Part Two of a Six Part Sermon Series by Dan Sarkipato “Your Heart Follows Your Money” The Treasure Principle (2 of 6): God’s Wisdom for Living in a Material World Pastor Dan Sarkipato Mark 10:17-27; Matthew 13:44-46 INTRODUCTION… If I ever go to Alaska, one of the sights I want to see is Mt. McKinley. I’m told that Mt McKinley is a beautiful, beautiful mountain to see. Tallest Mountain. Rises up 20,320 feet in Denali Natl Park. If you go to Alaska, something you must see. But I’m also told that if you go to Alaska next summer, you might see it, but you might not. It would be a shame to go all the way there, to be right next to the mountain, and not be able to see it. Even if you have 20/20 vision, and the mountain is right next to you. Why wouldn’t you be able to see it? Well, hold that question for a little while; it is a really important one. We are in the midst of a series of messages called THE TREASURE PRINCIPLE, in which God is talking to us about our hearts. about what we value the MOST in our lives. That’s what we mean by Treasure. WE had a passage assigned, a text, to ponder and memorize. I invite you to recite it with me: Matt 6:19-21… Verses to Ponder and Memorize Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 Today, #2 in this series on the Treasure Principle. And again, this message is about our hearts, about the deepest, truest part of who we are. The place where we need to connect with God. STAND as we read two passages… Mark 10:17-27; Matthew 13:44-46 ….. There is something important about us that we need to understand: The human heart is made to desire We were MADE BY GOD, DESIGNED BY OUR CREATOR to desire and want things. This is really important. Too many times we give the impression that desires are wrong; they are sinful; that what we are supposed to do is suppress desires, avoid them, bludgeon them into submission. In fact, God made us in his image, and part of that image is to have desires. The trouble/problem/difficulty comes when our desires are misdirected. THAT is where we run into our problems. When desire is misdirected the ability to see is clouded. Let’s go back to Mt. McKinley… Some people never see Mt McKinley when they go to AK because of the clouds. They roll in thick and heavy and often, and completely obscure the mountain. This story of the rich man wanting to follow Jesus and have eternal life is the story of clouds and the mountain. What we are going to discover is that he could NOT SEE JESUS because his money clouded his vision. And so what God is going to be asking us is: Can you see Mt. McKinley? Really, CAN YOU SEE JESUS? If Jesus seems not very much in focus for you, WHAT IS CLOUDING YOUR VISION, YOUR ABILITY TO SEE HIM? And that is what was happening with this man who ran up to Jesus. We might call him … The man who could not see the mountain He was very interested in Jesus.  He really wanted to learn from him. Was highly motivated to follow Jesus. Furthermore, we learn later, he was loaded; he had “great wealth”. What a catch! Materially speaking…He had everything He had money; he had stuff; “great wealth”. Furthermore, he was a student of the Word of God; he knew the text; he grew up in a believing home, and he was well taught. He kept the commands of God, and was well motivated. He honored his parents, he did not cheat on his wife, he spoke the truth. All this ever since he was a kid. He had a great resume. Then I love what comes next: Jesus looked at him and loved him… I think we miss this too many times. What is about to be said next is due to the deep love Jesus had for this man. It was the most loving thing he could say to him. But when he said it, it was like a lightning bolt into his heart. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Why would Jesus say something to radical, so drastic? And something like that is what happened to this rich man. Why do I say that? The next verse: 22At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. What was going on here? He had a problem; a HUGE problem. He seemed to have everything; and still… Yet he lacked the main thing This man’s vision, his ability to see who Jesus was, was clouded, big time, because of the fog of money and materialism. His money, his wealth, his stuff had assumed a place in his life that OBSCURED HIM FROM SEEING THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE. THAT is why Jesus said, “get rid of it. Let it go. Give it away. Straighten out your priorities. I AM THE TREASURE of life. Unless you get that, you will enter eternity without me.” Jesus said the most loving thing he could have said to this man. Get rid of it all; sell it; give to the poor; build up some treasure in heaven; and come follow me. There is only one true treasure in life, and it IS NOT MATERIALISM. If you think it is, YOU ARE BELIEV ING AND LIVING A LIE! The first commandment of the 10 commandments is what? YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME. NOTHING that comes ahead of me. Today, the god who calls to us most loudly is the God of materialism and money. The god who wants our devotion, our loyalty, our time, our thoughts, is money and things. If there was ever a time, ever an age when we needed to hear Jesus words to this young man, it is today, in this culture and this time. Our culture says; YOU CAN SERVE GOD AND MONEY Scripture says: YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MONEY Let me tell you two stories… William Borden or King Tut? First, Wm Borden Story of William Borden, grave in Cairo, Egypt. Heir to a large fortune. Tombstone: 1887-1913  DID NOT take possession of his fortune; gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars to missions. Did 4 months of missionary work; contracted spinal meningitis and died. at age 25. on his tombstone:  “apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life” Tell more of his story…. “no regrets” “no retreat” then, King Tut From Borden’s grave, to King Tut exhibit. Egyptian National Museum. buried at age 17, King Tutankhamen. Buried with solid gold chariots and thousands of golden artifacts. His gold coffin was found within gold tombs within gold tombs within gold tombs. the burial site was filled with tons of gold. Believed in an afterlife where you can take earthly treasures. But until King Tut’s tomb was discovered in 1922, those treasures had not been touched for more than 3000 years!! WHERE ARE THOSE TWO YOUNG MEN NOW? King Tut—think of Ps 49… Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; 17 for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. 18 Though while he lived he counted himself blessed— and men praise you when you prosper— 19 he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life. 20 A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish. For the believer… Jesus Christ is our great treasure Truly our greatest treasure. there is no second place. Listen to these words… Jesus, priceless Treasure, Source of purest pleasure, Truest Friend to me. Ah, how long in anguish Shall my spirit languish, Yearning, Lord, for Thee? Thou art mine, O Lamb divine! I will suffer naught to hide Thee, (NOTHING is going to hid you) Naught I ask beside Thee. Evil world, I leave thee; Thou canst not deceive me, Thine appeal is vain. Sin that once did bind me, Come not forth again. Past thy hour, O pride and power; Sinful life, thy bonds I sever, Leave thee now forever. Hence, all thought of sadness! For the Lord of gladness, Jesus, enters in. Those who love the Father, Though the storms may gather, Still have peace within; Yea, whatever we here must bear, Still in Thee lies purest pleasure, Jesus, priceless Treasure! Jesus Christ is the treasure of incomparable value. When you have him, you are rich beyond compare. If you do not have him, then you will enter eternity with nothing. Friends, the church of Jesus in No America today has lost our sense and awareness that Jesus is our treasure. We might say the words, but where are the actions that demonstrate and live out those words?? Do you know anyone who has sold everything, given to the poor, to follow Jesus? Anyone? The closest I can think of is <name of missionary>, our missionary in Honduras. And you know what else I know about Gary? He possesses a depth of spiritual reality and power beyond anyone I can think of. And he basically has nothing. I have to tell you that God is talking to me about this. He is working on me and in me. I’m not hearing the call today to sell everything. But I’m hearing the call to sell some things. To downsize. To eagerly look for things to give away, to sell, so that I can give to the poor and have treasure in heaven. It is great fun! And it helps me see Jesus much more clearly. Friends, Jesus is our treasure, like a beautiful mountain, and money and things are like a cloud that hides him from our view. Today God calls us to… Put your money where your heart is. If your heart is with Jesus and with the kingdom of God, then let your use of money and wealth reflect exactly that. because know this: Your heart will follow your money. When our treasure is in heaven, then that is where our heart is. Jesus is saying “show me your checkbook, your VISA statement, your receipts, and I’ll show you where your heart is.” If you buy shares of Stryker stock, what happens? You develop this interest in Stryker. Still holding to 20% growth? You check the financial pages to see how they are doing; you come across an article about Stryker and you read it all, even though before you would have skipped it. Suppose you give money to help African children with AIDS. When you see an article on the subject, you are hooked. If you are supporting church planting in India, when an earthquake hits, you watch the news and you pray. Your heart will follow your money, just like the needle of a compass points north. Money leads; hearts follow. Sometimes people say, “I want more of a heart for missions.” Answer: Jesus tells us how: Put your money in missions, and in your church and the poor—and your heart will follow. Do you wish you cared more about eternal things?  Then reallocate your money, maybe even MOST of your money, from temporal things to eternal things. And watch what happens! God wants your heart. God wants YOU. He is not just looking for “donors” for his kingdom; he is looking for disciples immersed in causes they support. When Jesus called this rich man to get rid of it all to follow him, he was loving him. If we have a hard time seeing that as love, it is because of the clouds. Today, God wants you to know you can be free from the grip of all that stuff, all those desires, that pull and tug at you. Here’s the verse for the week: 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 #2 Your Heart Follows Your Money My heart always goes where I put God’s money Watch what happens when you reallocate your money from temporal things to eternal things.  Jesus… FOR WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO. Matt 6:21 Jesus “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21 In Matthew’s version of the “rich ruler” story, the man asks a question: 20“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” WHAT AM I MISSING?  Tom Cruise, scientology Madonna, kabala, Jewish mysticism… Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:33 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46 2 Cor 9:6—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. put your money in seed!  v9—godly people give generously to the poor.  Core Issue—Jesus is not our treasure. Somehow the god of this world, the lure of stuff, the fog of materialism has blinded us from seeing the most incredible treasure that the world has ever seen, ever known: Jesus the Son of God, King and Messiah. I’m told that Mt McKinley is a beautiful, beautiful mountain to see. Rises up 20, 320 feet in Denali Natl Park. If you go to Alaska, something you must see But I’m also told that if you go to Alaska next summer, you might see it, but you might not. Not because someone stole it, or it fell down. You might not see it for another reason. That reason is called the clouds; they come rolling in, and when they do, until they lift, you would never know there is a mountain there. Right in front of you, but completely obscured from sight. NOTE-- Thou art mine, O Lamb divine! I will suffer naught to hide Thee, Naught I ask beside Thee. Friends, I think that is exactly what has happened to us. Right in front of us is God’s Son, Jesus, the Priceless Treasure. But much of the time, we don’t see him at all. Not because he has left or gone away some where. But for an entirely different reason. The clouds have come in. They keep us from seeing the glory and beauty and majesty of what is right in front of us! Greed; Worry about money and things and bills; materialism; wanting more; stuff; a house, a car, clothes, newest Ipod.  We think so much about things and what we want, that we don’t think much at all of the glory of Jesus, about the incredible treasure we possess right now in heaven. Listen to these words: Jesus, priceless Treasure, Source of purest pleasure, Truest Friend to me. Ah, how long in anguish Shall my spirit languish, Yearning, Lord, for Thee? Thou art mine, O Lamb divine! I will suffer naught to hide Thee, Naught I ask beside Thee. In Thine arms I rest me; Foes who would molest me Cannot reach me here. Though the earth be shaking, Every heart be quaking, Jesus calms my fear. Lightnings flash and thunders crash; Yet, though sin and hell assail me, Jesus will not fail me. Satan, I defy thee; Death, I now decry thee;  Fear, I bid thee cease. World, thou shalt not harm me Nor thy threats alarm me While I sing of peace. God’s great power guards every hour; Earth and all its depths adore Him, Silent bow before Him. Evil world, I leave thee; Thou canst not deceive me, Thine appeal is vain. Sin that once did bind me, Come not forth again. Past thy hour, O pride and power; Sinful life, thy bonds I sever, Leave thee now forever. Hence, all thought of sadness! For the Lord of gladness, Jesus, enters in. Those who love the Father, Though the storms may gather, Still have peace within; Yea, whatever we here must bear, Still in Thee lies purest pleasure, Jesus, priceless Treasure! This writer saw Jesus. Got a glimpse of the glory; and could not hold it in. Had to put down some words. Where are our songs? Where the passion bursting forth from out chests so that we have to shout it from the mountain tops that we have seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ? We have allowed the clouds to roll in. AND WE MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT!!! Heard Bill Hybels talk about “holy discontent”; what did God put in your heart, your gut, that just “can’t stands no more”? That is your area of holy discontent, where God wants to fire you up and use you to change the world. Let me tell you mine. When Jesus’ followers, those who have come to know Him, seen who he is, profess his name, learned the text, LIVE NO DIFFERENTLY THAN THE REST OF THE POPULATION. When by our lifestyle we say, KNOWING JESUS MAKES NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL. BECOMING A CHRISTIAN IS A TERM LIFE INSURANCE POLICY THAT IS ALL PAID UP; IT ONLY MATTERS WHEN YOU DIE.  This makes me crazy! Makes me, compels me, to do something.  Every time I hear another survey that says the lifestyles, divorce rate, alcoholism rate, among Christians is not different from the rest of the population, my blood pressure goes up. I can’t stands no more. And one of the biggest areas, Likely THE BIGGEST is in this area of materialism, money, stuff, things. We know Jesus, the priceless treasure; but when we hang out together, what do we end up talking about? Same things our pagan friends talk about; a new house, or car, or jewelry. The FOG, the clouds, have blown in, and we don’t see Jesus any more. People with NOTHING see Jesus much more clearly than we who have so much. FCF: Most of us are not aware of what has a grip upon our hearts. For most in our culture, it is money and things. God wants to have the grip, and have it strongly! The Kingdom of God; the Son of God; the Glory of God; the Beauty of God; the Greatness and Sovereignty of God. HE IS OUR TREASURE. JESUS IS MY TREASURE! let that passion, that realization, be renewed among us, right here, right now, today. WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW: When you sow sparingly for God’s kingdom, you will reap the same amount. Your heart will be a little bit engaged, but not a lot. THAT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH! GOD WANTS A WHOLE-HEARTED COMMITMENT FROM YOU!! WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO: Blow away the clouds of materialism; do whatever you must do, so you can see Jesus. NOTES FROM Randy Alcorn’s book… 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! My Thoughts… First of all, I plan to go to heaven when I die, but I do not plan to stay there. Heaven is not our ultimate home. Earth, a renewed earth, a curse-removed earth is where we will live. And if you picture the best day you ever had in your life; most fulfilled, maybe it was a day at work and it finally all came together; the day when you were the most you have ever been, you thought, GOD MADE ME FOR THIS—well, that day is very likely a much more accurate picture of heaven, of eternity, than this harp strumming boredom that you have been carrying around. (back to Alcorn…) 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). 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 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 There are many benefits to giving. Jesus commended the shrewd servants for winning friends for himself, and then told his followers to use “worldly wealth” to “gain friends” “so that when it is gone you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings). (see Luke 16:4ff) Quotes Bunyan about the rewards to those who do good for God. Paul referred to the Philippians giving and said “not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account” (Phil 4:17). IS IT WRONG TO BE MOTIVATED BY REWARDS? No—God does it many times! Yes, it can be wrong. BUT GOD PROMISES US REWARDS! We need to hear MORE about them, not less! Rewards are God’s idea! We tend to give or help those who can give to us or help us. But Jesus says, give to “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind….Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14 Jesus promises us we will be paid back. (Note—this is such a different paradigm. BUT THIS IS HOW I WANT TO LIVE! I don’t really want a brand new car. I want to give away 20% of what I take in every year. And I want to keep doing that. I want to do it more and more and more. When Dave gets out of High School, I want to be able to give and save a lot more. And when he gets out of college, even more! JUST BECAUSE I AM TITHING DOES NOT MEAN I AM DOING WHAT GOD CALLS ME TO DO AND WANTS ME TO DO! My wife is a partner with me. We share the same values. She has seen me struggle with materialism, Hellenism. She has seen me spend money I don’t have for things I don’t need. She knows what that is like for me. But she hangs in there with me, and she is practical. She sees the big picture of reality better than I do; I dream better than she does. We will want to have money to do things for our grandkids. We need to be saving NOW; becoming more frugal NOW. Holding our spending in check NOW. “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, 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.” Story of Laverne, with terminal cancer. She was asked to give a testimony about giving. She said “Giving melts me. It blows me away to know that God’s chosen me to give. It won’t be long before I see Him fact to face. I just want to hear Him say, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.’” she laughed, “I mean, what else matters? Why should I care about anything else?” (This makes me think of Eph 4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.) Repentance for a thief is not complete when he stops stealing. Repentance for a thief is not complete when he starts working so he can provide his own needs. Repentance for a thief is complete when he SHARES WITH THOSE IN NEED! He wants people so filled with a vision for eternity that they wouldn’t dream of not investing their money, time and prayers where the matter most. YES, we are called to meet the needs of our families. It is a sin not to do that. But once we have done that, then what?? Moses left Egypt’s treasures “because he was looking ahead to his reward” (Heb 11:26) He who lays up treasures on earth spends his life backing away from his treasures. To him, death is loss. He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to eternity; he’s moving daily toward his treasures. To him, death is gain. He who spends his life moving away from his treasures has reason to despair. He who spends his life moving toward his treasures has reason to rejoice. Are you despairing or rejoicing? 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:33-34 17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 THE TREASURE PRINCIPLE God’s Wisdom for Living in a Material World #1 Would The Real Owner please Stand Up? God owns everything. I’m his money manager. We are the managers of the assets God has entrusted – not given – to us 2 Cor 8:5—they gave themselves to the Lord; he “owns” me and all I have #2 Your Heart Follows Your Money My heart always goes where I put God’s money Watch what happens when you reallocate your money from temporal things to eternal things. 2 Cor 9:6—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. Put your money in seed! v9—godly people give generously to the poor. #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 #4 He Who Dies With the Most Toys Still Dies I should live not for the dot, but for the line From the dot—our present life on earth—extends a line that goes on forever, which is eternity in heaven. …eternity with God. 2 Cor 8:3—they gave far more than they could “afford” #5 The Best Investment Advice You’ll Ever Hear Giving is the only antidote to materialism Giving and faithful management of what we have is the only antidote to materialism. Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. It dethrones me and exalts Him. 2 Cor 8:7—excel in this gift of giving 2 Cor 9:11—you will be enriched so that you can give even more generously #6 Why Do I Have All This Stuff? God prospers me not raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving God gives us more money than we need so we can give—generously. 2 Cor 8:12—God wants you to give what you have, not what you don’t have WHAT IS IN YOUR HAND? 2 Cor 9:13—you will be glorifying God through your generous gifts Mark 10:17-27 17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 20“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Matthew 13:44-46 44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.