Source Material - Why Great Men Fall, Wayde Goodall
Seven Deadly Vices, Graham Tomlin
Glittering Vices, Rebecca DeYoung
The Lord has impressed me to talk with you about Monsters that Threaten your effectiveness, your peace, and your safety as a follower of Christ. In this series I have talked about Fear. Last week, I spoke about dealing with Lust. I included a line I probably should have left out... “Life is hard and then you die!” It is true that life can be difficult and it is equally true that we are 100% mortal. However, life is also rich with God’s blessings and death opens the door to the Presence of God where there is joy forevermore!
So, let’s consider another monster that threatens...
Greed - Can we escape it?
Godly people have always been of two minds about material possessions. We know we need a home, a car, money to support our families, to make the machine of life operate. But we also know that there is something called, ‘too much.’ But how do we define ‘too much’ or another to ask it is, ‘what is enough?’ We somehow know that greed is defined at that boundary, but it is hard to find it, isn’t it?
There is another problem we grapple with in our consideration of our possessions. Is it good to have them?
There is often a false division created between the physical and the spiritual, as though we must be one or the other. Some Christian teaching implies that if we are really spiritual we won’t care about money, or sex, or food, or our house. This ignores two important facts:
first, God created us as physical beings; and
second, He looked at what He created and said, “It is good!”
Paul was very direct in his criticism of those who wrongly made the Christian life into an experience of deprivation.
"Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." (1 Timothy 4:2-5, NIV)
Spirituality and physicality cannot be separated! Indeed, in this life the expression of my spirituality, my relationship with Christ, is demonstrated by how I use things; the way I prioritize my love of things, people, and God.
Jesus recognizes this interplay between the physical and spiritual when He was tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread. He defeated the devil by quoting the Word which says, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, NIV)
Attempting a spirituality that ignores or marginalizes the physical world in which we live will surely lead to something other than what God planned!
For ex. As I preached last week, if my sexuality is sanctified, that is, dedicated to God, I don’t have become a celibate priest to please Him, but I do have to observe the commandments of the Scripture about sexuality.
So, I hope I do not leave you with the impression that true spirituality is only possible if you are prepared to live in poverty. As we talk about our ‘stuff’ today, I pray that the Word and Spirit will show us the way to use it and enjoy it, without loving or worshipping it!
Our text is particularly applicable to us, who live in the richest society that has ever existed. As I read it, I pray you will hear a challenge and a promise.
TEXT - 1 Timothy 6:17-19 PB 1851
{READ from NIV.... then the following}
"Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life." (1 Timothy 6:17-19, NLT)
What a holistic attitude toward possessions. If we adopted it, we would surely spare ourselves much grief, wouldn’t we?
The temptation to ‘more’ is common and persistent, isn’t it? I feel it from time to time, though I have everything a man could possibly need and much more.
While reading the newspaper this week, I came to a story about a corrections officer from the women’s prison in Clinton. The reporter took note of her salary, and so did I! Then a little voice in my brain said, “Look at that! She’s makes a significantly higher salary than you do! Isn’t what you do more important than what she does?”
The subtle temptation greed was beckoning me. I refused it for two reasons.
The first is that I know that measuring the worth of what a person does by the money he earns is a silly exercise. If that were a true measure, then QB Ben Roethlisberger must be one of the most important men in the world because his compensation package is in excess of $25million! Tom Brady, QB of the NE Patriots, has a base salary of $5Million for this one season alone! Does this mean they are worth more than you are or I am in the scheme of life? Not at all. It just means that their skills can produce a great deal of money for the team owners and therefore they are paid a lot of money!
Secondly, I know the end of that temptation is discontent and a loss of my peace.
So, what is GREED?
Greed is: wanting more simply for the sake of having more, even it means taking from another,
or destroying someone or something to own more.
Greed used to be called ‘avarice’ which is defined as ‘an excessive love of or desire for money and/or any possession that money can buy.’ - Glittering Vices.
Greed is a problem for Christians because of what it does both to society and individuals. That passage which is quoted on the cover of your bulletin needs to be committed to memory. It is often quoted, incorrectly, by people. Money is not the root of evil. Here’s what the Word actually says:
"The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:10, NIV)
∙ Greed led us directly to the current economic crisis that has America by the throat. I am not a moneyman but I can understand enough of what happened to know that the greed of a very few created schemes that sucked the vitality from our monetary systems over just a few years time!
∙ Avarice created Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme. Bernie was a respected investor. If he done his work and been content with realistic returns, it is likely that his skills could have created wealth for many. But, he got greedy and wanted more. He started lying to his investors and soon created a scheme that promised high rates of returns. That desire for ‘more’ caused thousands of people to put millions of dollars in his firm. Today, they will be fortunate to receive pennies on the dollar, if anything.
∙ Greed destroys families that fight over the estate Dad leaves behind, though none of them were living on it prior to his death.
∙ Avarice destroys gamblers who continue to believe a lie that the next hand, the next ticket, will be the one that brings the big pay-off!
∙ Greed drives a person to work 80 hours a week, to build wealth for the family he never sees, who will spend it without remembering him when he is dead!
So, how do we overcome this temptation, defeating the monster of greed?
The first step, as with all temptation, is to experience the renewal of the Spirit of God that leads to a transformed heart and mind. There is no victory over sin or temptation apart from the intervention of God’s grace through Christ Jesus. This is the tragedy of our depravity. We are ‘sold under the slavery of sin!’ All human remedies are, at best, partial.
Education is great, but without God’s Spirit, only creates a more clever sinner.
Religion provides some motivation for change, but in its extreme, only produces hypocrites who
aspire to better lives than they can possibly live.
Government may restrain sin’s impulse, but even those who govern are flawed, and their efforts
fall short of changing a person’s character.
Self-disciplines helps, but it is commonly acknowledged that ‘every man has his price’ which reveals the weakness of solely depending on our own strength to curb our sin.
Second step is to know ourselves well!
Most of us have only the most vague idea about how much we actually spend on ourselves. Sure, we know about the car payment, the mortgage, the electric bill, the student loan. But, do we know how much we spend at Dunkin’ Donuts or in the mall? If we actually knew how much money was flowing through our hands for things that were not necessary, it may sober us about our spending habits.
My Dad used to caution me about controlling spending with an old farmer’s proverb- “Watch the pennies and the mice!” Rodents, left unchecked on the farm, could consume a significant percentage of the crop, though at a rate that was almost imperceptible, at first.
Budgets are usually wrecked by small expenditures, which create a kind of greed addiction, which leads to overspending on big ticket items, which causes overwhelming debt, which puts us in slavery to our creditors! The ancient wisdom of the Word is timely! "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." (Proverbs 22:7, NIV)
Third, practice the Sabbath principle found in the Scripture!
Graham Tomlin writes,
“Once a week, Christians take a day of rest to do as little as possible: a day when we focus on God’s goodness, our family, our friends, and enjoyment instead of on what we can achieve or earn. Sabbath is a crucial antidote to greed because it is a weekly reminder that the purpose of life is not career, work, money, deals, degrees, and all the other things we fret over. It is enjoyment of God and the good things He’s given to us..... it is more than a day off to prepare for the week ahead... The business week builds to the climax -the day when we enjoy God and His creation which is what we are here for.” - Seven Deadly Sins
Fourth, adopt the discipline of fasting from time to time.
Commonly we think of fasting as only having to do with food, but we learn from the Bible that one can fast (that is, give up) many ways.
Create work-free days, when you fast all productive activity!
Create mall-free months, when you commit to no spending outside of purchasing life’s basic necessities.
Fast reading advertising material for a week, or
even go radical and fast TV and its endless commercials for a week.
Connected closely with this choice is one that is very similar, be generous by intent!
Generosity is the best way to break the hold of possessions. Don’t just give away your junk. Occasionally give away a treasure. The pain you feel when you do will be in direct proportion to your attachment to that thing.
Plan your charity. Don’t wait for pitiful pictures of sick or starving children to pry a few dollars from your hands.
Follow the Scriptural pattern of tithes and offerings. Build the tithe into your budget and present it to the Lord as part of your worship. Then, allow the Spirit to prompt offerings - a $5 to the hungry man on the street, a $100 to the student in need, etc.
In her book, Glittering Vices, Rebecca DeYoung makes this insight observation. “The point of tithing is not to rigidly conform to a code of behavior, but to reform our hearts so that we learn to give, from gratitude and joy and love. Altho’ many disciplines (including tithing) feel burdensome and difficult at the outset, what we realize over time is that we are traveling lighter and breathing more easily. ... It yields freedom, lightness, and joy.”
What most of us fail to understand is that acquiring additional wealth or more possessions requires more time and energy for management! Wealth does not bring us freedom from care. It actually increases our burden.
An ancient monk named Evagrius of Pontus said, “A monk with many possessions is like a heavily laden boat that easily sinks in a sea storm. Just as a leaky ship is submerged by each wave, so the person with many possessions is awash with his concerns.” as quoted in Glittering Vices, Rebecca DeYoung
Close –
Money, dear friend, is America’s god! Shopping is akin to a national religion. The wry statement- “He who dies with the most toys, wins!” may be stated as a joke, but for many it is a basic principle.
Here’s what I want us to know today:
∙ God blesses us and we receive His gifts with thanksgiving.
∙ With blessing comes responsibility of management and in the end,
∙ we will ALL give an accounting to Him for the way we spent our resources of time, money, and opportunities.
∙
I want to find a commendation from Him in that holy moment. I want to know that I have enjoyed His blessings, maximized the returns for His kingdom, and built an amazing reward in heaven, don’t you?
So break greed’s hold, defeat the monster...
- by experiencing daily grace in intimacy with the Spirit,
- by knowing yourself well,
- by practicing the “Sabbath” principle,
- by fasting periodically,
- by giving generously by intent!
Here’s the wisdom of God, which I read as I began today. Hear it again. "Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life." (1 Timothy 6:17-19, NLT)
Amen
Jerry D. Scott, 2009