Taking Out The Trash Part 5

“Today’s stinky, rotting trash: Greed”

Introducion

Matthew 23:25-28.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

So Far…

-         Letting go of hurt

-         Getting rid of an unforgiving heart

-         Overcoming anger in your life

Why have we looked at these two things and why do we continue to look within ourselves?

-         We must focus on the inside if the outside is to become clean

-         We must take what is hidden inside us, in the dark part of us, lurking in the shadows and we must bring these things out into the light

Today:  Greed

What is Greed?

          Greed says “I owe me”

          Show video clip of Madame Blueberry when her tree house gets full and breaks?

Greedy people think they deserve every good thing that comes there way and every good thing that could possibly come there way.  Sometimes they think this way about their kids too…which in turn is raising themselves up in an environment where they think that way of thinking is normal.

Ever heard the expression, “What is mine is mine and what’s your is mine too?”

          Most of us have an excuse why we are greedy…

o       I was poor growing up

o       I don’t want to be poor again

o       The economy is getting worse, I better be prepared by hoarding everything

Greed is not about money alone

Greed is a heart issue. 

Greed is when our heart put more of an emphasis on stuff than it does on people.

          It is when our life is measured by how much stuff we have

Stuff can also include

·        Positions

o       positions of control

§        I deserve that better position, that raise, I should be the one in charge

·        Places

o       My home

§        I want to live here and only here,

o       This is my church and no one can take it from me

o       How dare they sit in my seat in the church

o       They took my parking spot

§        Didn’t they see I had my blinker on?)

·        Recognition

o       I want people to see what I did,

·        Time

o       I want to use my time on me

§        Most people only go to church if they don’t have anything else going on, as if it is a burden instead of a source of strength and refreshment

!!!I want, I want, I want!!!!

Greed says someone owes me something in return

-         I give money and things to the church, therefore, I have ownership in the church

§        (In loving memory of…)

o       Not only do I have ownership in the church, but I own it, it is here for me, it is yet another thing I collect and use for my own pleasure

!!!Church is about me, me, me!!!

!!!Greed is about me, me, me!!!

Read Luke 12:13-15

Jesus saw this man’s heart and he saw greed.  (The man wanted his brother’s money)

Jesus also saw the heart of the man with the money and He saw greed. (He had the money and did not want to share.  He wanted it all for himself).

(Note that greed separated these two brothers.  Are possessions ever more important than people, especially family?................NO!)

Luke 12:15 is a warning.

Before Jesus begins to teach on greed he warns them   !!Danger, Danger, Danger!!

Warn now and explain later.  Like the kids about to put their finger in a socket…warn them!

Then Jesus begins to teach what happens to people who are greedy.

Read Luke 12:16-21

Jesus’ definition of Greed:  “Anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God” (verse 21)

Let me rephrase this verse in a few ways:

-         When you are all about stuff instead of the things of God, the things God would have for us to invest our life in…you are a greedy person. 

-         When we hold back, we stop god’s work through us

-         If we don’t work and all we do is expect people to provide for us, we are unable to be an instrument for God to use in this way 

-         Instead of getting more stuff, we should be investing our resources in reaching the lost for Jesus!

So, what do we do about this greed in our hearts?

1. Understand that our money is not our money

Psalm 89:11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.

-         everything in the world, God created or gave man the ability to create it

Haggai 2:8.  The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty

Deuteronomy 8:18a.  But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…

We have what we have because God provided the resources for us to get what we got.

The question is this:

Did we get what He wanted us to get or do what He wanted us to do with His resources?

It is kind of hard to be greedy with someone else’s money (unless you want to go to jail)

The Rich man in Luke 12 did not make his crops grow.

2. Understand that the things of this world are temporary

-         We want and we want, but in the end it all goes in the trash pile!

o       Your treasure will end up in a yard sale or a trash can some day. 

§        Even your home which will be old and located in the old part of town, in the bad neighborhood. 

·        Everything gets old eventually

Ecclesiastes 2:17-19.  Pass it on to someone who will probably waste it and not appreciate it.

Matthew 6:19-21.  Store up treasures in heaven instead of on earth.

3. If we have excess in our lives, we need to ask God why we have excess in our lives.

-         What does He want us to do with His extra money that He put in our wallet?

-         More specifically, who is supposed to get the extra resources in my life?

EXAMPLE: kids have cookies and they need to share.  We need to share!

1 John 3:7-18

-         If you have excess stuff and yet you are looking to the church for help, don’t do that.

o       You are being greedy and we will not feed your greed.

In Luke 12, what did the rich man do with all his excess? 

          And Jesus called him a fool!

Once we ask God why we have excess, we need to be generous.

The best way to overcome a greedy heart is to develop a generous heart.

Want to see how far Jesus wants us to take this?

Read on in Luke 12:22-34.

Jesus says he will provide for our needs. 

Read Luke 12:32-34.

It is a scary thing what Jesus is asking us to do with our resources.

He is asking us to take everything we have that is above and beyond our needs and invest it in the lives of other people!

Lives are always more important than stuff.

A simple definition: Greed is placing resources above people.

A simple cure: Develop the habit of generosity.

Closing:

The rich man in Luke 12 had nothing to show at the end of his life.  He had nothing of eternal value.

Will you have anything to show for the resources God has given you?

When you see God face to face, will you have anything to show Him?

Where do I start?

-         If you have nothing to give you might consider backing off of some of life’s un-necessaries to be in a position to help others

-         If you feel like you have nothing to give, start by giving away what you have. 

o       Take a picture off the wall

o       Give them your best bible

o       Give them a car

o       Give them your time (take a day off work)

An object lesson: give something to someone right now.

Let’s take time to repent of the greed in our hearts.

Let’s take time to ask God to help us overcome greed in our hearts

Put it into practice:

Go home today, pick out something that is special to you and give it away to someone who might be blessed by it!