connection here. "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies." Now He moves from birds to flowers. "How they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!" Now, underline that and mark that. We'll come back to that in a moment. "And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them."

0:24:06.7

Now, as good Bible students, we want to read the story and this teaching that follows and ask an obvious question. What is the connection between greed, worry, and faith? I think I can see the connection between worry and faith. They are polar opposites. Your heart can't be full of worry about the basic necessities of life and still be a person of faith. I get that. But what's the connection between this story about this greedy rich fool and worry and faith? And I think the connection is that greed…again, that predatory desire to get more stuff, "I've just got to have more," you're greedy for it…that greed might be an indication of a lack of faith in your life. And when the stuff doesn’t come you get worried. Or when economic changes like the one we're in the midst of right now fall upon us, the worry, the greed, the lack of faith…it's a spiritual pot of stew that you don't want to eat from. And Jesus is saying to us, "Don't worry about these things. Don’t let greed get the best of you to where you just constantly worry about getting more and more and more, O you of little faith." That one hurts, doesn't it, when He points to us or to the disciple and says that greed and that worry in your heart is an indication of a lack of faith.

0:25:43.7

Secondly, put God first in your finances. How do you deal with this matter of greed? How do you defeat it? Well, Jesus said in verse 31…and this is after His conversation with about worry…He says, "But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." The parallel passage in Matthew 6 broadens it a little bit and says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." All what things? All the things you worry about, the basic necessities of life, the things that the birds of the air and the flowers of the field don't ever worry about. You ever see a flower worry about whether there's going to be rain? You ever see a bird worry about where his next meal comes from? He says, "You're of much more value to the Father than that. So why are you worrying? Worrying is a foolish thing to do. Faith is the wise thing to do."

0:26:45.9 

And the way we sort of knock greed out at the knees, the way we take it out, the way we defeat greed is you put God first in your finances. That means when the paycheck comes in…I used to say the first check that I write. Now it's the first electronic transfer or donation I make is to God. I've learned to put Him first, to prioritize Him first in my finances. And I can say this with great conviction and great boldness because it's linked to the promises of God, and I have decades and decades of experience with the Lord never, ever letting me down. He's promised to provide all of your needs "according to My riches in glory in Christ Jesus." You may not be able to add it up, but He can with a whole lot more. He knows where to provide at just the right time. But you've got to put Him first.

0:27:44.2

One of the ways you defeat greed is through the reprioritization of your financial plan, and you put God right up there at the top. Give to God first. That's your eternal portfolio. Pay yourself second. That's your earthly portfolio. Then you live off the rest, and you adjust your standard of living that way.

0:28:08.0

Finally, number three, just live generously. And I think this is part of what Jesus is saying as He finishes up this teaching in verse 32. " Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." I love this verse. First, I love the tenderness of it. Remember, He's teaching His disciples here at this point. He calls them a little flock. There is the tenderness of the Good Shepherd who doesn't want something from His sheep but wants something for them. He says, "Don't fear. Don't be full of fear but be full of faith." And here is what you need to understand as I'm about to ask you to give. Know that the Father has given to you the kingdom." Let that sink in for a minute, friends. Our heavenly Father is so generous. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son." And He has given to us the kingdom. I don't know the full extent of what that means, but I know this. The Bible says, "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him." I know that the kingdom of God that is to come in the next life, you can't accumulate enough in this world to even begin to compare to the kingdom of heaven. And the Father has generously given it to us.

0:29:27.9

He goes on to say, verse 33, "Sell your possessions, and give to the needy." I mean, in light of what God has given to us, freely give. What a radically generous idea here. "Don't worry. Prioritize Me first. Know that I have blessed you. I've given you more than you could possibly imagine in this life and the life to come. Sell generously," He says, "your possessions and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys." Circle that word "yourselves" Do this for yourself. You are laying up for yourself treasures in heaven. I call it sanctified self-interest. Some people will get to heaven, and they've sent so much ahead. They're like, "Wow, didn't know I had that much in my heavenly 401k. And the dividend reinvestment program, it's really out of this world." Jesus said do this for yourself. Don't worry so much and fret so much over the things of this life that you never lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven. Some are going to get to heaven and go, "I didn't even know I had a 401k account up there. Didn’t put anything into it." It'll still be heaven, but some people's experience will be even more heavenly because they took Jesus at His word here.

0:31:02.1

Then He goes on to say, verse 34, "For where your treasure is…" By the way, where is it? Is more of it here on this earth or in heaven? "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Oh, that's what He's getting after. Your heart. You see, Jesus talked more about money and possessions than He ever did about heaven and hell. You can read the four Gospels, add up the verses. By a long shot, He talked about money. Why? Not because He wants something from you. He doesn’t need your money. It's His to begin with, right? Right? It's His to begin with. But He has entrusted some of His wealth to you and to me, though certainly that's different amounts. And it's a test. It's a test to see what we'll do with it. It's a test of faith to see if we'll put God first, whether we'll lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, whether we're wise enough to do that. And He says it's a test of where your heart really is. And that's really what He wants. He wants our heart. He says you can't serve God and money. There is only room for one throne in your heart, and you're going to have to decide which one.

0:32:25.9

Now, what I'm suggesting is a way to defeat greed and the materialism, that pull of materialism in our world today. Don't worry. God will take care of you. Put God first in your finances. Live generously. And continue to grow in the grace of giving year after year after year. Maybe you're one of those people in the church who have reached a comfortable place in your giving. God is saying stretch. What's the next lap of faith you're going to take? You grow in the grace of giving. Are you more generous this year than you were last year? Some of you are saying, "Well, when I get a lot of money, I'll be generous." No, you won't if you're not with a little bit of money. To whom much has been given, much is required. But if you're not generous with a little, you won't be generous with a lot. You'll figure out some other way to spend it. But I have found, and Cathryn and I have found when you get to that place where God is first in your finances…and He can't be first in your finances when He's last in your budget. It doesn't work that way. You've got to push that giving to the top of the budget. It's the first thing you do. And everything else falls into place.

0:33:43.4

"Forward" is a wonderful time to practice these. That's all it is, is practicing generosity. And we have some missional things we're going to fulfill as a result of it, but it is a giant opportunity for our church family to step forward in faith in an area and at a time when it just seems impossible to do. So, I'm going to encourage you with that today to be the overcomers that God has made us to be. To sing "O victory in Jesus." Not because we're trying harder to defeat pride, anger, lust, laziness, gluttony, envy and, yes, even greed. It's not about trying harder. You try to live the Christian life that way, you'll fail every time. It's not about pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. It's about placing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit He has placed inside of you, and learning to walk by the Spirit and live by the Spirit and draw upon the enabling resources of the Spirit of God to live this thing called the Christian life successfully and live an undefeated life when it comes to pride, anger, lust, laziness, gluttony, envy and greed.

0:35:03.0

We said at the end of this time we wanted to go 7-0. I hope that we have. Do you at least have a strategy for how to defeat all of these, including greed, as we talked about today? "Watch out," Jesus says. "Be on guard against all forms of greed, for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Your life is not defined, and my life is not defined by the stuff we have. Our identity is in Christ, and who we are is defined by the kingdom that the Father has already given to us. Let's set our affections on that, on things above, and not on things of this earth.

0:36:06.4