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*Hard Sayings of Jesus, II (Inscription 47)*
*Sell Your Possessions *
*Luke 12:22-34*
*/April 10, 2011/*
Intro~/Communication card:
· Spring Cleaning
· Reading
Prayer
*Scripture reading: Luke 12:22-34 (Michael Pompeo)*
hyperbole, please?
“Sell your possessions;” this really is a “*Hard* *Saying*.”
But if you were here last week and remember the *hermeneutics* lesson, you are probably thinking, It’s *hyperbole*, right?”
Nope, he meant “sell your stuff,” there are no verses demonstrating he thought otherwise, to the *contrary*, the danger of wealth is a pretty *frequent* *theme* in Luke.
Okay, so it’s just for the *disciples*, right?
Not unless you also want to say, “Don’t be *anxious*” was only for them.
Nope, this for anyone who is a follower of Jesus.
Are vacations a sin?
Q Can you tell I’ve tried to think my *way* *out* of this one?
Like some of you, I grew in church and there seemed to be this underlying thought that *spending* *money* on *yourself* was less than *holy*.
If you were /really/ righteous, you’d take a *vow* of *poverty*.
Q Have you ever felt guilty for buying a *nice* car?
Is it really godly to buy a car when people are *starving* in *Africa*?
Q How about taking a *vacation*?
· Half the reason I chose this passage to preach on is that *I* *needed* to figure out what Jesus was talking about.
So here’s the *short* *version*, Jesus is really telling you and I that we need to *sell* our *possessions* and give to the *poor*.
Spoiler alert
Part of me (the bad part) wants to *string* you *along* and let you *worry* I’m going to tell you to sell everything and take vow of poverty.
But I realized that if I did that, you would spend the whole sermon thinking up *counterarguments* and you would miss the *point* of Jesus message.
So here is the spoiler:
Jesus *does* tell us to sell our stuff, but he *doesn’t* tell us to sell all of your possessions.
He did tell the “*Rich* *Young* *Ruler*” to do that, specifically saying “Sell everything.”
(Luke 18:22).
But when *Zacchaeus* said he would sell half of his possessions, Jesus didn’t say “Only half?” (Luke 19:8-10).
And throughout the Bible it is clear that the believers had possessions
· Yes, *some* Christians are called to lives of *poverty*; that is one calling, *different* than mine, but *not* hi*g*her.
A vow of poverty is no more righteous than a life of *rich* *generosity*; it is *better* in some ways, *worse* in others.
St. Francis of Assisi was called to poverty, and did great things.
· Beware *romanticizing* or *idealizing* that calling.
Of course, for many of us, that is not a problem; you hope God calls you to a vow of being *really* *rich*, and you keep buying lotto tickets just in case.
Don’t check out
Jesus’ point isn’t “stuff is *bad* and you have to give it away.”
· His point is “*worry* *less* about the *stuff* of this *life* and more about the *stuff* of *Heaven*; don’t be so tied to this life.”
This entire passage works towards this one idea “Where your *treasure* is, there your heart will be also,” and he wants our hearts in *Heaven*, in God himself.
This idea of *simplifying* and living on less is in *vogue* now.
You have shows like “*Clean* *Sweep*” and “*Hoarders*,” and we are starting to see the value of living with less.
But I am giving you a higher reason than the *Zen* of *space*, or *whatever*.
This is about *re*-*orientating* yourself to Heaven.
· My objective is to challenge you to *treasure* *possessions* less and *God* *more*, to live on *less* and *give* *more*.
To get there, we’ll have to deal with *deeper* *issues*, because stuff is never about *cars*, *clothes*, bank *accounts*.
It’s about things like how you *view* *God* and who’s really *in* *charge*.
A rich fool
Let’s look at the *context*: Jesus tells this parable of the *Rich* *Fool*.
He has a really good harvest, and rather than thanking God and sharing his bounty, he decides to live it up.
It’s like he just won a $50,000 *shopping* *spree* at Wal-Mart.
He’s got far more stuff than he knows what to do with.
He can’t fit it all in his house.
He makes *Hoarders* look like amateurs.
Q So what does he do?
Look at his *neighbors* who are literally on the edge of *starvation* and share with them?
No, he goes down to “*Storage*-*R-Us*” and rents half the place out, and says, “Ah, now I can kick back and enjoy life.”
God says to him, “You idiot – I gave you that shopping spree to take care of your neighbors.
You should have said, ‘Oh, Martha could use this, Mary needs this.’
Instead you got *4 blenders* sitting in your storage unit.
blender would be fine, but not 4.”
· “It was *your* *job* to bless others with my stuff, but you *failed*.
You’re *fired*.”
And the guy drops down dead.
TYRANNY of the urgent
There are *two* *big* *obstacles* to making Heaven our treasure, and the *first* one is the *struggles* and *worries* of ever*y*day *life*.
*NIV Luke 12:22-23* ¶ Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.
23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
We get this; we know that *life* is more important than *food* or *clothes*.
We know that those things are *temporary* and our souls are *eternal*.
· Human nature is that we sort our *priorities* more by what most *urgent* than what’s most *important*.
Q Which do you pay more attention to, your *gas* *gauge* or check *engine* *light*?
For most of us, it’s the gas gauge.
If you run out of *fuel*, you *stop*.
But that light may stay on for a while, and we can ignore it until it is *too* *late*.
· Jesus is saying don’t be so caught up in the *urgent* that you *neglect* the *important*.
Q How many times *this* *morning* have you been distracted from worship or the sermon by these sort of things?
· /Is there going to be anything I like at /*potluck*/?
/
· /How many /*calories*/ was that latte?
(Not fear of Jesus’ day)/
· /Do these /*jeans*/ make me look fat?
How will I /*pay*/ for them?
/
If I were to *ask* you who is more important, you would say *worshiping* God and studying his *Word*, but you are putting your *energy* into the *temporal* *things* instead.
But that is *easier* *said* than *done* because if you *don’t* *eat*, you will notice it.
You walk *around* *naked*, it will get noticed, you’ll get you thrown in jail.
But many of you are *facing* *serious* problems.
You wish your jean size was your biggest problem.
There is some *worry* *eating* *away* at you, whenever your *thoughts* *wander*, they come back to it.
Q How do we stop worrying about all the *anxieties* of *life*?
24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them.
And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 Consider how the lilies grow.
They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
Q How do *you* *hear* “how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith”?
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