Stuff Can Block Heaven |11.03.24| Money Should’t Make You Miserable pt.1
I can’t tell you how many stories I watched and listened to about families who have been affected by Hurricane Helene, but they aren’t easy to watch. People’s whole lives, all their mementos, all their family heirlooms, ruined and gone in an instant.
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Where I used to live in California, we would have wildfires every year that would cause people to evacuate and would leave behind nothing but ash.
Maybe you experienced a flood, or a tornado, and had to rebuild or mourn the loss of property or cherished stuff.
And how many stories have we heard about people who lost everything in investment accounts or retirement accounts when their company went belly-up, or when the economy took a drastic turn?
It’s in these moments that the stuff that we take for granted disappears, and we don’t know how to react. Shock sets in, grief takes over, fear looms as you wonder how you’ll recover. How life will change. Whether you’ll be able to climb out of this again.
All of us have experienced this to some extent, as the money, the property, the stuff we have isn’t as secure as we had assumed. And that’s why we’re starting a new series called “Money Shouldn’t Make You Miserable,” because money – and property, wealth, our stuff that we’ve accumulated – is such a hard topic to talk about with anyone.
And yet, we struggle with financial questions and stress every day. Couples fight over it. Many people are ashamed to admit where they’re really at financially, and that’s true if you have money or if you don’t.
And many people have no idea what God has to say about our money except that they think he wants it.
Get ready for a surprise. Jesus had some astonishing things to say about money and wealth, things that might actually provide the freedom and help you’re looking for, whether you’re deeply in debt, are just getting by, or have more money than you ever imagined.
And we want to look at what Jesus had to say because that’s what we are trying to do here at New Life: we’re trying to be apprentices of Jesus so that he can transform us to become more and more like him in every area of our lives.
And one of the best places to start learning from how Jesus invites us to live is in his very famous Sermon on the Mount, which can be found in Matthew, chapters 5-7.
The intro to this overall message is all about WHO is invited into what God is doing in the world through Jesus. It’s not just the powerful or the influential people who get to participate, God actually focuses on the outsider who hungers for right relationships. Anyone who comes to God and seeks to create peace in the world is who Jesus says is participating in the Kingdom of God.
This is all an description of Jesus’s definition of what the good life is for his kingdom of heaven crew. He called them the salt of the land and the city on the hill that shines light to the nations.
Then, we get to the large main body of the sermon on the mount, where Jesus invites his followers into what he calls “a greater righteousness”: Jesus’ vision for living in right relationships with God and each other.
He talks about how God’s law in the Hebrew Bible was establishing the wisdom for this way of life. Then he talks about different religious practices, and tells his followers that things like prayer and fasting and generosity to the poor aren’t meant to just be religious “duties” that can become empty and meaningless.
He says that when we do things like that to bring attention to ourselves, they actually get in the WAY of connecting us to God and all of a sudden you’re doing the right thing for the wrong reason – which is Jesus’ definition of what it means to be a hypocrite.
But in our series this month, we’re going to look at the end of the main body of his teaching, which focuses on our relationships with others by beginning with teachings about our relationship with our stuff.
Because, Jesus knows that how we relate to our stuff: our money and possessions tells the truth about what we really value and believe. And it’s really clear that in Jesus’s mind how you relate to money is one of the truest indicators of how much you love God.
We already heard the whole Scripture read, but let’s watch this short animated video that helps us understand it a little better.
[PLAY VIDEO: BIBLE PROJECT WHY WEALTH IS DANGEROUS]
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There is so much wisdom in this section of Scripture, and each little part is like a riddle that teaches something new. Each way you turn the diamond, there are just so many things to look at. But today, we’re looking at the first of these four teachings on money: Don’t store up treasure on earth, but store up treasure in heaven. Where your treasure is – where your stored-up things are – there your heart will be also.
What is treasure in heaven and why does it have a more enduring value than things we store up here on the land? Let’s try to discover that together.
[SLIDE 4] Matt 6:19
“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth.” Or, another way to say it, “STOP storing up for yourselves treasures on earth.”
The word for “store up” and the word for “treasures” are from the same root word in the original language, so it could just as easily be translated “Stop storing up storage on earth,” or “Stop treasuring your treasures on earth.”
But notice that Jesus isn’t telling us NOT to store up stuff. He’s not telling us NOT to treasure things or value things. The main point is on WHERE we are keeping it, where we are placing our value. And Jesus says, “stop storing up stuff on EARTH, because it isn’t guaranteed.”
Stuff on earth, stuff in the realm of humanity, like money and possessions and property, won’t endure. It doesn’t last forever. It can’t be perfectly protected, whether from an awful storm, or a blip in the economy, or from someone else with the intention to rob you.
[SLIDE 5] Matt 6:20
Instead, Jesus says, store up your treasures in HEAVEN. Literally, the word for “heaven” means “sky.” It’s the domain of God, as opposed to the domain of humans. Jesus says, “Don’t store up earth stuff – store up SKY stuff, God-stuff, because moths and rust and thieves can’t touch that stuff.”
But what IS God-stuff?
Well, Jesus gives some specific clues in a few other places. Look with me at Matthew 19. This is traditionally known as the story of the Rich young man, or rich young ruler.
[READ Matt 19:16-22]
[SLIDE 6] 19:16
Some young guy who seems to be earnestly doing everything he can to get the good life asks Jesus what is still missing. And Jesus, since he’s able to see right into the heart of this guy, knows that he’s someone who cares a whole lot about the stuff he’s accumulated.
And all that stuff, not only is it not guaranteed. Not only is it not secure. It’s also become the #1 thing in his life. And Jesus knows that anything that is #1 in our lives is the thing that rules us.
Money, stuff, the pursuit of it, the reputation we get from having it, the way we compare ourselves to others based on how much they have or don’t… it turns our life into an endless loop of clutching, hustling, protecting, and worrying.
We think more stuff or more money will give us the freedom and security we want, so we hustle to get it. But we don’t want to lose it, so we spend time protecting it and worrying about what would happen IF we lost it.
And then if the unthinkable happens, and a storm comes, or a thief comes, or inflation gets the better of us, we’re left with an aching hole in our hearts.
[SLIDE 7] 19:21
And Jesus knows that’s not the best life we were created for! So he tells the young guy, if you want to be “perfect” – if you want to attain the highest standard of living that you were created for – get rid of that lesser ruler in your life and follow me. Then you’ll have treasure in heaven.
And unfortunately, we see that the young guy couldn’t wrap his head around this and chose to stick with his current way of life.
In another spot in Matthew 25, Jesus is telling a parable about three different servants who were responsible for their master’s business. And the two guys who stewarded it well, put it to work and got a return on the investment are told this:
[SLIDE 8] 25:23
“Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”
So Jesus is trying to tell us that earth stuff can get in the way of our ability to receive sky stuff, heavenly treasure. And then he says that heavenly treasure is connected to Joy and entering into the kingdom of God, entering into the type of life that’s available when we trust God above all other things.
And even when his followers were confused and asked about what he meant, he gave them this promise:
[SLIDE 9] 19:29
“Anyone who has let go of trying to clutch at the things we can control here on earth, anyone who trusts me as the king of their life, WILL INHERIT abundantly far more than they ever left behind and will experience eternal life.”
And I don’t buy the explanation that Jesus is saying that we’ll inherit the same THINGS in heaven as what we let go of here in our lives. Because he’s using metaphors to describe something you can’t fully name, but has ultimate worth.
Just like in our video, Jesus is saying that the abundant, eternal, kingdom of God life that is available to us now if we just trust him as our #1 source and guide, it’s full of the types of things that last forever. Love, joy, connection, purpose, fulfillment. A storm can’t take that away. Rust can’t destroy that.
But we’ve got to face the fact that holding too tightly to earth stuff is actually keeping us from being able to receive the gift of heaven treasure that Jesus’s life is offering.
[SLIDE 10] 6:21
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “where your heart is, there your treasure is.” He didn’t say that whatever you care most about is where you invest your value and focus.
He says it actually works the other way around. Where you invest your time, and value, and focus, THAT forms your heart in that direction. What you focus your life on transforms what you care about.
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Before I moved here to IL, I never wanted a truck. They aren’t practical in SoCal. But once I moved here, man, a truck started looking pretty good. I could haul stuff. I could get a trailer to haul my mower around, and help my mom with her lawn! I could go pick up mulch myself instead of having it delivered.
And then I tried to pull out a cement footing with my Toyota Camry…and it did not go well! And so I’m focusing on how dumb I feel and how dumb a Camry is and how it would have been so much better if I had a truck and all of a sudden I’m looking up trucks and calculating what a monthly payment would be, even though Megan and I haven’t had a car payment in 6 years!
The thing I was focusing on was forming my heart to be discontent, and impulsive, and secretive because I wasn’t talking to my wife about the truck research I was doing.
Discontent, rash, isolated. Doesn’t really sound like the full abundant life that Jesus offers, does it?
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That’s why Jesus tells us that “our hearts are shaped by where we invest.” And when we invest our time and focus and value into things that don’t last, our hearts experience the anxiety of lack and the fear of comparison, just like Jesus talks about at the end of our section of Scripture.
Life feels pretty miserable. Heavy. Uncertain.
But when we invest in God-stuff, heaven treasure that is secure, meaningful, and impactful beyond just our life, we get to experience our hearts being formed to understand God as a generous provider who invites us into his work of redeeming and restoring the people and creation around us.
I want to show you a little bit of the story of Jim and Jan, who have experienced the type of heart transformation that Jesus promises…
[PLAY VIDEO: Generosity Jim n Jan]
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Did you hear them express it? They expressed it as “joy”, whether it was through giving a financial gift or whether it was creating a shared memory of helping others with their grandkids. They’re articulating the same thing Jesus is talking about when he says that when we seek God’s kingdom and his right way of life, we experience the abundant generosity of God’s providence for us in all areas of life.
We’re going to be spending a few more weeks talking about this because Jesus wants you to experience freedom and joy in life. And he knows that our money, our stuff, the things we cling to, they can actually get in the way of the life he’s inviting us into.
He knows that when we invest in God’s kingdom, it transforms our heart. We don’t give our money and our time to God because he needs it. We give to the work of God because WE need it. We need the opportunity to experience joy in participating in what God is doing. We need the help in weakening the grip that money and possessions has on us. We need the reminder that when we trust God with what He’s given us, he proves himself to be a good provider, able to take care of us better than our stuff ever could.
Because he’s already proven that he’s the best provider for us. He’s GIVEN us everything we have. And every time we have turned from him or doubted him, his FORGIVENESS shows us that he hasn’t changed, and is still generous in how he deals with us. And when we realize that all that we have is a gift, he actually allows us to be a part of his GIVING by working through us to accomplish his work!
And we get to experience the joy of investing in eternal things: like connection and compassion towards others. Like the properties of a life that last well beyond any physical THING. Like the love that is fully received and given in the life of Jesus.
Jesus says, don’t settle for stuff that won’t last. Invest in God-stuff and experience the heart transformation that will result.
[SLIDE 14] Reflection Questions
So maybe you’re listening, and you’re recognizing that there is earth-stuff that you’ve allowed to become too important in your life. Maybe God is highlighting for you something that you know is keeping you from fully trusting him.
I can’t tell you what to do with that, but I would encourage you to talk with God about that. Ask him if he’s inviting you to let go of something in your life so that you can more fully pursue his life.
But for everyone, I’d like to offer this experiment this week: choose one God-stuff activity to invest in this week, and see how it affects your heart.
Choose to invest in one God-stuff activity. It might be serving a neighbor. It might be giving financially to a cause like the Giving Tree or the hurricane relief. It might be committing to a recurring tithe here at church to join what Jesus is doing here. It might be committing to a prayer practice each day this week.
Choose to invest in one God-stuff activity this week, and then see how it affects your heart. See if it brings a sense of joy. See if it relieves some stress or anxiety. See if it makes you feel more connected to God and the people he’s gifted us with.
It’s just an experiment, but what is God inviting you to do this week as a small step of trusting him?
Because God cares so deeply for you that he has given you everything you have as a gift, and then he gave his Son as a sacrifice to prove his willingness to bridge the gap to us. And NOW he’s inviting us to join him in his life of giving and sharing and healing the world around us through love. Isn’t that good news?