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June 21, 2015
*Intro* – Life is very temporary.
A 19th century American tourist visited Polish rabbi Hofetz Chaim.
Astonished at the simple home he found – a single room filled with books, a table and bench, the tourist asked, “Rabbi, where is your furniture?”
“Where is yours?”
asked the rabbi.
The American replied, “Mine?
But I am a visitor here.
I am only passing through.”
“So am I,” replied the rabbi.
And so are we all.
But you’d never know it by how we live.
Our actions often say, “Life is stuff.”
Jesus begs to differ.
V. 15, “for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Life isn’t stuff.
We’ve entitled this series (13-21) “Money matters” because we get great insight into Jesus’ teaching on money here.
5 parts to this little vignette.
*I.
The Inquiry (13)* – Last week we saw that as Jesus was teaching with urgency on life and death matters, some lightweight interrupts, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus’ message means nothing.
He wants to use Jesus to straighten out his brother.
He is fixated on some 20-30 year portion of his eternal existence.
He’s a fool – using Jesus instead of worshiping Him.
Subtle but huge difference.
*II.
The Indictment (14)* – Thus Jesus rebukes his short-sightedness.
Jesus didn’t come to give us what we think will make our lives; He has come to be our life.
His claims force us to a decision point, and that is what He is doing here.
That leads to the next 3 parts of this account.
*III.
The Instruction (15)*
15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Here is the key phrase in the whole passage: “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
“Life isn’t stuff.”
Jesus warns, “Guard against covetousness.”
You are responsible.
Don’t let this dominate.
The root word in covetousness is “to have”.
To have what?
Just, to have.
That is the heart of covetousness.
It wants to have.
Whatever it already has, it wants to have more.
It’s a thirst that is never quenched.
It is like a man on the ocean who is dying of thirst.
He drinks the only thing available – the salty ocean water.
That only makes him more thirsty.
So he drinks again and again until his thirst kills him.
That’s how covetousness destroys.
Ecc 5:10: “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money.”
No matter how much he gets, he will always want more.
Why? Paul tells us in Col 3:5, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
No wonder covetousness kills.
It’s an idol – something we love more than God – and idols always promise what they cannot deliver and eventually kill.
Covetousness is a fool’s game.
Now Jesus didn’t tell us this to make us unhappy.
But He wants us to understand reality – not live against unreal conditions.
Listen!
Covetousness is insidious bc we don’t see it in ourselves.
We are blind to it.
St. Francis of Assisi said, “Men have confessed to me every known sin -- except the sin of covetousness.”
Money sickness hides inside us, like cancer cells that lie dormant the body for years before they strike!
So Jesus says, “Watch out!
Be on your guard against all covetousness.”
Send in a “seek and destroy” mission against hidden covetousness cells.
It’s lurking.
Jesus never says, “Watch out!
Be on guard against adultery.”
Why?
Because it’s not as destructive as greed?
No. It’s because adultery isn’t as deceptive as greed.
You know when you are committing adultery – outwardly or in your mind.
You know.
But you almost never know when you’ve gotten into the equally soul-destroying sin of greed, money sickness.
We see it in others; we’re blind to it in ourselves.
Tim Keller tells of doing a series of weekly sermons on the 7 deadly sins.
His wife said, “You watch.
The lowest attendance will be for greed.”
Keller says, “She was right.
They said, ‘Pride – oh, I do that.
Lust – yeah.’
They even came out for sloth, which amazed me.
But not greed.
Why?
Not because they were resentful.
They just said, ‘Not me.
Moi materialistic?
Not me.”
It’s hides from us, but it’s there!We have to smoke it out before it’s too late!
Our affluence hides our greed.
We must always question: Do you really need that?
Do you really need more?
Could we live more simply?
Am I comparing with others?
Is this what God wants us to do with His money?
It is His, after all.
We’re just stewards.
Jesus gives perspective: “for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Ζοε.
Εssence of life.
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