Wealth & the Fool
Series: WEALTH ON PURPOSE
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 23rd June 2019
00:00:00 --> 00:00:07 we use money and possessions are at the heart of being a disciple of Jesus. There is a deep
00:00:07 --> 00:00:16 spiritual reality to them. Coming into relationship with Jesus changes your relationship to money
00:00:16 --> 00:00:24 and possessions. And we're doing this series at a time when we're not seeking to raise funds
00:00:24 --> 00:00:29 for anything in particular. It's just all about doing heart work. That's what it is.
00:00:29 --> 00:00:37 And so we're not looking at specific application except to go away and search your hearts and ask
00:00:37 --> 00:00:45 yourself, what is it that I truly value in life? And so we're winding up our series in Luke 12 and
00:00:45 --> 00:00:52 this parable of the rich fool. Jesus' statement, verse 15. If you've got your Bibles open, come with
00:00:52 --> 00:00:58 me on this. You can also get it out on the St. Paul's app. You'll find the sermon outline there
00:00:58 --> 00:01:04 in the Bible passage as well. Jesus' statement, verse 15, couldn't be any clearer in terms of
00:01:04 --> 00:01:16 perspective on this issue. He says, watch out. Watch out. Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:25 Greed is a spiritual problem. It's a chronic spiritual sickness. It's linked to money,
00:01:25 --> 00:01:31 but money doesn't cause it. And you see that because earlier in the Bible, you've got people
00:01:31 --> 00:01:38 like Abraham and Job and David who are fabulously wealthy, but do not have money sickness.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:47 It's also possible to have money sickness, but in fact have very little money. Rich people may not
00:01:47 --> 00:01:55 have it and poor people may have it. The sickness is money centrality. It's a materialism. So I've got
00:01:55 --> 00:02:01 three points that I want to look at today. And the first one is watch out for money blindness.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:09 What sets off this whole teaching on money with Jesus and money and greed is because of this
00:02:09 --> 00:02:14 interaction that Jesus has with this bloke in verse 13. It says,
00:02:14 --> 00:02:30 It's most likely that the older brother in this case has inherited the entire estate from the parents
00:02:30 --> 00:02:37 and he's not wanting to share it. It's probably not the first time that money's caused an issue
00:02:37 --> 00:02:44 when it comes to inheritance, all sorts of family feuds. And so he wants Jesus to make
00:02:44 --> 00:02:54 his older brother pay up as if Jesus is an estate's lawyer. And Jesus refuses, not because it isn't right
00:02:54 --> 00:03:07 that this issue needs to be settled fairly and through the courts if necessary, but because it isn't his mission.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 It's not my focus is what he's getting at.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:16 But then Jesus launches into what is a much deeper issue to deal with.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:25 He sees that there is a heart issue that needs addressing. And you see that because he closes off
00:03:25 --> 00:03:34 this section at the end about where your treasure of your heart is. This family is being torn apart by greed.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:41 His statement in verse 15 is him pinpointing the key issue that needs to be addressed.
00:03:41 --> 00:03:46 It's greed. And he issues a clear warning. He says,
00:03:46 --> 00:03:46 Watch out!
00:03:49 --> 00:03:50 It's like
00:03:50 --> 00:03:55 there's an assumption that's behind this warning.
00:03:55 --> 00:04:06 And the assumption is you can't see the danger. You can't see it.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:17 If you were about to back your car into someone else's car out here in the car park,
00:04:17 --> 00:04:22 and it's in full view, other people are walking by and you see you're just getting closer and
00:04:22 --> 00:04:26 closer and closer. At some point, hopefully, someone will call out, look out!
00:04:26 --> 00:04:36 It's because they're working on the assumption that you haven't seen the car.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:49 Money dis-eases us. It has a power to fool us. And a great deal of the power that money has over us
00:04:49 --> 00:05:00 is it blinds us to the power that it has over us. Blindness to the sickness of money is part of the sickness of money.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:07 Greed is a sin that blinds you to its presence.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:15 Nobody who is greedy thinks they are greedy.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:22 And nowhere in the New Testament do you have Jesus saying,
00:05:22 --> 00:05:23 Watch out!
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 For all kinds of adultery.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:32 Now, it's not because adultery is any less sinful and destructive.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:39 It's because we're blind to greed in a materialism in a way that we're not blind to adultery.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 Greed is more deceptive.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 Jesus doesn't say, Watch out!
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 You might be committing adultery and not know it.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 Of course you know you are.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:55 Of course you know you are.
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 No one thinks greed is their problem.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 But if we take the text of the Bible seriously,
00:06:05 --> 00:06:12 then the first thing we should do this morning
00:06:12 --> 00:06:17 is work on the assumption that we are blind.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 Now, I'm not saying it's necessarily true for you.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:31 I'm saying that the only way to give any credence to what the Bible says
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 is always be checking for it.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 Always looking over your shoulder, looking for it.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 Ask yourself questions about it all the time.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:48 Do you really, really, really need more?
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 Sex might have slain its thousands,
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 but money has slain its tens of thousands.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:05 I've been involved in Christian ministry for over 25 years now,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 and I cannot seriously think of anyone
00:07:08 --> 00:07:12 who has ever come to me in that time
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 to confess they've got a problem with greed and materialism.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:21 In one of the wealthiest countries of the world,
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 at the time of our greatest wealth,
00:07:23 --> 00:07:24 can't think of anyone
00:07:24 --> 00:07:28 who has ever come to me and talked to me about that issue.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:30 Everything else, virtually,
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 but not that one.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 That's why we have to watch for it.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 Secondly, how do we diagnose this money sickness?
00:07:46 --> 00:07:50 What is it, this money sickness, that we're blind to?
00:07:51 --> 00:07:57 Put simply, greed is where money, possessions, wealth,
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 is just too important to us.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:01 That's basically what it is.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:02 Too central to us.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:09 The issue is, how do we know when we've crossed the line?
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 There must be a line somewhere.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 So how do we know when we've crossed that line?
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 And it is an issue for us.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:20 Well, Jesus gives us, in this text,
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 a number of guideposts to help us diagnose
00:08:22 --> 00:08:26 whether we have succumbed to money sickness.
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 First guidepost is in verse 19,
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 where the rich fool says,
00:08:31 --> 00:08:44 What he's doing in that moment
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 is he's boasting in his wealth
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 and his security
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 and, if you like, his retirement.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:52 He's boasting in it.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:53 He's boasting in his possessions
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 and what he has
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 and feeling comfortable with his security.
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 Maybe that's you.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 Another guidepost is worry.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 It's interesting that right after
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 the parable of the rich fool,
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 we have this whole section about worrying.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 And Jesus makes the issue clear in verse 29.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 Do not worry about it.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:27 If we worry about money,
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 worry about our livelihood
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 and food and clothing
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 and living standards,
00:09:31 --> 00:09:35 then we have fixated our heart
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 on material things
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 just like the rich fool.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 Now, it's possible to have money
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 but not to have the sickness.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 But it's also possible to have the sickness
00:09:48 --> 00:09:51 but hardly any money.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:54 Worry.
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 Boasting worry.
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 Third side post is in verse 15
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 where Jesus says,
00:10:01 --> 00:10:05 Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 Now, he's helping us see here
00:10:08 --> 00:10:12 that greed doesn't look the same
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 for every person.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 Greed is different.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 It has different forms and varieties.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:23 For some, their greed is revealed
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 in the spending on clothes and cars
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 and travel and renovations and entertainment.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 Money itself, as we know,
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 is just simply paper
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 or whatever it is that they make it out of nowadays,
00:10:34 --> 00:10:35 some plasticky stuff.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 And metal.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 The value that money has for us
00:10:40 --> 00:10:44 is that we take these bits of paper and metal
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 and we exchange it for what we truly value.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 That's the value we have.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 And when we spend
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 and keep on spending on possessions,
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 then we are looking to those things
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 that we truly value
00:10:58 --> 00:11:01 to get that sense of desirability
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 and acceptability and lovability
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 and awe and experiences
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 rather than looking to God
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 and the knowledge of God
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 and the love of God
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 for our sense of wealth,
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 worth and significance.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 And so the passage says,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 consider the wildflowers.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:21 God is the one who adorns them,
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 not money.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 And as he adorns them
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 with wonder and awe and beauty,
00:11:29 --> 00:11:33 so he is the source of those things for us
00:11:33 --> 00:11:37 because we are much more valuable than they.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 But there are those
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 who look at people spending money
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 on clothes and homes and cars
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 and travel and entertainment
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 and they just sneer at those people
00:11:49 --> 00:11:49 and go,
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 well, there's the greedy ones.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 They think these people
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 are just so greedy
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 and so materialistic.
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 And sometimes these people
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 are proud that they've been wearing
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 and repairing the same pair
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 of underpants for 10 years
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 and they reuse their tea bags
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 and they don't own a mobile phone
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 and they're just so frugal.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 I'm not greedy.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 The ones who are spending money,
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 the greedy ones,
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 instead what they're doing
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 is putting it all away
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 in retirement funds
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 and savings and investments
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 or for a rainy day.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:21 Jesus says,
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 that's just a different kind of greed.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 Just a different kind.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 There's all kinds of greeds.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 If we find it very hard
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 to give money away
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 but very easy to save it,
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 then our bank balance
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 is our source of security.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 We are looking to our bank
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 to give us control
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 in a very, very chaotic
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 and unpredictable world
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 rather than God.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 The rich fool here
00:12:50 --> 00:12:53 stored up his wealth
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 and stored it up
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 more and more and more
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 for the sake of his security.
00:12:58 --> 00:13:02 And the point of this story
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 about the rich fool
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 is it's an illusion.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:10 Money cannot give you security.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 It can't stop tragedy.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 It can't stop broken relationships.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 It can't stop your life
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 and it can't even stop financial ruin.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 It's an illusion.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 Money can't give you security
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 but God can.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 Consider the ravens.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 Consider the ravens.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 They don't have money
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 to give them security
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 but they are well cared for
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 and fed by God
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 day in and day out.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 So greed is where we get
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 beauty and acceptance
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 and security and identity
00:13:48 --> 00:13:53 from great clothes,
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 houses, experiences,
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 instead of God.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 It's where we get control
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 because of great investments
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 instead of God.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 Just different kinds of greed.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 And the fourth guidepost
00:14:09 --> 00:14:09 is verse 30.
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 For the pagan world
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 runs after all such things.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 What this means is
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 the running after them
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 is a sense of being driven.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 I'm driven to get these things.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 It may result in overworking,
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 driving yourself and others
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 around you into the ground
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 to get it.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 Money sickness is where
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 we resent people who've got it,
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 worrying about not having it,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 running off our feet
00:14:43 --> 00:14:43 in order to get it.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 It's where we look to money
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 to give us what only God
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 can give us.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:54 And when we see these signs,
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 it's obvious,
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 really,
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 that a lot of us
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 have got money sickness.
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 If you think it's now possible
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 that you've got at least,
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 you know,
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 you're not in your hospital bed,
00:15:14 --> 00:15:18 but you've got money sickness,
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 then Jesus is suggesting
00:15:22 --> 00:15:25 that your problem
00:15:25 --> 00:15:27 and my problem
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 is a lot more
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 than just a
00:15:29 --> 00:15:32 not feeling great today.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 It's a much deeper issue
00:15:35 --> 00:15:35 than that.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 We are blind
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 to how big
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 this issue is.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 So how do we recover from it?
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 I've got two ways
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 that we recover from it.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 The first solution
00:15:50 --> 00:15:53 is to have a radical experience
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 of the grace of God
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 in the Lord Jesus.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:57 Hopefully,
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 you've picked that up
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 in the last number of weeks.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 We have constantly heard
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 that the gospel
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 is the solution.
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 Jesus himself
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 is the solution to this.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 And we need to,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 as I said last week,
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 keep driving,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 driving it in
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 again and again,
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 driving the gospel
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 of the Lord Jesus Christ
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 into our hearts
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 again and again.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 It's no different today.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 We have to keep coming back
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 to God's grace
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 to us in Jesus
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 and savoring his gospel
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 to us again
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 and again
00:16:25 --> 00:16:25 and again
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 and again.
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 And can I say,
00:16:30 --> 00:16:30 sorry,
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 translators,
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 you may have been
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 sitting in church
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 for 30 years
00:16:38 --> 00:16:42 but you have not
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 been driving
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 the gospel
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 of God's grace
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 into your heart.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 Just gathering,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 doing your thing,
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 giving 10%,
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 just settled with that.
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 You need to have
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 a fresh experience
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 of God's grace.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 We need to see Jesus,
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 what he's done
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 for us on the cross
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 again
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 and again
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 and again
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 until he becomes
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 our greatest treasure.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 We need to preach
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 the gospel to ourselves
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 every single day.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 And God's grace to us
00:17:16 --> 00:17:16 is again here
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 in this passage.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 Notice that Jesus
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 doesn't say here,
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 as he did
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 with the rich young ruler,
00:17:24 --> 00:17:27 that if you sell
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 all your possessions,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 give them to the poor,
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 then God will forgive
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 your sins
00:17:32 --> 00:17:32 and let you
00:17:32 --> 00:17:32 into his kingdom.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 He doesn't say that.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 What he says
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 is in verse 32,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 do not be afraid,
00:17:40 --> 00:17:40 little flock.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 I love it
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 when he says that.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 Do not be afraid
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 because he knows
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 that he says
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 don't trust money,
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 trust me instead
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 with everything in life.
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 Our first instinct
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 is
00:17:50 --> 00:17:53 fear.
00:17:53 --> 00:17:57 fear is the response.
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 He says,
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 do not be afraid,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 little flock,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 for your father
00:18:01 --> 00:18:03 has been pleased
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 to give you the kingdom.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 Sell your possessions
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 and give to the poor,
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 provide purses
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 for yourselves
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 that will not wear out,
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 a treasure in heaven
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 that will never fail,
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 where no thief
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 comes near
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 and no moth
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 destroys.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 The order
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 is crucial.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 The little flock
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 have been given
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 the kingdom
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 apart from
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 any effort
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 on their behalf.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 When we see
00:18:32 --> 00:18:34 that we start,
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 when we see that,
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 when we see
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 that we have it first,
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 we start to become
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 free to give
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 in radical ways.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 And Jesus says
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 a similar thing
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 in verse 21.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 This is how
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 it will be
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 with whoever
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 stores up things
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 for themselves
00:18:48 --> 00:18:50 but is not
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 rich towards God.
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 Rich toward God
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 means
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 counting God
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 of greater worth
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 than anything
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 in this world.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 Rich toward God
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 means using
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 earthly riches
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 to show
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 him,
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 the world,
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 our own hearts,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 how much
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 we value God.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 And this is what
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 the prosperous farmer
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 failed to do.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 And the result is
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 God calls him
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 a fool
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 and he lost
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 his soul.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 A fool.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 Jesus considers
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 money hazardous.
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 It lures us
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 out of love
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 for God.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 It lures us
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 away from
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 treasuring Jesus
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 above everything else.
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 The issue here
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 isn't that this
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 man,
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 this rich fool's
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 land was
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 prosperous.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 It's just
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 that God
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 ceased to be
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 his supreme
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 treasure.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 Anyone who
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 stores up
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 things
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 rather than
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 giving it away,
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 they do it
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 because they're
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 not rich
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 towards God.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 It's a lack
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 of inner
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 wealth.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 If you
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 worry about
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 money,
00:20:07 --> 00:20:09 you're resentful
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 towards those
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 who have
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 money,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 running after
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 money,
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 hoarding it.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 It's simply
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 because Jesus
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 says you're
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 not rich
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 towards God.
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 There is a
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 lack of
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 inner wealth.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 What I mean
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 by this is
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 basically what
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 1 Peter 2
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 verse 9
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 says,
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 but you
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 are a
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 chosen people
00:20:34 --> 00:20:36 a royal
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 priesthood,
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 a holy
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 nation,
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 God's
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 special
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 possession,
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 which literally
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 means in the
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 original language,
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 you are God's
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 treasure.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 What do you get
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 the person who
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 has everything?
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 everything?
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 What sort of
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 gift would
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 cause the
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 person with
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 billions and
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 billions of
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 dollars to
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 go,
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 wow?
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 Well,
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 that's God's
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 question.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 What do you
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 give him
00:21:18 --> 00:21:20 who's got
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 everything?
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 literally,
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 absolutely,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 everything is
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 his.
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 What do you
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 give him?
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 Peter is
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 saying here
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 that with
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 everything he
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 possesses,
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 his people,
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 his disciples,
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 the ones who
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 trusted the
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 Lord Jesus
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 Christ,
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 are his
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 greatest
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 treasure.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 That's what
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 it's saying.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 God
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 treasures
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 us.
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 That is a
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 life-transforming
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 truth.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 It's a
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 life-transforming
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 truth that's
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 confirmed in
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 2 Corinthians
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 chapter 8
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 verses 7
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 and 9.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 See that you
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 excel in the
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 grace of giving,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 for you know
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 the grace of
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 our Lord Jesus
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 Christ, that
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 though he was
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 rich, yet for
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 your sake he
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 became poor,
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 so that you
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 through his
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 poverty might
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 become rich.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:19 Paul doesn't
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 say that if
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 you give your
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 wealth away to
00:22:20 --> 00:22:22 God, God
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 will give you
00:22:22 --> 00:22:25 eternal wealth.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 He says that
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 you will never
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 be free,
00:22:31 --> 00:22:33 never be free
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 of eternal
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 treasure,
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 sorry, of
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 earthly treasure
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 until we see
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 that God has
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 given us eternal
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 treasure as a
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 free gift.
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 His eternal
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 treasure is
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 Jesus.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 And when he
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 came to
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 earth, Jesus
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 quite literally
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 lived in
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 poverty.
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 He said he
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 didn't even have
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 a place to
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 lay his head
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 as a grown
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 man.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 And this is
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 just a small
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 glimpse, just a
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 small glimpse of
00:23:02 --> 00:23:04 the much, much,
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 much deeper
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 poverty that he
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 endured on the
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 cross for us.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 He did
00:23:10 --> 00:23:12 exactly what he
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 is asking us
00:23:13 --> 00:23:15 to do here
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 at the end
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 of Luke 12.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 He's already
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 gone before us
00:23:20 --> 00:23:20 and done it.
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 He's fulfilled
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 it for us.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 He is the
00:23:23 --> 00:23:23 richest one.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 He lost
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 everything for
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 the poorest
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 ones.
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 He did it to
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 pay for our
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 sins on the
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 cross.
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 And the
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 inner wealth
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 comes to
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35 us when we
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 know that we
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 have been
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 treasured
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 treasured
00:23:38 --> 00:23:40 by the
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 treasure
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 worthy.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 He was
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 willing to
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 give up and
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 pay anything
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 to treasure
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 us.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 Every single
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 one of us
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 sitting in this
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 room right now
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 as everyone
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 who's outside
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 this room
00:24:00 --> 00:24:02 has something
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 that they
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 treasure at the
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 center of their
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 heart.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:05 Every single
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 one of us
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 there is
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 something that
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 we treasure
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 that we
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 look to
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 consistently
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 for our
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 security,
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 for our
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 approval,
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 for our
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 significance.
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 The way you
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 know it's
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 there and
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 what it is
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 specifically
00:24:17 --> 00:24:19 is when
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 someone
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 challenges it
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 in your
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 heart,
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 it will
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 result in
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 anger.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 You'll
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 want to
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 defend your
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 treasure.
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 Every single
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 one of us
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 has those
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 treasures that
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 will demand
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 us.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 We will
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 surrender
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 for it.
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 This
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 treasure
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 drives us
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 to run
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 after it
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 consistently.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 In fact,
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 we will
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 die in
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 order.
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 In fact,
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 that's what
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 it calls
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 us to
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 do.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 It runs
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 us into
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 the ground
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49 and requires
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 of us to
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 die for
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 it.
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 And Jesus
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 is the only
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 treasure who
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 dies to
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 purchase us.
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 The treasures
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 of our
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 heart drive
00:25:01 --> 00:25:03 us to
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 surrender and
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 sacrifice
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 absolutely
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 everything in
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 order to
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 achieve it.
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 And yet
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 Jesus is the
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 only one who
00:25:10 --> 00:25:12 dies so
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 that we
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 might be
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 his treasure.
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 See that
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 he has
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 treasured
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 you.
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 See how
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 he has
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 treasured
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 you.
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 And then
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 you'll be
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 free from
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 money,
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 blindness,
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 and sickness.
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 You need a
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 radical experience
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 of God's
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 grace.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 grace.
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 You also,
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 there's one
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 more thing
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 to add
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 here.
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 It's also
00:25:41 --> 00:25:43 crucial to
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 be a
00:25:44 --> 00:25:46 member of
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 a radically
00:25:47 --> 00:25:49 grace-changed
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 community.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 See this
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 back in
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 verse 32.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 Have a look
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 at this.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 Do not
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 be afraid,
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 little
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 flock,
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 for your
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 father has
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 been pleased
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 to give
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 you the
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 kingdom.
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 This is
00:26:03 --> 00:26:05 in a
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 moment of
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 fear and
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 worry which
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 strikes it
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 whenever we
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 think about
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 money and
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 stuff and
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 handing over
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 to God
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 instead.
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 This verse
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 is such a
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 tender verse.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 God knows
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 that we are
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 scared to
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 trust him.
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 We're scared
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 to live like
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 this, too
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 scared to
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 step out and
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 trust him and
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 to give our
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 money away.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 He calls us
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 not to be
00:26:27 --> 00:26:29 afraid and
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 to remember
00:26:29 --> 00:26:31 that we get
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 to call God
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 our father and
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 we are his
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 little flock.
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 But notice
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 that this
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 promise here,
00:26:40 --> 00:26:42 this promise
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 to give the
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45 kingdom is a
00:26:45 --> 00:26:47 plural promise.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 Little
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 flock.
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 For those of
00:26:53 --> 00:26:53 us who are
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 Westerners,
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 Christians think
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 so much as
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 individuals,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 that's not
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 what's happening
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 here.
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 There's a
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 place in
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 Mark chapter
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 10 where
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 Jesus spells
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 it out just
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 a little bit
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 more detail
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 for us what
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 he's referring
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 to here.
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 The rich
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 young ruler
00:27:08 --> 00:27:10 walks away
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 too afraid to
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 trust Jesus
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 with his
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 wealth.
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 And at that
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 point,
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 his disciple
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 Peter pipes
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 up and he
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 says,
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 we've left
00:27:17 --> 00:27:17 everything to
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 follow you.
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 And then
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 Jesus says,
00:27:19 --> 00:27:21 no one
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 who has
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 left home
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 or brothers
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 or sisters
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 or mother
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 or father
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 or children
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 or fields
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 for me
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 and the
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 gospel
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 will fail
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 to receive
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 a hundred
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 times as
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 much in
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 his present
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 age.
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 homes,
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 brothers,
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 sisters,
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 mothers,
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 children and
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 fields along
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 with persecutions
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 and in the
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 age to
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 come eternal
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 life.
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 What's
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 getting at
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 there,
00:27:44 --> 00:27:44 what's
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 referring to
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 here in
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 God providing
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 for our
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 needs is
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 that in
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 the Christian
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 community you
00:27:50 --> 00:27:50 get a new
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 family,
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 you get new
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 relationships,
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 you get eternal
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 relationships.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 We will
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 love each
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 other forever.
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 Forever.
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 If you're
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 struggling to
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 love me
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 now,
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 you won't
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 in heaven.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 Isn't that
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 good news
00:28:08 --> 00:28:10 for me?
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 But there's
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 also a
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 tendency I
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 think to
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 forget the
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 bit in
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 this passage
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 in Mark
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 10 about
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 the fields
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 and the
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 homes.
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 Try to
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 explain that
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 away a
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 little bit.
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 But in
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 Mark 10
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 and Luke
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 12,
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 along with
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 the new
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 community of
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 relationships,
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 comes
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 homes and
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 fields.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 And we
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 must not
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 read these
00:28:38 --> 00:28:40 terms any
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 differently than
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 we read the
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 brothers, the
00:28:43 --> 00:28:43 sisters, the
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 mothers and the
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 children in this
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 passage.
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 You can't read
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 any differently.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 That would be a
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 major error in
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 biblical
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 interpretation.
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 Jesus' view
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 is that in the
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 new community of
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 grace,
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 we not only
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 share and
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 engage with
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 one another's
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 families,
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 but we
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 also share
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 and engage
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 in one
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 another's
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 homes and
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 possessions.
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 You see
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 this in the
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 book of Acts
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 in the early
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 church.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 And the
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 reason
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 Christians in
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 Mark 10
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 and Luke
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 12 are
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 free to
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 give away
00:29:19 --> 00:29:21 money when
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 needs are
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 evident is
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 because it
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 is an
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 assumption in
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 those passages
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 that they're
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 part of a
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 community
00:29:29 --> 00:29:31 that will
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 do for
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 them as
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 they do
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 for others.
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 That's the
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 assumption in
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 those passages.
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 That's the
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 assumption of
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 the new
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 community.
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 We need
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 to be a
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 community
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 that is
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 so humbled
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 our pride
00:29:46 --> 00:29:48 that we are
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 willing to
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 let people
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 know when
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 we've got a
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 need.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 And we
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 need to be a
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 community where
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 the grace of
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 God has so
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 transformed us
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59 that our
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 money sickness
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 is disappearing.
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 A community
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 that gives,
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 shares,
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 receives.
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 We have a
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 long way to
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 go before we
00:30:09 --> 00:30:11 really become
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 this kind of
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 grace-filled
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 little flock.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 But the
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 point here
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 for us
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 today is
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 get a
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 vision for
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 using your
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 wealth.
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 with
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 eternity in
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 mind.
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 To be a
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 community of
00:30:30 --> 00:30:32 love and
00:30:32 --> 00:30:34 sharing in
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 such a way
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 that we
00:30:36 --> 00:30:38 reveal that
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 Jesus truly
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 is our
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 greatest
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 treasure.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 And the
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 solution to
00:30:46 --> 00:30:48 that is
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 keep looking
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 to Jesus,
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 our great
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 treasure.
00:30:50 --> 00:30:52 love and
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 love and
00:30:52 --> 00:30:54 love and
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 love.
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 The heavenly
00:30:55 --> 00:30:57 vision is
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 a hymn that
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 was written
00:30:59 --> 00:31:01 in 1922 by
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 Helen Lamelle.
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 It's more
00:31:03 --> 00:31:05 widely known by
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 the first line
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 of its chorus
00:31:06 --> 00:31:17 and it sums up the thrust of this whole series on wealth in purpose, wealth with purpose.
00:31:18 --> 00:31:23 Wealth, possessions, money and riches with eternity in mind.
00:31:25 --> 00:31:28 Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
00:31:28 --> 00:31:31 Look full in his wonderful face
00:31:31 --> 00:31:38 and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
00:31:41 --> 00:31:44 One of the things we get to do this morning
00:31:44 --> 00:31:47 to remind ourselves of God's grace to us in the Lord Jesus
00:31:47 --> 00:31:50 is to share in the Lord's Supper together.
00:31:51 --> 00:31:55 I think it's a great way to focus again that Jesus is our greatest treasure.
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 We have these two elements.
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 Let's see if I can navigate this.
00:31:59 --> 00:32:01 We have these two elements.