How to Battle Greed

Last night's Element message was Part 3 in our series Seven Daily Sins, covering Greed. Click "Read More" to see the expanded notes from the sermon . . .

The Parable of the Rich Fool

Luke 12:13-21:

13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
14Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
16And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
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?'
21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

The curious thing about this parable is that the "rich fool" isn't committing any obvious sin. He doesn't cheat anybody or embezzle or steal his money, he doesn't mistreat his servants. In fact, what he does is something in our culture we'd consider really wise and prudent financial and career planning. He leveraged his income and his work to save and create more wealth so that he could retire and live the good life. That's pretty much the American Dream.

But that's all he had.

The series is called "Seven DAILY Sins" because sin isn't just something we do, it's something we carry around in our hearts every day. Jesus reframed sin for the content of our heart, our spiritual condition, not just our behavior.

Defining Greed: Greed is loving money and/or possessions.

I say "loving," not "loving too much," because money and stuff are not designed to receive love.

1 Timothy 6:10
10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

The seductive thing about filling an eternal gap with money/stuff is that it makes us feel powerful and in control, OR it causes approval and adulation from others, which strokes our ego.

Retail therapy = medicating with stuff. Using spending as a drug.

Greed isn't just about spending a lot or living extravagantly or accumulating money; it's also refusing to spend it, thinking it too "precious."
Being cheap can also be greedy, b/c it involves fixation on and love for money.

Focus passage is Ephesians 5:1-14 (NIV)

Paul includes Greed in the shortlist of sins all categorized as "idolatry." These are the works of darkness and death.

Greed is the work of dead men, and it reeks of death.

How To Battle Greed:

Ephesians 5:1-2 (NIV)
1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

How do we imitate God? By living a life of love and sacrifice FOR PEOPLE.

Love is given to people, not things.
And the key is GIVING, not taking

1. Be Sacrificial

If you’re giving and sacrificing, you don’t have time to think about taking
It is more blessed to give than to receive

Something happens when you give, you stretch that giving muscle

Ephesians 5:3-5 (NIV)
3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

The one word antidote to all the stuff Paul speaks against in this passage is: Thanksgiving!

2. Be Satisfied

Why is thanksgiving the counterpoint to all these things?
B/c they are about filling needs and thanksgiving is about saying my needs are met.

It's about contentment.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NIV)
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

Discontentment will always lead us to worship. We are always worshiping something to appease our discontent.
So discontentment always drives us to worship, either of idols that do not satisfy or of Christ, who is all-satisfying.

What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? Nothing.

Money and stuff will never satisfy.

But inheritance in the kingdom of Christ, given to you apart from any effort of your own, paid for by by Christ, accepted by the Father, and guaranteed by the Spirit and to be placed in a deposit secured on your account !!! THAT should be our sole satisfaction.

Ephesians 5:6-7 (NIV)
6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them.

Watch out for empty words.
Who deceives us this way these days? Commercials, the culture of accumulation and stuff, even well-meaning friends who revel in their stuff

3. Be Shrewd

As Haggai told the Israelites who had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple but let it go untended due to "real life" taking over, “Consider your ways!"

Don't go on autopilot.

Be on guard against your heart. It is deceitful above all things

Ephesians 5:8-14 (NIV)
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."

When the light comes in, it changes everything.

The chief way to battle Greed is this:

4. Be Sanctified

And this isn't something you can "do." Yes, you do participate in it, but it is the work of God in you.

The good news is that even though we participate in our sanctification (“have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds . . .”) sanctification is God’s work. He shines that light and gives us new life.

As the fruit of the Spirit take root and blooms in you, it makes you increasingly dissatisfied with the fruitlessness of greed. Maybe conviction tonight is that first step into wakefulness.

Repent, for Christ offers his kingdom to you paid in full by himself