"The Stuff Of Life or a Life Of Stuff"
June 25, 2006

The New Testament Lesson: Luke 12: 13 - 21

Being on Guard against the Material possessions that want to control us

This sermon series is thinking through Jesus’ teaching on fear

He says that there is both good fear and bad fear:

     We have already seen that God fear is good fear: We think carefully about who we’re dealing with.  We should also be care in our acknowledgement of Christ.  But we should not worry about what people think: we tell it like it is!

Now a new thing to be afraid of:

I.  Materialism is a lifestyle that will kill the spirit
    A.   I hate it went a bumper sticker says it all
        1. Some while ago, a bumper sticker appeared that some really liked.
            a. “He who dies with the most toys wins!”
            b. Don’t blame Hasbro or Mattel.
            c. They were referring to adult toys: Skies, boats, ATVs, etc.
            d. And it looks like many have taken up the challenge!
        2. Then, the Christian alternative arrived on the seen.
            a. “He who dies with the most toys is still dead!”
            b. It was an attempt at a dose of realism.
            c. Takes all the fun out of the game if you stop to think about it.
        3. We can clearly see from the reaction of many, they haven’t thought.
    B. We have known for ages that materialism kills the Spirit.
        1. At one point, I discovered this truth.  A brilliant insight!
        2. Then I realized that back in the sixties, Charlie Brown was aware
            a. In "A Charlie Brown Christmas" they were caught up in the glitz
            b. Linus redirects them to the true meaning of Christmas.
        3. goes even farther back: Dicken’s A Christmas Carol made the point
            a. Scrooge is a good man of business, but a very poor human.
            b. The Spirits of Christmas “humanize” him again.
        3. But it goes all the way back to the 4^th century
            a. Augustine recognized that all worldly endeavors were distractions
            b. They had the power to lead us away from the maker
        4. Of course, they were all just quoting Jesus, from 2000 years ago.
    C. Jesus’ story revolves around a rich man.
        1. One year, he was so blessed with crops that he had no storage.
            a. Jesus’ listeners who immediately identified him as spiritual.
            b. knew that material blessings come because we’ve been righteous
        2. The Divine visitation would had been expected as a commendation.
        3. They would have been shocked (and terrorized) at the message.
            a. Begins subtly: “You Fool!”
            b. Gets worse: You’re about to die with no chance to enjoy blessings
        4. For those slow on the uptake: So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
        5. Or as Eugene Peterson paraphrases it: That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God!”

II.  The things of the flesh are opposed to the things of the Spirit.
   A. We are shown tow options and told to be careful about our choice
        1. Option 1: A life of Stuff
        2. There is more stuff in this life than anyone could hope to collect
        3. It’s not that people have not tried.
            a. There are incredible examples of people who have sought it all.
            b. They exist on many different levels.
            c. There are life of Stuffers in trailer parks: cars, boats and RVs
            d. There are life of Stuffers in the middle class: 2^nd homes and trips
            e. There are life of Stuffers who’ve got more stuff than they know!
        5. One famous example is Diamond Jim Brady
            a. Known as the Prince of the Gilded age.
            b. worked his way up from being a bellboy to a wealthy financier
            c. Used his wealth to enjoy food.  Here’s his diet: A typical Brady breakfast would be: eggs, pancakes, pork chops, cornbread, fried potatoes, hominy, muffins, and a beefsteak. For refreshment, a gallon of orange juice—Lunch would be two lobsters, deviled crabs, clams, oysters and beef, with a few pies for dessert.  The usual evening meal began with an appetizer of two or three dozen oysters, six crabs, and a few servings of green turtle soup, followed by a main course of two whole ducks, six or seven lobsters, a sirloin steak, two servings of terrapin and a host of vegetables. For dessert, the gourmand enjoyed pastries and a two pound box of candy.
            d. He died at the age of 61, never having married and his estate was distributed to many institution.
            e. Sound like the answer to the question and these things you’ve collected, whose will they be?
    B. The Alternative is to have the stuff of life
        1. Jesus told us clearly that the only real life is in God.
        2. That’s the source of life that is truly eternal.
        3. When we seek God, we have real life.
            a. comes from taking Jesus into ourselves, making him the center
            b. Radically transforms the way we live our lives.
            c. No longer a pursuit of what we want—
            d.  now we are pursuing what God wants.
        4. There is plenty of pleasure in that, but it doesn’t go sour.
        5. We continue to experience the joy that also brings satisfaction.
    C.   Looking at it this way, there’s little choice.
        1. Of course, we all what to have meaningful lives.
            a. We want our lives to make a difference.
            b. We may not see that when we’re really young
            c. But as we gain a little wisdom, it becomes clear to us.
        2. But the question becomes, do we recognize our significance must be counted in eternal matters?
        3. It is easy to get caught up in the world’s definition of greatness
            a. That leads us immediately into material matters.
            b. If not the accumulation of goods, it could be powerful or prestige
            c. Both of those are just as fleeting as a new car.
        4. Jesus’ prescription is simple: seek first the kingdom of God.
            a. Let Jesus rule in your heart and life.
            b. Let Jesus guide your priorities and plans.
            c. Then you will never have to fear whose things they will be, for they will always belong to God!