Part Three of a Six Part Sermon Series by Dan Sarkipato “Think Like An Alien” The Treasure Principle (3 of 6): God’s Wisdom for Living in a Material World Pastor Dan Sarkipato Hebrews 11:13-16; 1 Peter 1:1,17-21; 2:11-12 INTRODUCTION… Treasure Principle--on a journey to value what God values. Yes, we are talking about money and material things, but that is not our real topic. What we are really talking about is your mind and your heart. You know what your god really is? Your god is that thing or person who captures your mind (affects deeply how you think) and determines your values and priorities. What we really worship affects the way we live on a day to day, hour by hour basis. We’ve been talking about how we live in a materialistic atmosphere; a culture where consuming, buying, having, acquiring, possessing is a mania. working definition, consumerism: a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods working definition, materialism: 2 : a preoccupation with or stress upon material rather than intellectual or spiritual things These things are more deeply ingrained in our thinking and in our hearts than we realize. Example—last Wed night I had the opportunity to spend some time with our 3-5 year olds during our family nighttime. I’m teaching them some Hebrew—the sh’ma. We had a time set aside for prayer. Each of the children were asked what they would like to pray for. I love doing that with little ones. A majority of the prayer requests were: “I got a … They were grateful to God for what they had gotten. And that is good. But that is all that came up. Remember this is prayer time. Where does a 4-year-old learn about prayer? Mostly at home. They are preoccupied with stuff; things. That was completely not true of Jesus. And remember what a Christian is—a disciple, a follower, of Jesus--A person whose life aim is to be exactly like Jesus Christ. We are exploring Jesus’ thought about money and things. And it is substantially, radically, different from, alien from, what we see and learn in our culture. Memory verse—say with me… Verse to Ponder and Memorize “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Mark 10:21 Let’s read Scripture: Heb and 1 Peter Heb 11:13-16 1 Peter 1:1, 17-21. Here’s our question for the day: HOW ARE TO THINK OF OUR PLACE, OUR ROLE, IN THIS WORLD? HOW  ARE WE WHO FOLLOW Jesus SUPPOSED TO FIT?  Let’s start with a lie: that is found at the root of consumerism: Lie: This world is my permanent residence Alcorn says in his book: Many Christians dread the thought of leaving this world. Why? Because so many have stored up their treasures on earth, not in heaven. John Wesley was once given a tour of a vast estate by a plantation owner. Rode their houses for hours, saw only a fraction of what the man owned. At dinner, the plantation owner asked eagerly, “Well, Mr. Wesley, what do you thin?” Wesley replied: “I think you’re going to have a hard time leaving all this.” If you consult a financial planner, that person is going to ask you to plan ahead; think ahead; think ahead not just 3 months or 3 years; but think ahead 30 years!  Well—I want a financial planner who calls me to look ahead and plan ahead 300 years 3000 years--3,000,000 years! Because I reject the lie that this world is my permanent residence. It is not, and it is not yours either. Fact: This world is not my home; I am an alien. Heaven, not earth, is my home NOTE when I say heaven, please understand it like this: When we die, we go to be with the Lord in heaven; but then, at the Great Day of the Lord, the Return of Jesus Christ, there is a new heaven and a new earth; remade, all effects of sin removed. WE will live in this renewed earth. So, in this message, when I say, heaven, please think of both of these: literally heaven when we die, but then ultimately the renewed earth where we will live for eternity.  We need to be heavenly minded. Do you think of heaven as a boring place where your job is to sit around all day and strum a harp? YOU HAVE THE WRONG IDEA OF HEAVEN! Heaven will be a place of rest and relief from sin and suffering for sure, but also a place of great learning, activity, artistic expression exploration, discovery, camaraderie, and service. We will “reign with Christ”. (Rev 20:6) Faithful servants will be “in charge of many things.” (Matt 25:21,23) Some will have leadership over cities in proportion to earthly service. (Luke 19:12-19) We will command angels. (1 Cor 6:30) Heaven is what we were made for. It is where we long to be, and it is the place where, once we are there, we will go—I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR A PLACE LIKE THIS MY WHOLE LIFE! There is peace; there is love; there is purpose; there is beauty; there is joy; there is no conflict. We read from Heb 11—what did we learn there? The giants of the faith realized that they don’t fit here in this world. They understood that this world is not their home. Listen again to Heb 11: “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.” One of the key characteristics of faith is that we are focused on the next life, not just on this life. Some of you are hoping to build, or buy, your dream house. The house you always wanted. I have news for you—your dream house will NEVER be here; no house built on this earth in this life is ever going to fulfill your dreams. Because God has put in your heart desires and dreams and longings that only heaven, only God, only Jesus can fulfill. The giants of the faith, people noted for walking by faith, “admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.” They really didn’t fit. This isn’t the place where we can really truly be comfortable. And so, if this is true… If this world is not my home, I live for the future Alcorn gives an illustration. If you are from France; a citizen there; and you have a temporary work assignment with your company in the USA for 6 months; what are you going to do with the money you earn? Are you going to spend it fixing up the temporary apartment you have here in the US? spending it on things you will have to leave behind? Of course not. That would not be smart. You will send most of your money home, so you can use it when you get back to where you belong. That is a picture of us. WE are not long for this earth. We are made for another country, a heavenly one. and if that is true: LET’S START LIVING LIKE IT! Sometimes you get the impression from Christian people that giving 10% of their income to God’s work, investing it in eternal things, why that is quite a high benchmark and standard. Is that true? If we really believe that we are made for and will spend the vast portion of our existence in another world, another place, then do we really want to spend 90% of what we have on THIS world, this temporary one?  Wouldn’t it make more sense to spend maybe 10 or 20% here, and invest the other 80 or 90% in the world that will last? WE NEED A NEW KIND OF THINKING. Now, I’m doing a little thinking, and I’m thinking that some of you are getting a little disturbed. You’d like to have the floor for a minute and point out to me that this is completely unrealistic “pie in the sky” thinking. Or, maybe you like the ideas, but your mind is full of all the reasons that I am totally clueless and just a minute now, you have to understand that the reality of my situation is that I can barely make it on what I have. Listen to me: I HOPE some of you are disturbed! I really WANT some of you to be ticked off by all this, because you need to be. We need some disturbing. WE NEED A NEW KIND OF THINKING and people don’t engage in a new kind of thinking when they are pretty happy and satisfied with their current way of thinking! Another factor to consider, How am I to think of my place, my role, in this world is this:  God will give us rewards. How I live here and now, is going to be recognized and acknowledged in the world to come. Every act of faith, obedience, generosity, kindness, everything said and done that honors Jesus will be duly rewarded. And everything that was of the self, for me, sinful/selfish, will be burned up. God rewards faithfulness. Now please, don’t get confused here. We are saved by grace, and nothing else. The grace of God, undeserved favor, through the cross of Jesus Christ is what saves you. Jesus is the only Savior. But, once you are saved, once you turn from sin and self and you embrace and follow Jesus, what then? God rewards those who serve him. We will receive rewards from God in heaven for what we do here. Eph 6:8 Rom 2:6,10 Persevering under persecution Luke 6:22-23 Showing compassion to the needy Luke 14:13-14 Treating our enemies kindly Luke 6:35 God rewards us for generous giving: “Go,,sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” Matthew 19:21 God is observing and tracking our smallest acts of kindness: If we are aliens here, then let’s always remember this: We will at last be where we belong. Do you ever feel like you don’t quite fit in?  You are something like round peg, and your place in the world is a square hole? If you ever feel that way, I have some really good news: WE ARE SUPPOSED TO FEEL THAT WAY! WE DON’T BELONG HERE! We belong in another country, a better one, a heavenly one. Some day we will fit in perfectly, and until that day, KEEP ON NOT FITTING IN SO WELL! TO DO THAT we need each other. …  We need each other to be faithful until we are home. Notice what Peter says in the text we read. We are to live like strangers here, fearing God. But Peter goes on to say something very interesting: after reminding us we are strangers, that we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, that our hope is in God (not this world). He then calls us to something; something that is vital to living with this hope every day:  see v 22… see 1 Peter 1:17-22…  “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. “ In community with other brothers and sisters in Christ, as we love each other, we learn to live NOT for this world, but for the world to come. In community with others we learn to… We manage money and things with eternity in mind. working definition, consumerism: a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods working def, materialism: 2 : a preoccupation with or stress upon material rather than intellectual or spiritual things “Then 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.’” Luke 12:15  Every day on this earth we are learning to think like an alien Jesus calls us to this:  Verse to Ponder and Memorize “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” 1 Peter 2:11 Heaven, not earth, is my home. #3 Think Like an Alien Heaven, not earth, is my home We are citizens of a “better country—a heavenly one” (Heb 11:16) 2 Cor 8:2—their…poverty…overflowed in rich generosity. this is “alien thinking” 2 Cor 9:8—God will generously provide all you need What is the difference between consumerism and materialsm? CONSUMERISM One entry found for consumerism.  Main Entry: con•sum•er•ism Pronunciation: k&n-'sü-m&-"ri-z&mFunction: noun1 : the promotion of the consumer's interests2 : the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable; also : a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods working definition, consumerism: a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods working definition, materialism: 2 : a preoccupation with or stress upon material rather than intellectual or spiritual things MATERIALISM Main Entry: ma•te•ri•al•ism  Pronunciation: m&-'tir-E-&-"li-z&m Function: noun 1 a : a theory that physical matter is the only or fundamental reality and that all being and processes and phenomena can be explained as manifestations or results of matter b : a doctrine that the only or the highest values or objectives lie in material well-being and in tthe furtherance of material progress c : a doctrine that economic or social change is materially caused -- compare HISTORICAL MATERIALISM 2 : a preoccupation with or stress upon material rather than intellectual or spiritual things NOTES FROM Randy Alcorn’s book… 13”Someone 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 repared for yourself?’ 21“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21 “If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42 God keeps a “scroll of remembrance” regarding our lives see Malachi 3:16 “Being trustworthy in handling worldly wealth is an indicator of whether God can entrust us with more significant matters: So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” Luke 16:11-12 “Giving is a giant lever positioned on the fulcrum of this world, allowing us to move mountains in the next world. Because we give, eternity will be different—for others and for us.” Ray Boltz, Thank you for Giving to the Lord” Yet, “alien” = strange; foreign; belonging or relating to another person, place, or thing; differing in nature or character typically to the point of incompatibility. NT:3927 Parepideemon (see epideemeoo), properly, one who comes from a foreign country into a city or land to reside there by the side of the natives; hence, stranger; sojourning in a strange place, a foreigner (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.) Our citizenship is in heaven. Phil 3:20 We are aliens and strangers on earth; we long for a “better country”: “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking ffor a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:13-16 “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s elect, strangers in the world…” 1 Peter 1:1 “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.” 1 Peter 1:17-25 “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:11-12 “But the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” Mark 4:19 “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” Romans 8:5 “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” Galatians 5:16-18 “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” Gal 5:24 “All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.” Eph 2:3  “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Eph 4:22-24 “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” Col 3:5-6 “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Tim 6:9-10 “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don’t get it.” James 4:1 “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” 1 Peter 1:14 “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:7 “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” 2 Peter3:13 “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:17