Greed

Tonight, we're going to finish up talking about greed.

It's a topic that's exceedingly relevant for us today.

As Christians living in a wealthy Western society, our attitude and behavior towards greed is something we really need to nail, because so much of our surrounding culture runs on greed.

The story that Abby so helpfully read for us occurs during Jesus' journey to Jerusalem.

Now, not only is Luke's gospel addressed to a wealthy person, that being Theophilus, but additionally, one of the themes in this particular section of Luke is how Christians should treat earthly possessions.

So it's a piece of scripture that really speaks to us as Christians living in such a privileged country, and it's also particularly relevant to the topic tonight.

So we're going to unpack this story tonight, break down what Jesus tells us about greed and how it applies to us.

So let's turn to the scripture.

Our passage begins with Jesus speaking to a very large crowd, and it begins with an interruption, which Jesus actually uses to pivot and talk about greed, and he warns us.

Be on guard.

Let me read from verse 13 again.

Someone in the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.

Jesus said, man, who appointed me, a judge or arbiter between you?

Then he said to them, watch out.

Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.

Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.

So this guy in the crowd basically asks Jesus to settle his inheritance dispute.

Jesus refuses, but this now turns into his next topic, greed.

When he turns back to the crowd, Jesus actually gives us a different perspective on greed to what we're somewhat used to.

He says, watch out.

Be on guard against all kinds of greed.

We tend to think of greed as somewhat distantly, I think.

Often we think of greed as something for corporations or the wealthy.

Not many people would describe themselves as greedy or struggling with greed.

We think of it as a distant sin, passive sin.

And yet Jesus tells us to be on guard.

You don't need to be on guard against something unless it's coming after you.

Greed isn't passive, it's aggressive.

Jesus says, life does not consist in an abundance of possessions, yet that's precisely the opposite of what our culture tells us.

Every ad on TV or social media, every billboard, every sign on a bus, every unboxing video, every product placement in a movie is trying to convince you that your life will be improved and may complete by possessing that product.

In our society, greed is not a passive force, but it's more aggressive and invasive than ever before.

It's that little voice that tells you how much you absolutely need that thing that you really don't.

Now, to be sure, it's okay to buy things in moderation, but our society has gone beyond what's reasonable and what it expects is okay.

We spend billions of dollars every year on novelties and ornaments.

We're addicted to the purchase high, that excitement we feel when a new package arrives, when we buy a new item.

We joke about being shopaholics, failing to see that our addiction to shopping is slavery to greed.

Jesus says to be on guard against all kinds of greed, because we all have different things, right?

Especially in our society, the capitalist system gives us a smorgasbord of addictions to choose from.

I mean, for me, it's two things.

It's books and little plastic models.

If you go into my room, you'll see an abundance of those two items.

I used to be so bad, I use it as a therapeutic exercise.

I wonder if you've ever done something similar.

You know, you've had a hard day feeling stressed.

So I'll go buy a book or I'll go buy a model.

And that dopamine hit will, you know, cheer me right up for a little bit until the next hard day.

All up, I've probably spent thousands of dollars.

Yet I never once considered myself greedy, but I was.

I was placing my trust in possessions.

I didn't realize it, but I was relying on possessions to fill that void and solve my problems.

Reality is, our society considers any and all purchases acceptable if they bring you joy.

In fact, it expects that they will.

In fact, it actively tells us that our lives and our happiness can be measured by our possessions.

Greed isn't passive.

It's aggressive.

How well are you guarding against all of that?

When you feel the impulse to buy something, when you want to item, have you ever stopped to consider if you're becoming a slave to greed?

If you're placing undeserved hope or reliance in possessions, what limits and defenses are you putting up to guard against greed?

Because greed is an aggressive spiritual force.

But greed is not just dangerous because it's aggressive.

It's dangerous because it will blind you.

In the next verse, Jesus begins telling a parable that tells us exactly why we need to be on guard against greed.

Reading from verse 16, and he told them this parable, the ground of a certain rich man yields an abundant harvest.

He thought to himself, what shall I do?

I have no place to store my crops.

Then he said, this is what I'll do.

I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones.

There I will store my surplus grain, and I'll say to myself, you have plenty of grain laid up for many years.

Take life easy.

Eat, drink, and be merry.

So this rich man scores a great harvest.

It's so great, he actually has no place to store it.

Pretty good problem to have, I guess.

So he builds some storage and decides to rest easy.

It seems reasonable.

The thing about these verses, though, is not what they do mention, but rather what they don't.

Because you know who isn't mentioned?

Literally anyone else other than the rich guy.

To start with, he gives zero thanks to God, who actually provided the harvest.

There's no sacrifice, no prayer of thanks, nothing.

He also doesn't care about what the effect of hoarding all this produce will do for the price of food.

By hoarding and not distributing his harvest, he's actually driving up prices for those who actually need to eat.

He also at no point accounts for how God wants him to use these resources that after all he gave him.

Just before this passage, we're actually told what God would want to do.

In chapter 11, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for being full of greed on the inside, and he tells them as a solution to this, be generous to the poor and everything will be clean for you.

Be generous to the poor and everything will be clean for you.

And again later in verse 33 of this chapter, chapter 12, Jesus will call on his followers to in fact sell their possessions and give to the poor.

The way God wants us to use our possessions is pretty clear.

Be generous to the poor.

But this man, he gives no consideration to the poor, no consideration how God would have him use his resources.

He gives no consideration to the needs of anyone else.

He is blind to all other priorities.

It's like texting on your phone while driving.

How many have ever done that?

I'll admit.

The thing is, we all know how dangerous that is, right?

And if you're anything like me, you'll know the message you're sending is usually nowhere near worth the risk you're taking.

Because you're taking your attention from the road and putting it on something that is far less important.

In the same way, greed takes our attention from God and his desires for how we use our wealth and shifts it to ourselves.

And this is really the heart of greed, if you think about it.

It's the focus on possessions purely for our own sake.

It's the lie that places our enjoyment of products in front of God.

That's why Paul says in Colossians 3 verse 5 that greed is idolatry.

It blinds us to all other priorities.

Even if we have faith, even if we call Jesus Lord, greed can prevent us from living out that faith.

And that's a terrifying thing to consider.

The way of Christ is the way of humility and simplicity.

Remember, he entered Jerusalem on a donkey.

The only crown here of a war was made of thorns.

He was born in a manger.

The way of Jesus is not one of consumption, but of giving, of grace, of service.

And greed blinds us to these things.

Just like it did with this rich man, it removes God from our vision, turns our gaze from things above to things below.

Greed is a lie, a deception, a distraction set for humanity for us, so that we would be led astray from the love and generosity that God calls us to.

So we need to push back against this lie.

We are called to sacrifice our time and earthly resources, not for ourselves, but for others, especially the poor and the vulnerable.

What is greed blinding you to?

How are you using what God has given you?

Are you buying from companies that exploit their workers?

Are you budgeting money to give to the vulnerable?

How are you using your tax returns each year, on yourself?

Don't let greed blind you to God's priorities.

Invest in His kingdom, not in your own.

One final point about greed.

It is futile.

Greed is futile.

At the end of the day, when all is said and done, greed takes us down a path that leads nowhere.

Jesus brings this out in the final part of the parable from verse 20.

But God said to him, You fool, this very night your life will be demanded from you.

Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?

This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves, but is not rich towards God.

All this man's preparations, planning, and possessions have come to nothing.

All that produce and wealth, all those products, at best, they only last as long as this life, and we don't even know how long that is.

Possessions, possessions are temporary, as is any comfort or joy they might bring you.

Their value is fleeting.

Our area recently had a council cleanup, and you could drive along the streets and see piles of things heaped on the sides of the road.

Gotta love those, right?

I know Hamish got some great stuff for Kids Club.

It's awesome.

As handy as it is, though, it does say something about the value of possessions.

Every item in those piles of junk on the side of the road was once something that someone thought would improve their lives, bring them closer to fulfillment.

And now it's tossed aside as garbage.

Because in our society, the joy of possessions often doesn't last a few years, let alone our lifetime, let alone beyond that.

And think of your own habits.

Are you wasting your life chasing possessions?

After all, if the last thing you bought gave you fulfillment, gave you happiness, why would you need to buy more?

Why do we constantly buy more and more?

Think about all the products you've owned over your life, every piece of technology, every accessory, every outfit, every new game or hobby.

At what point did you become content?

At what point did you finally achieve that much promised happiness?

Because if buying things ever got us to that point, we could surely stop, right?

But we don't, because nothing we buy is ever enough.

And when our lives are done, it will all be for nothing.

If you let greed blind you, then you will have wasted your time on earth seeking things you can't take with you.

That's why God says, you will get what you've prepared for yourself.

Because when we invest in assets on earth, we will lose them all.

Worse still, in our efforts to buy products which can do nothing for our souls, nothing for our sin, nothing for our eternity, in our meaningless attempts to buy more and have more, we risk losing sight of the only thing that isn't futile, the only thing that can accomplish these things, is God's grace.

God's grace is the only thing sufficient to cover all of our needs.

It is God's grace that blesses us with what we need.

It is God's grace that assures us of hope beyond death.

It is God's grace that heals our souls and binds the wounds of our heart, that washes over our sin and gives us access to the new creation.

It is reconciliation with God that fills that great void, that great longing inside of us.

God's grace is sufficient for all of this, but greed is trying to snatch it away from you.

Greed leads us to seek things other than God's kingdom come on earth.

It leads us away from the path of grace.

Greed tells us we need all these products, yet it distracts us from the one thing that is actually sufficient.

What it gives us is not equal to what it takes from us.

Greed gives us temporary garbage and robs us of God's eternal riches.

Jesus calls us to be rich towards God.

So don't let greed blind you.

Be rich towards God instead.

Give to the poor.

Next time you're tempted to buy a product, practice a spiritual discipline instead.

Practice fasting, practice simple living as Jesus did.

Prayer, solitude, scripture.

See just how much joy you can gain from relationship with God.

You will find it a more than worthy replacement for possessions.

Because his treasures don't fade away.

His riches are sufficient for all needs and all time.

Will you pray with me?

Holy God, thank you for your all-sufficient grace, that you provide for our every need.

Lord, I pray we would fix our eyes on you.

I pray we would not be blinded by greed.

I pray we would use what you've given us for your kingdom, that we'd see those you see and not be distracted by what the world tells us we need.

Let generosity and grace wash away any greed in our hearts.

Through your spirit, help us to store up eternal riches in you and experience the joy of your grace.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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