Message by Chad Kelly
(Due to technical difficulties, the audio recording of this sermon is unavailable.)
A Christian publication had the following headlines:
On the left””“First Baptist Church Celebrates New $23 Million Building”
On the right, a much smaller article “Baptist Relief Helps Sudanese Refugees”””and the body of the article said, “Baptists have raised $5,000 to send to refugees in western Sudan”.
How can such things be in the church of Jesus Christ?
Frederic Huntington (1890)
It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity.
Hosea 13:6 (NIV)
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;
then they forgot me.
It”™s hard for me to hear those words without thinking of the church in America”¦and more specifically, myself!
Revelation 3:17 (NLT)
17 You say, ”˜I am rich. I have everything I want. I don”™t need a thing!”™ And you don”™t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
William Wilberforce
Prosperity hardens the heart.
Jesus told a young rich man, “Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.” (Mark 10:21)
How are we to take that? I mean, did Jesus really mean what He said?
However we slice it, clearly Jesus is calling us to give up all we have in order to follow Him.
David Platt
Jesus never intended to be one voice among many counseling us on how to lead our lives and use our money. He always intends to be the voice that guides whatever decisions we make in our lives and with our money.
Jesus really did mean what He said to this young rich man””He really meant for him to go sell all he had and give it to the poor.
And Jesus just might mean for you to do the same!
I don”™t think He always requires that of every person. But it would be irresponsible to our Savior”™s own words to believe that He never requires a wholesale liquidation of material possessions in order to serve the poor!
I want to show you that there is something bigger in the background of this picture. Let”™s take a look at the whole story and notice a few details that make a real difference in our understanding of””and that should make a difference in our response to””Jesus”™ words.
But here”™s the boiled down version”¦the “take home” point:
Redemptive Economics
Jesus came to redeem our love for material things!
Mark 10:17-31 (MSG)
17As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”
18-19Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.”
20He said, “Teacher, I have””from my youth””kept them all!”
This guy really thought he had it all together, religiously speaking. He”™d never really hurt anyone and he truly believed that he was a good person.
But Jesus wanted this young man to see himself as he truly was”¦so, He changes His approach.
1. Jesus Loves You AND the Poor Too Much to Let You Settle for Less than Heavenly Wealth!
21Jesus looked him hard in the eye””and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.”
Jesus came to redeem our love for material things!
Ronnie McBrayer
In striking at our love for and addiction to money, Jesus has struck at the very heart of what it means to be an American.
There is a direct connection between Jesus”™ love for us and how we relate to the poor!
Jesus wants to make us spiritually rich as we sacrifice to serve the poor!
Paul tells us just how this works”¦
2 Corinthians 8:9 (NLT)
9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
And Jesus wants us to know the privilege and the true wealth of living as He lived, loving as He loved!
Jesus Loves You AND the Poor Too Much to Let You Settle for Less than Heavenly Wealth!
Jesus came to redeem our love for material things and give us love for heavenly things!
Today more than a billion people in the world live and die in desperate poverty. They attempt to survive on less than a dollar per day. Close to two billion others live on less than two dollars per day. That”™s nearly half the world struggling today to find food, water, and shelter on $2/day.
David Platt
Regardless of what we say or sing or study on Sunday morning, rich people who neglect the poor are not the people of God.
Jesus told the church in Laodicea that their lukewarm prosperity made Him want to vomit. And then He cuts to the chase about what they need to do!
Revelation 3:18-19 (NLT)
18 So I advise you to buy gold from me””gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
Our love for material things blinds our hearts to the needs of people and makes us indifferent to what eternally matters””namely, pouring out our lives for the good of others, just as Jesus did for us!
Jesus came to redeem our love for material things and give us love for heavenly things!
David Platt says we want a Jesus of our own making”¦
A nice, middle-class, American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn”™t mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have”¦A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are”¦A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American dream.
NLT
21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven”™t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Jesus is assuring us that the satisfaction we would receive from such upside down investing would far surpass the satisfaction we have in keeping all our stuff, for our wealth would be heavenly and everlasting”¦not just good for the here and now!
Jesus Loves You AND the Poor Too Much to Let You Settle for Less than Heavenly Wealth!
Matthew 6:19-20
Don”™t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust
destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in
heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in
and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Jesus came to redeem our love for material things and give us love for heavenly things!
2. Is My Heart Willing to Trust Jesus to Give Me What is Best?
22The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.
The rich young man did NOT trust Jesus to give him what was best for him.
Isn”™t the crux of the matter really this””do we trust Jesus to give us the very best life possible, even if He tells us to sell all we have and give it to the poor?
Jesus came to redeem our love for material things and give us love for heavenly things!
3. Material Prosperity Can Rob Us the Kingdom of God
23-25Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”
26That set the disciples back on their heels. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked.
27Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”
28Peter tried another angle: “We left everything and followed you.”
29-31Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land””whatever””because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land””but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”
Why were the disciples so confused?
Why didn”™t Jesus”™ words immediately make sense to them?
Well, in part, it is just human nature to want material things and then want to believe that if we have them, Heaven must be smiling on us!
But moreover, in the Old Testament, God actually gave material prosperity as a sign of His blessing on His people. He was building a geo-political nation and such prosperity was essential to the growth of the nation of Israel.
Here, Jesus is telling His disciples””and us, the American church””that with His coming there is a radical shift in God”™s purposes and ways with His people!
God is NOT building a geo-political nation today”¦He is building His unseen kingdom and the rules have changed!
Now, the way to expand the Kingdom of God is to give up those things we treasure in order to gain something far better and more long lasting!
Jesus says we”™ll get back all we give up multiplied many times over. Notice–He”™s straight up and says that trouble in this life will be multiplied as well.
BUT, Jesus is quick to point out the fact that the final reward is far more than worth it! A living relationship with Him now and forever in His presence!
As Peterson in the Message captures Jesus”™ thought, it”™s”¦
The Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.
Material Prosperity Can Rob Us the Kingdom of God
Jesus came to redeem our love for material things and give us love for heavenly things!
1 Timothy 6:9-10 (NLT)
9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Luke 8:14 (NLT)
The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.
David Goetz
Too much of the good life ends up being toxic, deforming us spiritually.
Material Prosperity Can Rob Us the Kingdom of God
Jesus came to redeem our love for material things and give us love for heavenly things!
Conclusion
David Platt
The reward of the American dream is safety, security and success found in more comfort, better stuff, and greater prosperity. But the reward of Christ trumps all these things and beckons us to live for an eternal safety, security, and satisfaction that far outweigh everything the world has to offer us”¦The key is realizing””and believing””that this world is not your home”¦ (Radical, 172, 179)
If we really believe that, it will affect how we think day to day, how we prioritize our life and how we spend our time.
Jesus came to redeem our love for material things and give us love for heavenly things!
If we really believe that this world is not our home, that Jesus”™ reward is better than what we can get here, then to revamp our lives financially and materially is all that makes sense!
David Platt
Following Christ is not sacrificial as much as it is smart.
Can you imagine what would happen if some of us sold our homes and moved into a less expensive one, if some of us sold our cars and bought less expensive ones, if some of us decided to live on as little as necessary, if others of us decided to purge our closets and not restock them, but stay very limited on the clothes we buy, if others of us cashed out our 401(k)s”¦all for the purpose of obeying Jesus and serving the poor?
We might just find that we don”™t miss the stuff we can”™t keep anyway!
And we might find ourselves blown away at the everlasting satisfaction of true, heavenly wealth that comes through sacrificial love for those all around us!
Jesus came to redeem our love for material things and give us love for heavenly things!