March 5, 2025 • 59 mins
In the Old Testament, God’s people were often promised earthly, physical blessings if they obeyed him. The blessings of land and prosperity were often anticipations of a greater, heavenly reward. In the New Testament, on the other hand, God’s people are not promised wealth or comfort, at least not in the present age. In Mark 10:17–31, Jesus warns us of the danger of treasuring money and making an idol out of it. Our money and our resources should be used for the purpose of his kingdom. David Platt urges Christians in wealthier contexts to take heed of Jesus’ words and to trust in God’s generous provision.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are listening to Radical with David Platt, a
weekly podcast with sermons andmessages from pastor, author and
teacher David Platt.
If you have clothes to wear andfood to eat and a house or
apartment to live in and areasonably reliable means of
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transportation, then you areamong the top 15% of the world's
wealthy, which makes thesewords from Jesus particularly
appropriate.
Verse 23,.
Jesus looked around and said tohis disciples.
And said to his disciples howhard it is for the rich to enter
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the kingdom of God.
The disciples were amazed athis words.
But Jesus said again children,how hard it is to enter the
kingdom of God.
It is easier for a camel to gothrough the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter thekingdom of God.
The disciples were even moreamazed and said to each other
who then can be saved?
Jesus looked at them and saidwith man this is impossible, but
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not with God.
All things are possible withGod.
Peter said to him we have lefteverything to follow you.
I tell you the truth.
Jesus replied no one who hasleft home or brothers or sisters
, or mother or father, orchildren or fields for me and
the gospel will fail to receivea hundred times as much in this
present age Homes, brothers,sisters, mothers, children and
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fields, and with them,persecutions and, in the age to
come, eternal life.
But many who are first will belast and last.
First, god, we pray that youwould help us.
Help us to connect what we havesung with what we now study.
Help us to connect the holinessof your name and the worth of
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your name, and your name exalted, with what it means to live.
To exalt your name, not our own.
God, we pray that you wouldhelp us by your grace, your
spirit, across this room, you'dhelp us in the next few moments
we have, god, to sift throughour thinking that is so
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culturally ingrained and socounter, counter, biblically
ingrained, and help us to hearyour words fresh and give us
grace, not just to hear them,but, god, we pray for grace to
respond.
God, we can do nothing thismorning To change ourselves.
We need you to change ourhearts, and so we pray that you
would do it Through your word Ina way that you get great glory,
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not just here but around theworld, in light of these needs
around us.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
We've looked at six truths andwe have four more to go today.
Now, I know that along the way,many people have been asking,
okay, we see these truths, buthow do they look in our lives,
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have been asking okay, we seethese truths, but how do they
look in our lives, how does thispractically play out?
And so what I've done if younotice on the back of your notes
, what you'll see is four truthsand then, at the end of each
truth, there's a bullet or twounder each.
That's in italics, and thoseare practical applications that
we're going to go through.
But I want to point that out toyou from the very beginning,
the fact that they're in italics, because there's a difference,
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there's a huge differencebetween biblical truth and
pastor's thoughts.
Biblical truth is binding.
What Scripture says determineshow we live.
Pastor's thoughts take them orleave them.
The reality is, I'm guessing,most will leave them.
The practical application thatyou will see there is not
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particularly popular in ourculture today and not
particularly easy to put intopractice.
They are the overflow, to justbe perfectly honest, of Heather
and I, as we have wrestledthrough these truths and
continue to wrestle throughthese truths and continue to
wrestle through these truths,and so I want to put some
practical things before you.
We had a question and answer acouple weeks ago.
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We'll have one more tonight.
These should provide some goodfodder for discussion If you
would like to be a part of that.
That's tonight after the sixo'clock worship, gathering
around 730, 745.
We will dive into any questionsthat you want to ask based on
this series.
But that's what you've got inyour notes.
You've got truths.
We're going to see the truthsand then I'm just going to kind
of step aside for just a secondafter each one and say
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practically here's how I wouldencourage you to put this into
practice in your life.
So truth number seven, first onewe're going to look at today,
in Mark 10, a radical warning.
We desperately here's thewarning we desperately need to
realize the deadly nature of ourpossessions.
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We desperately need to realizethe deadly nature of our
possessions, how hard it is forthe rich to enter the kingdom of
God.
The reality is, most people inour culture and most of us in
the church simply just don'tbelieve Jesus on this one.
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We don't buy it.
It's not hard for the rich toenter the kingdom of God because
we hear that and, as we justsaid, we're rich people.
We live in the wealthiestcounty in Alabama and this
church building where wegathered together this morning
is nestled in one of thewealthiest communities in
Birmingham, alabama.
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And what Jesus is saying, if wecould bring this picture over to
us, is it's hard to enter thekingdom of God from Brook Island
Parkway.
It is hard to enter the kingdomand we just don't buy it.
We are accustomed to thinkingalong with the church culture in
which we're ingrained, thinkingof possessions and money and
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wealth as blessings, but we donot think of them as barriers.
Jesus is saying your rich, yourwealth, your possessions,
barriers, obstacles to enteringthe kingdom.
Now the question kind of raisesto the top.
Jesus is saying these things,but then you've got a picture of
the church after this, afterJesus leaves, is it still the
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picture in the New Testamentchurch?
So I want you to hold yourplace here and I want you to go
with me to 1 Timothy, 6.
Go to the right, feel free touse your table of contents if
you need to Go past 1 and 2Thessalonians, you'll come to 1
Timothy, chapter 6.
And I want us to ask thequestion does the New Testament
church have the same stance onpossessions that Jesus is giving
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us there in Mark, chapter 10?
And I want us to see if there'sany similarities or disconnects
here.
Is it hard for the rich in theNew Testament church to enter
the kingdom of God?
Look at 1 Timothy, chapter 6,verse 6, and see what Paul
writes to Timothy and he'stelling Timothy here's how you
encourage the church.
In the New Testament, verse 6,godliness with contentment is
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great gain, for we broughtnothing into the world and we
can take nothing out of it.
But if we have food andclothing, we will be content
with that.
People who want to get richfall into temptation and a trap
and into many foolish andharmful desires that plunge men
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into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a rootof all kinds of evil.
Some people eager for moneyhave wandered from the faith and
pierced themselves with manygriefs, now notice and this is
what often people notice andpoint out well, it's not money
that is the root of all kinds ofevil, it's the love of money.
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And thankfully we draw theconclusion that all of us are
free from that, even though wehave money.
But we go to that and it's truewhat Paul is saying and what
Jesus is saying, both Jesus andPaul, neither of them are saying
that wealth or money isinherently evil.
Wealth or money or possessionsare inherently evil.
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And what Jesus is telling therich man and what we're going to
see unfold here in 1 Timothy,chapter 6, don't miss this.
Jesus is not saying, nor isPaul saying, that we need to
give away wealth, money andpossessions because they're bad.
They're saying give away wealth, money and possessions because
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people are starving.
Go, sell everything you haveand give to the poor.
This is huge.
It's why, when you get over toverse 17, paul starts to talk to
those who are rich.
And this is what he saidCommand those who are rich in
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this present world not to bearrogant, nor to put their hope
in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,
who, richly, provides us witheverything for our enjoyment.
Command them to do good, to berich in good deeds.
This is a loaded passage, thesetwo passages together and the
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picture is Paul is saying goback.
Go back to verse 9.
He says people who want to getrich fall into temptation and a
trap and into many foolish andharmful desires that plunge men
into ruin and destruction.
That's people who want to getrich.
This is not even talking aboutpeople who have achieved that,
who are rich.
This is even just.
The desire to be rich leads youinto a trap that leads to ruin
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and destruction.
Does it sound like Paul iswarning about deadly nature and
possessions, much like Jesus haddone in Mark, chapter 10?
Absolutely so.
What is Paul saying then?
Back up to verse 6, he saysgodliness with contentment is
great gain.
People say well, okay, well,the important thing is that I'm
content and I'm pretty contentin the life that I live here in
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birmingham, so I'm good.
But look at how paul definescontentment.
He says in verse 8 if we havefood and clothing, we will be
content with that.
That's a radically differentcontentment than the contentment
we would adopt.
Paul says bring it down.
It says food and clothing.
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Here Some of your translationsays food and covering.
Basically, he identifies basicnecessities.
He said food, shelter, clothing, covering.
I have these and I'll becontent with that.
And then he says right afterthat, now those who want more,
those who want to be rich, wantmore and more and more and more.
That leads down the path ofdestruction.
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So the picture Paul is settingup is those who want to indulge
in luxury after luxury afterluxury beyond necessity, go down
a trap that leads to ruin anddestruction.
And here's the ruin anddestruction.
This is why Paul is warningabout this, and it goes to verse
17 when he starts talking tothose who are rich.
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It's the danger we face.
You've got this in your notes.
Riches cause us first.
They cause us to becomeself-confident.
Look at verse 17.
Command those who are rich inthis present world not to be
arrogant.
Not to be arrogant.
Scripture teaches thatpossessions produce pride.
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Possessions produce pride.
When we make a new purchase,when we make this good
investment, when we put in a bigdeposit, pride begins to swell
in us and what happens is webegin to place our confidence in
riches instead of putting ourconfidence in God.
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Now most of us would say, well,my confidence is not in riches,
my confidence is in God.
You know how you test that.
Start telling folks to selleverything they have and give it
away, and all of a sudden, theriches are starting to be taken
off the table and insecurity inour hearts rises to the top.
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The deal is not only do richescause us to become
self-confident, but riches blindus to the depth of our
self-confidence.
Riches blind us to the lack ofconfidence we have in God,
because we think we haveconfidence in God, but our
confidence is in stuff, and whenit's stripped away we realize
this.
Not just self-confidence butriches cause us to become
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self-sufficient.
Command them not to be arrogant, nor to put their hope in
wealth.
Paul is saying it's hard forthe rich to put their hope in
God because they have so muchother stuff to put their hope in
.
And this is true.
We know this.
We know that it is.
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We are prone every single oneof us in this room.
We're prone to enjoy gifts anddisregard the giver.
We are all prone to this andthe reality is, the more we fill
our lives with gifts, more andmore and more and more, the more
prone we are to disregard thegiver and the more we have a
sufficiency in our lives and oursecurity and what we are able
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to earn or put on the table oracquire.
And we find ourselves in thesame situation that the church
at Laodicea was in Revelation,chapter 3.
Remember that passage when Jesussays astounding words.
I would spew you out of mymouth.
Why Listen to what he says?
To an apathetic, comfortablechurch that was affluent, you
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say I am rich.
These are Jesus' words.
You say I am rich, I haveacquired words.
You say I am rich, I haverequired wealth and do not need
a thing, but you do not realizethat you are wretched, pitiful,
poor, blind and naked.
So be earnest and repent.
That's what he says.
He says you need to repent.
He says I stand at the door, atknock.
This is Jesus knocking on theoutside of the door of the
church because the people havebecome so self-sufficient.
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This is the danger Paul iswarning against your riches
cause you to becomeself-sufficient and
self-confident.
And third, riches cause us tobecome self-centered.
So this is what Paul says inverse 18.
He says command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds and
to be generous and willing toshare.
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Now notice what Paul says is theremedy for the danger of riches
is giving, because the realityis, riches cause us to want more
riches and more riches and havemore and more and we begin to
hoard.
And he says you want to fightthat, the core of who you are.
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Then you give.
You give generously, you becomerich in good deeds.
Here's how to avoid the danger,deadly danger of possessions.
Give them away.
Be rich in your giving.
Don't give your scraps anymore.
That's what the rich man didback in Luke.
You give your surplus, you takethese necessities that you live
on Godliness with contentment,great gain, food and covering
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and then you give.
You give abundantly and thishelps you avoid the deadly
danger of possessions.
This is exactly what Jesustalked about, the self-centered
picture, when he said it's whatwe've seen.
Where your treasure is, thereyour heart will be also.
We should not be surprised atour lack of giving extravagantly
to the poor because we pouredour possessions into our stuff
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and acquiring bigger houses andnicer cars and nicer clothes and
more stuff and, as a result,that's where our hearts are, not
with the lost and the poor.
Where your treasure is, thereyour heart will be also.
So we come back to these choicesNow in the New Testament church
that we have seen throughoutthe Gospels.
The decision we must make twooptions.
Number one we can live a lifeof selfish luxury that forsakes
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the poor, a life that is notcontent with food and covering,
a life that wants more and moreand more, a life that increases
its standard of living everyopportunity it gets.
Jesus says no, don't live likethat.
And Paul says no, don't livelike that.
Possessions are deadly that way.
They are dangerous that way.
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One option a life of selfishluxury that forsakes the poor.
Second option is a life ofselfless love for the sake of
the poor.
Now it's at this point we stepback and many ask One of the
first questions that comes toour minds is well, what's wrong
with luxuries?
What's wrong with a nice house?
What's wrong with a nice car?
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What's wrong with nice clothes?
What's wrong with nice clothes?
What's wrong with nice stuff?
Is that inherently bad?
Now think about this with me.
This is huge.
Comes back to what we were justtalking about a second ago.
As long as we ask the question,what's wrong with this?
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Then we are reflecting exactlywhat Scripture is warning us
against, and that is aself-centered mentality to our
possessions.
We are reflecting well, what'swrong with me having this and
what's wrong with me having that, what's wrong with me having
this?
And the only way we can askthat question is if we've turned
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a deaf ear to the needs outsideour door.
Let me give you an example.
John Wesley Now follow with mehere.
John Wesley, when he was inOxford in college.
His biographer writes Wesleyhad just finished buying some
pictures for his room when oneof the chambermaids came to his
door.
It was a winter day and henoticed that she had only a thin
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linen gown to wear forprotection against the bitter
cold.
He reached into his pocket togive her some money for a coat
and found he had little left.
It struck him that the Lord wasnot pleased with how he had
spent his money.
He asked himself will thymaster say well done, good and
faithful steward, thou hastadorned thy walls with the money
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that might have screened thispoor creature from the cold.
Oh justice, oh mercy, are notthese pictures the blood of this
poor maid?
Did you catch what happened?
He equated it.
He saw.
Were these pictures inherentlybad that he had bought and was
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putting on his wall?
Not inherently bad?
Not inherently wrong?
But it was wrong to spend moneyon pictures for his wall while
a woman was freezing outsidewith no coat.
Now let's take Wesley'sexperience and let's transplant
it into ours.
Imagine taking a tour throughyour home, or my home for that
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matter, and look for unnecessaryfurniture, unnecessary wall
hangings, unnecessary clothes inthe closet, unnecessary
entertainment centers,unnecessary, and the list goes
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on and on, and on and on.
Are these things bad in and ofthemselves?
They're only bad it's ifthey're only bad.
If outside, in your yard,there's 500 children from
Southern Africa whose bodies aremalnourished and whose brains
are deforming because they don'thave a meal, now it's bad to
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spend money on those thingsinstead of them.
You see, the only way we can askthe question well, what's wrong
with that is if we're ignoringthe poor on our doorstep.
You see the connection here.
Which one?
Are we going to live for A lifeof selfish luxury that forsakes
the poor, or a life of selflesslove for the sake of the poor?
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This is what Jesus is saying,what Paul is saying Give, give
radically to the poor, becauseif you don't, then you'll be
ignoring not only the needs ofthe lost and the poor, but you
will overwhelm your heart withstuff and more and more and more
, and you may, in the end, missthe kingdom altogether.
Deadly danger of possessions.
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So, practically, here's myencouragement Take it or leave
it.
My encouragement would be forfamilies across this room and
individuals across this room toidentify the necessities and
luxuries in your lifeNecessities and luxuries and be
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honest.
Then begin selling and givingaway your luxuries for the sake
of the lost and the poor.
I will go ahead and let youknow this is not an easy process
to walk through.
It's a painful process becauseyou begin to realize how little
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in your life is necessity andhow much is luxury.
And it's painful because all ofthese rationalizations and
justifications begin rising upin your heart to explain away
your luxuries.
Begin rising up in your heartto explain away your luxuries.
But what happens when weidentify food and covering basic
needs, minimal wants, maybe,minimal wants that are germane
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to this culture, and then,beyond this, begin to ask the
question do I need the kind ofcar I drive?
Do we need the kind of house welive in?
Do I need all of the clothesthat I have?
Do we need all the stuff in thehouse that we have?
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Do we need this, do we needthat?
And be careful, because you'llstart to ask well, what's wrong
with that?
Why can't I have that?
And these questions are justexposing self-centered plague
and your heart needs to beremoved by Christ and you'll
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begin to see that your life isfull of excess and full of
surplus.
To see that your life is full ofexcess and full of surplus that
can be given away for the sakeof the lost and the poor Leads
to this second practicalapplication Based on your
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necessities.
Then set a simple cap on yourlifestyle and then give away
everything else.
Set a simple cap on yourlifestyle based on food and
covering necessities.
Decide this is what I or myfamily needs to live on.
Now you've got a cap and nowyou are going right against the
grain of a culture that says themore you make, the more you
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have to live on that.
The more you make, the higheryour standard of living
increases.
Now, the more you make, thehigher your standard of giving
increases.
This is starting to sound alittle more New Testament.
And you've got a cap and nowyou're freeing up anything that
God grants above that cap Tomake the glory of Christ known
among the lost and the poor.
You say well, is it wrong, dave?
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Are you saying that it's wrongto have a lot of money or to
make a lot of money to have agood job?
No, it's absolutely right.
Like get the best job possibleand make the most money possible
, because now God is entrustingresources to you, not for
yourself, indulgent, for thesake of the lost and the poor
around the world.
Now this begins to make sense.
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This is exactly where Wesleywent, in light of what he
experienced.
Listen to what his biographerwrites.
In 1731, wesley began to limithis expenses so he would have
more money to give to the poor.
He records that one year hisincome was 30 pounds and his
living expenses were 28 pounds,so he had two pounds to give
away.
The next year his incomedoubled, but he still lived on
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28 pounds and gave 32 poundsaway.
In the third year his incomejumped to 90 pounds.
Again he lived on 28 pounds,while giving 62 away.
The fourth year he made 120pounds, lived again on 28, and
gave 92 pounds to the poor.
Wesley preached that Christiansshould not merely tithe but give
away all extra income once thefamily and creditors were taken
care of.
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He believed that withincreasing income here it is the
Christian standard of givingshould increase, not his
standard of living.
He began this practice atOxford and he continued it
throughout his life.
Even when his income rose intothe thousands of pounds, he
lived simply and quickly gavehis surplus money away.
One year his income was over1,400 pounds.
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He gave away all but 30.
He was afraid of laying uptreasures on earth.
That's a great line.
He was afraid.
He knew 1 Timothy 6 was real.
He was afraid of laying uptreasures on earth, so the money
went out in charity as quicklyas it came in.
When he died in 1791, the onlymoney mentioned in his will was
the miscellaneous coins to befound in his pockets and dresser
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drawers.
Most of the 30,000 pounds hehad earned in his lifetime he
had given away.
You say, well, he didn't leaveany investment behind.
He left thousands of soulsfollowing Christ behind.
That's an investment, that's amajor investment of someone's
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life.
You transfer this over intocurrent day's wages.
There were times when Wesleywas making $160,000 a year and
he was living off $20,000 a year.
In our culture Is that weird,sound extravagant?
It's just out there.
No, it's godliness withcontentment and it's great gain
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and it's generous giving to thepoor, willingness to share.
It's rich in good deeds.
What if?
What if we did this?
I know people think that'scrazy.
Don't even think about it.
What if?
What if we decided across thisfaith family that a 50 or 75 or
$100,000 salary does notnecessitate a 50 or 75 or
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$100,000 lifestyle, or a milliondollar lifestyle for that
matter?
What if we decided we weregoing to live and trust that God
was going to provide and we'regoing to food and covering and
then minimum wants, and thenwe're going to free up the
resources that God has entrustedto us for the sake of the lost
and the poor.
People say, well, that's radical.
What if it's obedience?
People say, well, that'sradical.
What if it's obedience?
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Think, the resources of heavenentrusted to us for the sake of
the world.
You'll say, dave, have you lostit?
I mean, don't you think thiswould go too extreme and we
don't take care of ourselves andour families?
I don't think we're in dangerof that, of going so extreme in
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our giving that we're notproviding for ourselves.
And I would hesitate to saythat.
Well, not hesitate to say thatthere's not one person in this
room who will ever stand beforeJesus, the judgment seat of
Christ, and hear him say yougave too much away, you should
have spent more on yourself.
It's not going to happen, Ipromise you it's not going to
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happen.
Don't worry about erring toofar in that direction.
Let's say there's a deadlydanger in our possessions, for
us and for the sake of the poor,that we are indifferent to.
And so let's hit right at theroot of that and let's give away
.
Let's do what Jesus told therich man to do in Mark 10 and
what Paul is telling the rich todo in 1 Timothy 6.
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That's the warning it leads tonow.
This giving is the overflow ofa gift in you.
The second or eighth yeah,eighth a radical gift Salvation.
Listen to this.
Salvation is utterly impossiblefor any and every person apart
from the grace of God.
Come back to Mark 10.
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Salvation is utterly impossiblefor any and every person apart
from the grace of God.
So Jesus says it's hard for therich to enter the kingdom of
heaven.
And then his disciples areamazed, and so Jesus decides to
repeat himself it's very hardfor the rich to enter the
kingdom of God.
It's easier for a camel to gothrough the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter thekingdom of God.
Now here's where it gets reallygood, this verse 25, maybe one
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of the most abused verses in theNew Testament.
Because at this point it's whenpeople or preachers begin to
talk about this gate into thecity of Jerusalem.
It was very, very thin.
It was very, very small, kindof a side gate and in order to
get through, if you were goingto try to get a camel, it was
called the eye of a needle.
In order to get a camel throughthere, you'd have to take the
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load off the camel's back, you'dhave to get the camel to kneel
down and kind of crawl throughthere.
To load off the camel's back,you'd have to get the camel to
kneel down and kind of crawlthrough there.
And the only problem is it'snot true.
There's no gate like that.
People started telling storieslike this either in the 9th
century or the 19th century,some say, but regardless, for
eight centuries they didn't talkabout this gate, including the
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first century, when the gatewould have been there.
And so it makes for some reallycool sermon illustrations,
because you got to take off whatyou're holding on to and you
get down on your knees and Imean you can hear the music
playing and the invitationbeginning.
At that point.
The only problem is it's justnot true.
So what is Jesus saying?
And this is why it's important.
We're not just trying to debunkgreat sermons from the past,
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but it's important because Jesusis not saying it's really hard,
so you've got to do this andthis and this he's saying it's
impossible.
He's saying here's the eye of aneedle, a little picture of an
eye of a needle and you take acamel through that.
Can you do that?
Absolutely not.
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There's no chance.
It's not hard, it's impossible.
And Jesus is saying that'sexactly it.
It's impossible for the rich toenter the kingdom of heaven and
, for that matter, it'simpossible to anybody, for
anybody, to enter the kingdom ofheaven.
This is a picture here.
We keep coming back to thisover and over and over again.
I want to come back to it today.
There is nothing we can do toearn entrance into the kingdom.
(30:19):
No matter how much we give, nomatter how much we do this or
that, we cannot earn entrance tothe kingdom of heaven.
We cannot earn salvation.
Why?
Because God gives salvation tous.
He gives it, he gives it.
We're not working for oursalvation when we talk about
these radical commands.
We're not working for oursalvation.
Instead, god gives salvation tous.
(30:41):
Camp out here for just a minute.
God does not sell us salvation.
He does not sell us salvation.
The kingdom can't be bought andhe doesn't trade us salvation.
Now, this is huge.
I want to pause for a secondhere.
This is so key becauseScripture obviously talks about
it and we've been talking aboutthe cost of following Jesus.
(31:02):
Now, does that mean that we'resitting across the table from
God and if we put enough moneyon the table then he'll save us.
That's not what Scripture'steaching.
We don't buy salvation.
We don't trade for salvation.
That would not be a wisebusiness deal, because we've got
(31:22):
nothing to bring to the tableto God, nothing but sin.
So here's what happens we sitacross the table in our sin and
God, based on absolutely nothingin us, reaches his hand of
grace into our lives and hetakes our sin and he removes it
(31:44):
and in its place he puts therighteousness of Christ.
I want to come back to thisover and over and over again.
The only way you or I standaccepted before God at this
moment is because of thefinished work of Christ on the
cross and his righteousnessbought for you and me.
Accepted before God at thismoment is because of the
finished work of Christ on thecross and His righteousness
bought for you and me.
What happens is, by His grace,he takes our heart and he
(32:05):
removes our sin and he putsrighteousness of Christ in us.
Now, as a part of that, as apart of a new heart.
This goes back to what we weretalking about in the Lifeblood
series a while ago a new heartthis goes back to what we were
talking about in the Lifebloodseries a while ago A new heart
that doesn't desire sin, doesn'tdesire self, that desires
Christ.
He puts a spirit in us thatbegins to flow from us in our
(32:28):
lives and the way we live.
And now, what we are doinggiving to the poor or obeying
Christ in any way is not inorder to earn salvation.
It's not what we're putting onthe table, but it's the overflow
of Christ in us.
It's still the work of God inour hearts.
And the reality is now ourgiving is a result of His giving
(32:50):
to our hearts.
Does that make sense?
Don't miss it.
Our giving is a result of hisgiving.
Our giving is an overflow ofwhat he is doing in our hearts,
and we need him to do it.
That's the whole point in herein Mark, chapter 10.
These disciples are sittingthere with their Old Testament
foundations thinking if anybodycan get into the kingdom, this
guy can.
(33:11):
Look at his riches, look at hisresume, this guy can get in.
And Jesus says no, it'simpossible for him to get in.
He needs a radical change ofhis heart in order to come into
the kingdom.
And you need a radical changeof his heart.
You need a radical change ofour hearts, and then what we
give is still the result of hisgiving.
So here's the beauty of it Godgives salvation to us and then,
(33:33):
when it comes to this wholepicture we're talking about,
when it comes to giving for thesake of the poor, not only does
God give salvation to us, but heenables sacrifice in us.
Now this is where it getsreally good.
When we are talking about going, selling all your possessions,
giving to the poor, so you havetreasure in heaven, how many of
us in this room are reallysitting on the edge of our seat
(33:56):
thinking the sooner I can selleverything and give it all away,
the better.
All these things that I'veworked for, all these things
that I've prized, that I'veacquired, I can't wait to get
rid of them.
We walk out of here with smileson our faces every Sunday, just
so uplifted, because now we getto give everything away.
That's really probably not thereaction that we've experienced
(34:17):
over the last few weeks, whichshows us something.
Don't miss it.
It's impossible to have thatkind of reaction.
It's impossible to manufacturea heart that doesn't want
security and comfort and thingsin this world.
But the good news is our God isthe great doer of the
(34:41):
impossible and he does it.
He does it.
He takes our hearts and hechanges them.
People would say it's nuts totalk about these things and this
culture and a church like thiswith all wealth and possessions
that are represented here.
(35:01):
It's crazy to think that apeople, individuals, families
and faith family is going to dothese things.
It's impossible, I would say.
But God is the great doer ofthe impossible and this is where
I want to take you practicallyto this picture.
My challenge for you this one'sa little bit easier than the
(35:24):
other one.
Each day this week, mychallenge is to set aside a
specific concentrated time,alone and or with your family,
and pray, really pray.
Make sure we get that, notroutine.
Really pray and ask the HolySpirit to change your desires
(35:48):
and show you what he wants youto do.
Then begin to do it in hispower, one step at a time.
Here's the picture.
When we see some of thesetruths, I've got a feeling
there's a tendency to almost bea little bit of shell shock
experience, a little bit ofshell shock.
Some of these things that maybewe've never seen before in
Scripture or haven't seen beforein a long time in Scripture
(36:12):
coming to the top.
I know it's been a sense, someof that way for me looking at
texts that I'd read before butI'd missed so much in them.
And there's this kind of you'rewalking along with the culture
living when it comes to moneyand possessions, like most of us
are including myself as apastor, living pretty much in
(36:34):
the rat race that everybody elseis living in, maybe a couple
little changes here or there.
But all of a sudden we come totext like this and we're stopped
in our tracks and we start tothink, well, what do I do?
Where do I even begin?
And it's at this point where Iwant to encourage you, at this
point, to fall on your knees,maybe literally, and say God, I
(36:57):
don't know what to do and Idon't know what to do and I
don't know where to begin.
But I know that anything I door anything that begins in me is
going to begin with you andyou're doing a work in my heart.
So change my heart so that Iwant whatever you want.
You know what.
That process of a heart changewill probably not happen
(37:18):
instantly to where now you walkaway, smiling and selling
everything and giving it away.
Instead, what it will begin tolead you to do is God will begin
to change your heart and you'llsee this in your life and this
in your life and this in yourlife that you can change, and
this in your life and all of asudden you're beginning to turn
in a different direction.
And this is why Jesus, I'mconvinced, does not give us a
(37:39):
checklist, because there's aprocess of heart change that
happens here.
There's an internal processthat needs to happen here that
we would be robbed of if we hada checklist, and we are
quick-fix people.
We want to do it, just get itdone.
But the reality is we needChrist to change our hearts and
(38:02):
that's not a quick-fix thing.
Now we have to be careful notto grow weary in that, because
we can see Him start to changeour heart.
We make a little step this wayand then we just start moving.
Okay, well, that was a goodseries here.
We go Back over here.
Before long we're right back inthe grain.
It's a battle, it's a struggle,it's a fight.
Paul talks about that in 1Timothy 6 and all over Scripture
(38:23):
.
But it's something he will do.
He will do it in us.
Let's ask Him to do it in us.
We need Him to change ourhearts.
So I want to encourage you,prayerfully, thoughtfully, spend
time with your family alone andask him to guide your lifestyle
according to these radicalthings that he is showing us in
scripture.
Okay, number nine in these 10truths of radical freedom, jesus
(38:47):
frees us from our bondage toourselves and our stuff.
We're not gonna spend too longhere, but I want you to see this
.
I want you to see Peter'sresponse in Mark, chapter 10,
verse 28.
With man, this is impossible,not with God.
All things are possible withGod.
Peter said to him we have lefteverything to follow you.
I love this.
See the picture here.
(39:08):
See the contrast.
Just a few verses before this,a man walks away from Jesus, sad
because he's holding on toeverything he has.
Now you've got an eagerdisciple let's be honest, a
little too eager at some pointsstands up and says we've left
everything to follow you.
And there's a radical contrast.
Here there's a freedom.
Here there's a man walking away, sad, chained to his
(39:29):
possessions, and a man who isstanding up, excited about the
fact that he has left everythingto follow Jesus.
And it sounds a little bold,but Jesus doesn't rebuke him or
anything.
He actually affirms him in this.
There's a freedom here.
Now, I know this.
We've looked at some of theseradical commands in Scripture.
There is a tendency to alsothink well, when we're saved,
(39:52):
doesn't Christ free us?
Why aren't we talking about allthese commands?
We're free.
We're not free from commands.
For the first time, when Christsaves us, we're free to obey
commands.
Now we have what's in ourhearts that's necessary to put
these truths into practice andwe don't have to try to work or
earn or do this that we don'twant to do.
(40:14):
We do begrudgingly.
No, we do it because Christ ischanging our hearts and it
overflows into our obedience.
And the beauty is now we arefree, absolutely free from
ourselves and our possessionsand our stuff and our living for
comfort and security in thisworld, because now we're free to
live for Christ and we're freeto go wherever he calls.
What happens, because?
(40:34):
What happens when a people,because of spending, are not in
chains to debt and largemortgages and large payments on
this and that?
What happens when we're not inchains to this or that, that
we're holding on to?
What happens when we are freeto go wherever he calls what a
picture and free to givewhatever he asks.
(40:55):
Imagine that A cap on yourlifestyle that frees up abundant
resources.
And now your struggle is whereare we going to give these
resources?
What's the best way to givethese resources?
Where do I give to the lost andthe poor?
Now, this is a good question toask, a good question to wrestle
with and a good problem to have.
Before, when we were givingscraps, we could manage that
(41:16):
pretty easy.
Now we're giving surplus, nowwe're giving instead of having a
nice house or a nice car ornice clothes or this or that,
now we see, okay, well, how canI best spend that?
How can we best spend that forthe sake of the lost and for the
sake of the poor?
And all of a sudden don't missthis what if?
What if there really werebillions of people on this
(41:39):
planet who are headed to aneternal hell and millions of
them haven't even heard the nameof Jesus?
And what if there wereunprecedented numbers of
suffering people on this planet?
And what if God decided to givehis people on this side
unprecedented wealth to make adifference among the lost and
(42:00):
the poor?
What if that's exactly what hehas done?
What if that's exactly what hehas done in this room and what
happens when the people in thisroom, when you and I, are free
to go wherever he calls and togive whatever he asks.
Ralph Winter said Listen tothis O calls and to give
whatever he asks.
Ralph Winter said Listen tothis.
Obedience to the GreatCommission has more consistently
(42:22):
been poisoned by affluence thanby anything else.
Let's get rid of the poison sopractically.
Here's my encouragement.
Honestly answer this questionIn your life or in your family,
(42:46):
are you giving less than yourability?
Are you giving according toyour ability or are you giving
beyond your ability, less thanaccording to or beyond your
ability?
Less than according to orbeyond your ability?
To be honest, I would guess andI certainly don't have anything
empirical to back this up, butI would guess that 90 plus
(43:10):
percent of us are giving lessthan our ability, and I would
include myself as your pastor inthat Far less luxuries and
excess that surround my life.
I would say maybe a couplepercentage points of us that are
giving according to our ability, commensurate with how much we
(43:33):
have, and I would say probablyless than 1% of us who are
giving beyond our ability, andthose are probably the most
unnoticed in this room.
It's the whole picture in Luke21, when all the wealthy are
putting gifts into the templetreasury and a widow comes by
with two copper coins and putsthem in.
And what does Jesus say?
(43:55):
He says she gave more than allof them.
Why?
Because she gave out of herpoverty and she has nothing left
.
She gave beyond her ability.
We don't think like this.
We don't think like this.
You use even an extreme example.
Say, a man makes $10 millionnext year and he gives away $9
(44:15):
million to the poor.
Would we say that's extravagantgiving?
Of course we would.
But the reality is it's givingfar less than that man's ability
, far less.
He's only living on a milliondollars.
It doesn't square with 1Timothy 6 at all.
What happens when people making$30,000, $50,000, $75,000,
(44:42):
$100,000 and more in a faithfamily begin to give beyond
their abilities?
Probably not going to happenovernight.
But what happens when we beginto move in that direction?
We are spending our surplus andexcess in our lives for the
sake of the lost and the poor.
(45:03):
And this brings it around tothe second question, or second
point there.
Stop asking how much you canspare.
Start asking how much it'sgoing to take.
I'm going to be honest here.
This is part of where thebeginning point, I guess, of
(45:25):
conviction in my heart was A fewmonths ago.
We have some friends, we have avariety of friends living
around the world and a couplefriend of ours came to visit us.
They live in an area in the1040 window in the world, where
1040 window is some of the leastreached peoples in the world
and they're living amidst apeople.
Most of them have never heardthe name of Jesus.
They've given their lives.
(45:45):
They've been there, two orthree kids third kid on the way
giving their lives there, andthey came to visit us and there
were a lot of things about thatvisit that helped trigger some
things in my heart.
But when they were coming, whatbrought me to my knees was
(46:05):
looking back over some of theemails he had written me and I
want you to hear what one ofthem said.
He wrote how many people havenot believed because they have
not heard?
He's surrounded by peoplewho've never heard the gospel.
What will it take for thesepeople to hear?
Have they not heard becausethere is no one to tell them?
What can we do, in obedience toGod, to change a world in which
there are millions and millionsof people who cannot call on
(46:26):
the name of the Lord becausethey haven't believed and who
haven't believed because there'sno one to tell them.
Most of us would say we knowthe answer to that question.
Many of us would say we're evendoing things to change the
situation, but the truth isthere will continue to be
millions and millions of peoplewho do not hear as long as we
(46:46):
continue to use spare time andspare money to reach them.
These are two radicallydifferent questions what can we
spare and what will it take?
I know that when I throw outsome of the numbers that I have
(47:07):
thrown out over the last fewweeks, that they're almost too
overwhelming 4.5 billion people,30,000 kids today dying, who
will die of starvation orpreventable diseases, and my
fear is that the overwhelmingnature of these numbers actually
can lead to inaction, becauseit can actually make us begin to
(47:30):
think well, what can I reallydo to impact that?
In light of that, I want toencourage you.
The line of thinking that saysI can't do everything, so I
won't do anything is straightfrom the pit of hell.
It's straight from the pit ofhell.
(47:50):
What happens when individualsand families across this room
begin to say I can do, can freeup this over here to do for one
and free up this over here to dofor five and free up this over
here to do for 10, 20, andhundreds, and more and more and
more and more.
What happens when a faithfamily stops asking what can we
spare while we indulge ourselvesinstead?
(48:10):
What's it going to take to makethe gospel known among the
least reached peoples on theearth?
What's it going to take tobring water, food unprecedented
needs in the world?
That begins to change the wholemindset and that really leads
(48:31):
us to this last truth, and itdeals with the church.
It brings this all together forus as a community of faith, a
radical family.
Here's the deal, jesus.
This is the picture that itends with in Mark 10.
Jesus unites his peopletogether to enjoy and encourage
one another as they abandonthemselves to him.
Did you catch that?
Enjoy and encourage one anotheras they abandon themselves to
him.
We don't have a lot of time tohang out here, but look at verse
(48:52):
29 and 30.
I tell you the truth.
Jesus replied In other wordsguaranteed.
Mark it down, don't miss it.
No one who has left home, orbrothers or sisters, or mother
or father or children or fields.
For me and the gospel will failto receive a hundred times as
much in this present age homes,brothers, sisters, mothers,
children and fields, and withthem, persecutions and, in the
age to come, eternal life.
(49:13):
I love this.
This brings this whole seriesto such a strong concluding
statement.
Here Jesus says you abandonyour house and your possessions
and your family.
That's what Christ calls you todo, which he's doing all across
this world today.
(49:34):
Talked to a brother this lastweek who lives in a part of the
world.
Just about every person heleads to Christ is then beaten
by their brothers or sisters orfather or mother.
This is reality.
Many of you will lose yourmother, father or brother or
sister.
You'll lose your life maybe,but here's the beauty you do
(49:58):
that, you get a hundred times asmuch.
That's a good deal.
If you give me one dollar and Igive you a hundred dollars,
that's a smart thing for you todo.
That's what Jesus is sayinghere and the picture is is don't
miss it first.
The church no longer is anabstract idea in our minds.
(50:21):
He says some of you will losefamily, but you're going to get
a family.
You can't even imagine.
This is talking about thechurch.
Let me show it to you realquick.
Look at this.
In verse 29, I want you tolisten to the family members
that are mentioned and see ifthere's a conspicuous absence
the second time he mentions themaround.
Follow with me.
No one's left home, or brothersor sisters, or mother or father
, or children or fields for mewill fail to receive a hundred
(50:42):
times as much.
Then listen to what he saysHomes, brothers, sisters,
mothers, children and fields.
What did he leave out?
Did you catch it?
He left out father.
You catch it?
You left out father.
Picture is when you leavebehind, if necessary to abandon
(51:03):
an earthly family because you'refollowing Christ.
It says you will have brothersand sisters, mothers, but you
will have one father who takesyou as His children and makes
sure that you are provided for.
This is the beauty Church, nolonger an abstract idea.
This is Acts 2, 3, 4.
(51:23):
When we, if we do this, if youwere to do this, if you were to
take food and covering and thenbegin to give surplus away, then
all of a sudden some unexpectedneed comes that you never saw
coming in your life.
The beauty of it is now you'vegot a family that is around you
to walk with you through that,to help you in that, a giving
family of that.
This is the picture.
This is the church in reality.
(51:45):
But I also think it's one ofthe deterrents when I think
about these truths and puttingthem into practice.
I think one of the reasons whywe're hesitant to is because of
our love of things.
I think another reason whywe're hesitant to is because of
our fear of loneliness.
Here's what I mean by that.
(52:07):
I think it would be a loteasier to live out these truths
in a simple, radical life if wesaw everybody else in the church
doing that.
But when we look at these wordsand we look around us and even
(52:28):
look at our pastor, and we see alife of self-indulgence, then
we think, well, I guess thisreally doesn't matter, I guess
this isn't really true.
We need each other to show whatthis looks like in practice.
(52:55):
I need you to pray for me and Iwant you to know that I'm
praying for you.
We need each other.
The church is not an abstractidea that we gather together
with every Sunday.
This church is motivator in ourlives that spurs us on to
Christ with the way we're livingGod.
(53:23):
Do this.
In this faith.
Family Church is not anabstract idea.
Sacrifice no longer seems likean appropriate term.
A hundred times as much.
This is all over Scripture.
Proverbs 14, 21.
You're gracious to the poor,you will be happy.
Proverbs 22, 9.
You give generously to the poor, you will be blessed.
Acts 20, 35.
It is more blessed to give thanto receive, and I love Isaiah
58, 10 and 11.
Isaiah 58, 10 and 11.
If you spend yourselves listento this If you spend yourselves
(53:49):
in behalf of the hungry andsatisfy the needs of the
oppressed, then your light willrise in the darkness and your
night will become like thenoonday.
The Lord will guide you always.
He will satisfy your needs in asun-scorched land and will
strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-wateredgarden, like a garden whose
waters never fail.
This is what he says.
You spin yourself on behalf ofthe hungry and the poor and you
will be a well-watered garden.
That's a good picture there.
(54:11):
A hundred times as much.
This is why Hudson Taylor,after giving his life for 50
years in China, spending hislife, his family's life and his
possessions for the sake of thelost and the poor in China, gets
to the end of his life, after50 years, and he makes this
statement I never made asacrifice.
He says I never made asacrifice because it all made
sense.
(54:31):
See the treasure here church nolonger an abstract idea,
sacrifice no longer an abstractidea, sacrifice no longer an
appropriate term and the worldno longer seems like an adequate
home.
The world, this world, nolonger seems like an adequate
home, not just in the presentage, but in the age to come.
Brothers and sisters, thisworld is not our home.
(54:56):
This world is not our home.
This world is not our home.
This world is not our homes.
Let's stop living like it is.
Picture this you live in france, you come over to the united
states and you're here in the usfor one month and you're living
in a hotel room here and therule is during this one month
(55:20):
you can make as much money asyou would like, but when you get
on that plane at the end of themonth to go back to France, you
can take absolutely nothing onthat plane with you.
You can take no money and nopossessions with you.
Just all you've got on yourback is what you will take back
with you.
Now, the only caveat to that isas you make all the money you
want, you can deposit that inyour bank and friends.
(55:43):
So you got a month here.
What are you going to do?
Are you going to go out and buyexpensive paintings and put
them on the wall in your hotelroom?
Are you going to go out and buyexpensive paintings and put
them on the wall in your hotelroom?
Are you going to go out and buyexpensive furnishings to fix up
that hotel room as nice as itcan be?
(56:03):
Absolutely not.
That would be the most foolishof things you could do.
You would squander it all.
Instead, you're going to makeas much money as you can and
you're going to make sure thatbefore you get on that plane,
it's in Bank of France.
I remind you, ladies andgentlemen, we are here for a
(56:25):
vapor, a mist.
Our life is here one second andit is gone.
The next, and there is aneternity to come.
What is?
80 years here to be followed by80 billion years?
So why live for nice hotelrooms, houses and cars and
clothes and stuff that are fullof luxuries?
(56:47):
Why?
Why not leave all the luxuriesbehind?
Because it makes sense, becausethere's another world to come.
This is the question.
Do we believe this book Becausethis book tells us about Christ
dying on a cross so that wewould not have to live for
comforts here, or we don't haveto live for luxuries here,
(57:08):
because we're free from thoseluxuries, because we know the
luxuries to come.
We know that we're living foranother home.
We know there are people herethat God has left us here for
their sake.
The reason we're here insteadof with him at this moment is
for their sake.
So how can we indulge in moreand more and more and more for
ourselves?
(57:28):
Not if we believe this book,because this book says we're
living for another world.
And it brings us to thequestion that all of us have to
ask.
And we are at a point wherewe've got to ask, as a church,
where are we going to stand?
Are we going to stand with thestarving or with the overfed?
Are we going to stand with therich man on his way to hell or
(57:55):
the poor man, lazarus, on hisway to heaven?
How can we hoard our wealth andpossessions when millions are
hovering on the edge ofstarvation?
I appeal to Christ in you, arewe going to have the courage to
(58:25):
seek justice for the poor andthe lost, even if that means
disapproval from our affluentand religious neighbors.
Which world are we going tolive for?
(58:45):
We must decide, and myencouragement is to decide today
.
We must decide, and myencouragement is to decide today
to take our lives and ourpossessions and to give them to
(59:08):
God and to ask Him to spend themradically for the sake of the
lost and the poor around theworld.
We hope you've enjoyed thisweek's episode of Radical with
David Platt, of the lost and thepoor around the world.
You are listening to Radical with David Platt, a
weekly podcast with sermons andmessages from pastor, author and
teacher David Platt.
If you have clothes to wear andfood to eat and a house or
apartment to live in and areasonably reliable means of
(00:23):
transportation, then you areamong the top 15% of the world's
wealthy, which makes thesewords from Jesus particularly
appropriate.
Verse 23,.
Jesus looked around and said tohis disciples.
And said to his disciples howhard it is for the rich to enter
(00:51):
the kingdom of God.
The disciples were amazed athis words.
But Jesus said again children,how hard it is to enter the
kingdom of God.
It is easier for a camel to gothrough the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter thekingdom of God.
The disciples were even moreamazed and said to each other
who then can be saved?
Jesus looked at them and saidwith man this is impossible, but
(01:12):
not with God.
All things are possible withGod.
Peter said to him we have lefteverything to follow you.
I tell you the truth.
Jesus replied no one who hasleft home or brothers or sisters
, or mother or father, orchildren or fields for me and
the gospel will fail to receivea hundred times as much in this
present age Homes, brothers,sisters, mothers, children and
(01:34):
fields, and with them,persecutions and, in the age to
come, eternal life.
But many who are first will belast and last.
First, god, we pray that youwould help us.
Help us to connect what we havesung with what we now study.
Help us to connect the holinessof your name and the worth of
(02:00):
your name, and your name exalted, with what it means to live.
To exalt your name, not our own.
God, we pray that you wouldhelp us by your grace, your
spirit, across this room, you'dhelp us in the next few moments
we have, god, to sift throughour thinking that is so
(02:21):
culturally ingrained and socounter, counter, biblically
ingrained, and help us to hearyour words fresh and give us
grace, not just to hear them,but, god, we pray for grace to
respond.
God, we can do nothing thismorning To change ourselves.
We need you to change ourhearts, and so we pray that you
would do it Through your word Ina way that you get great glory,
(02:45):
not just here but around theworld, in light of these needs
around us.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
We've looked at six truths andwe have four more to go today.
Now, I know that along the way,many people have been asking,
okay, we see these truths, buthow do they look in our lives,
(03:06):
have been asking okay, we seethese truths, but how do they
look in our lives, how does thispractically play out?
And so what I've done if younotice on the back of your notes
, what you'll see is four truthsand then, at the end of each
truth, there's a bullet or twounder each.
That's in italics, and thoseare practical applications that
we're going to go through.
But I want to point that out toyou from the very beginning,
the fact that they're in italics, because there's a difference,
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there's a huge differencebetween biblical truth and
pastor's thoughts.
Biblical truth is binding.
What Scripture says determineshow we live.
Pastor's thoughts take them orleave them.
The reality is, I'm guessing,most will leave them.
The practical application thatyou will see there is not
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particularly popular in ourculture today and not
particularly easy to put intopractice.
They are the overflow, to justbe perfectly honest, of Heather
and I, as we have wrestledthrough these truths and
continue to wrestle throughthese truths and continue to
wrestle through these truths,and so I want to put some
practical things before you.
We had a question and answer acouple weeks ago.
(04:11):
We'll have one more tonight.
These should provide some goodfodder for discussion If you
would like to be a part of that.
That's tonight after the sixo'clock worship, gathering
around 730, 745.
We will dive into any questionsthat you want to ask based on
this series.
But that's what you've got inyour notes.
You've got truths.
We're going to see the truthsand then I'm just going to kind
of step aside for just a secondafter each one and say
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practically here's how I wouldencourage you to put this into
practice in your life.
So truth number seven, first onewe're going to look at today,
in Mark 10, a radical warning.
We desperately here's thewarning we desperately need to
realize the deadly nature of ourpossessions.
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We desperately need to realizethe deadly nature of our
possessions, how hard it is forthe rich to enter the kingdom of
God.
The reality is, most people inour culture and most of us in
the church simply just don'tbelieve Jesus on this one.
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We don't buy it.
It's not hard for the rich toenter the kingdom of God because
we hear that and, as we justsaid, we're rich people.
We live in the wealthiestcounty in Alabama and this
church building where wegathered together this morning
is nestled in one of thewealthiest communities in
Birmingham, alabama.
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And what Jesus is saying, if wecould bring this picture over to
us, is it's hard to enter thekingdom of God from Brook Island
Parkway.
It is hard to enter the kingdomand we just don't buy it.
We are accustomed to thinkingalong with the church culture in
which we're ingrained, thinkingof possessions and money and
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wealth as blessings, but we donot think of them as barriers.
Jesus is saying your rich, yourwealth, your possessions,
barriers, obstacles to enteringthe kingdom.
Now the question kind of raisesto the top.
Jesus is saying these things,but then you've got a picture of
the church after this, afterJesus leaves, is it still the
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picture in the New Testamentchurch?
So I want you to hold yourplace here and I want you to go
with me to 1 Timothy, 6.
Go to the right, feel free touse your table of contents if
you need to Go past 1 and 2Thessalonians, you'll come to 1
Timothy, chapter 6.
And I want us to ask thequestion does the New Testament
church have the same stance onpossessions that Jesus is giving
(06:41):
us there in Mark, chapter 10?
And I want us to see if there'sany similarities or disconnects
here.
Is it hard for the rich in theNew Testament church to enter
the kingdom of God?
Look at 1 Timothy, chapter 6,verse 6, and see what Paul
writes to Timothy and he'stelling Timothy here's how you
encourage the church.
In the New Testament, verse 6,godliness with contentment is
(07:06):
great gain, for we broughtnothing into the world and we
can take nothing out of it.
But if we have food andclothing, we will be content
with that.
People who want to get richfall into temptation and a trap
and into many foolish andharmful desires that plunge men
(07:27):
into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a rootof all kinds of evil.
Some people eager for moneyhave wandered from the faith and
pierced themselves with manygriefs, now notice and this is
what often people notice andpoint out well, it's not money
that is the root of all kinds ofevil, it's the love of money.
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And thankfully we draw theconclusion that all of us are
free from that, even though wehave money.
But we go to that and it's truewhat Paul is saying and what
Jesus is saying, both Jesus andPaul, neither of them are saying
that wealth or money isinherently evil.
Wealth or money or possessionsare inherently evil.
(08:12):
And what Jesus is telling therich man and what we're going to
see unfold here in 1 Timothy,chapter 6, don't miss this.
Jesus is not saying, nor isPaul saying, that we need to
give away wealth, money andpossessions because they're bad.
They're saying give away wealth, money and possessions because
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people are starving.
Go, sell everything you haveand give to the poor.
This is huge.
It's why, when you get over toverse 17, paul starts to talk to
those who are rich.
And this is what he saidCommand those who are rich in
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this present world not to bearrogant, nor to put their hope
in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,
who, richly, provides us witheverything for our enjoyment.
Command them to do good, to berich in good deeds.
This is a loaded passage, thesetwo passages together and the
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picture is Paul is saying goback.
Go back to verse 9.
He says people who want to getrich fall into temptation and a
trap and into many foolish andharmful desires that plunge men
into ruin and destruction.
That's people who want to getrich.
This is not even talking aboutpeople who have achieved that,
who are rich.
This is even just.
The desire to be rich leads youinto a trap that leads to ruin
(09:48):
and destruction.
Does it sound like Paul iswarning about deadly nature and
possessions, much like Jesus haddone in Mark, chapter 10?
Absolutely so.
What is Paul saying then?
Back up to verse 6, he saysgodliness with contentment is
great gain.
People say well, okay, well,the important thing is that I'm
content and I'm pretty contentin the life that I live here in
(10:11):
birmingham, so I'm good.
But look at how paul definescontentment.
He says in verse 8 if we havefood and clothing, we will be
content with that.
That's a radically differentcontentment than the contentment
we would adopt.
Paul says bring it down.
It says food and clothing.
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Here Some of your translationsays food and covering.
Basically, he identifies basicnecessities.
He said food, shelter, clothing, covering.
I have these and I'll becontent with that.
And then he says right afterthat, now those who want more,
those who want to be rich, wantmore and more and more and more.
That leads down the path ofdestruction.
(10:52):
So the picture Paul is settingup is those who want to indulge
in luxury after luxury afterluxury beyond necessity, go down
a trap that leads to ruin anddestruction.
And here's the ruin anddestruction.
This is why Paul is warningabout this, and it goes to verse
17 when he starts talking tothose who are rich.
(11:12):
It's the danger we face.
You've got this in your notes.
Riches cause us first.
They cause us to becomeself-confident.
Look at verse 17.
Command those who are rich inthis present world not to be
arrogant.
Not to be arrogant.
Scripture teaches thatpossessions produce pride.
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Possessions produce pride.
When we make a new purchase,when we make this good
investment, when we put in a bigdeposit, pride begins to swell
in us and what happens is webegin to place our confidence in
riches instead of putting ourconfidence in God.
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Now most of us would say, well,my confidence is not in riches,
my confidence is in God.
You know how you test that.
Start telling folks to selleverything they have and give it
away, and all of a sudden, theriches are starting to be taken
off the table and insecurity inour hearts rises to the top.
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The deal is not only do richescause us to become
self-confident, but riches blindus to the depth of our
self-confidence.
Riches blind us to the lack ofconfidence we have in God,
because we think we haveconfidence in God, but our
confidence is in stuff, and whenit's stripped away we realize
this.
Not just self-confidence butriches cause us to become
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self-sufficient.
Command them not to be arrogant, nor to put their hope in
wealth.
Paul is saying it's hard forthe rich to put their hope in
God because they have so muchother stuff to put their hope in
.
And this is true.
We know this.
We know that it is.
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We are prone every single oneof us in this room.
We're prone to enjoy gifts anddisregard the giver.
We are all prone to this andthe reality is, the more we fill
our lives with gifts, more andmore and more and more, the more
prone we are to disregard thegiver and the more we have a
sufficiency in our lives and oursecurity and what we are able
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to earn or put on the table oracquire.
And we find ourselves in thesame situation that the church
at Laodicea was in Revelation,chapter 3.
Remember that passage when Jesussays astounding words.
I would spew you out of mymouth.
Why Listen to what he says?
To an apathetic, comfortablechurch that was affluent, you
(13:43):
say I am rich.
These are Jesus' words.
You say I am rich, I haveacquired words.
You say I am rich, I haverequired wealth and do not need
a thing, but you do not realizethat you are wretched, pitiful,
poor, blind and naked.
So be earnest and repent.
That's what he says.
He says you need to repent.
He says I stand at the door, atknock.
This is Jesus knocking on theoutside of the door of the
church because the people havebecome so self-sufficient.
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This is the danger Paul iswarning against your riches
cause you to becomeself-sufficient and
self-confident.
And third, riches cause us tobecome self-centered.
So this is what Paul says inverse 18.
He says command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds and
to be generous and willing toshare.
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Now notice what Paul says is theremedy for the danger of riches
is giving, because the realityis, riches cause us to want more
riches and more riches and havemore and more and we begin to
hoard.
And he says you want to fightthat, the core of who you are.
(14:50):
Then you give.
You give generously, you becomerich in good deeds.
Here's how to avoid the danger,deadly danger of possessions.
Give them away.
Be rich in your giving.
Don't give your scraps anymore.
That's what the rich man didback in Luke.
You give your surplus, you takethese necessities that you live
on Godliness with contentment,great gain, food and covering
(15:13):
and then you give.
You give abundantly and thishelps you avoid the deadly
danger of possessions.
This is exactly what Jesustalked about, the self-centered
picture, when he said it's whatwe've seen.
Where your treasure is, thereyour heart will be also.
We should not be surprised atour lack of giving extravagantly
to the poor because we pouredour possessions into our stuff
(15:36):
and acquiring bigger houses andnicer cars and nicer clothes and
more stuff and, as a result,that's where our hearts are, not
with the lost and the poor.
Where your treasure is, thereyour heart will be also.
So we come back to these choicesNow in the New Testament church
that we have seen throughoutthe Gospels.
The decision we must make twooptions.
Number one we can live a lifeof selfish luxury that forsakes
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the poor, a life that is notcontent with food and covering,
a life that wants more and moreand more, a life that increases
its standard of living everyopportunity it gets.
Jesus says no, don't live likethat.
And Paul says no, don't livelike that.
Possessions are deadly that way.
They are dangerous that way.
(16:20):
One option a life of selfishluxury that forsakes the poor.
Second option is a life ofselfless love for the sake of
the poor.
Now it's at this point we stepback and many ask One of the
first questions that comes toour minds is well, what's wrong
with luxuries?
What's wrong with a nice house?
What's wrong with a nice car?
(16:42):
What's wrong with nice clothes?
What's wrong with nice clothes?
What's wrong with nice stuff?
Is that inherently bad?
Now think about this with me.
This is huge.
Comes back to what we were justtalking about a second ago.
As long as we ask the question,what's wrong with this?
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Then we are reflecting exactlywhat Scripture is warning us
against, and that is aself-centered mentality to our
possessions.
We are reflecting well, what'swrong with me having this and
what's wrong with me having that, what's wrong with me having
this?
And the only way we can askthat question is if we've turned
(17:24):
a deaf ear to the needs outsideour door.
Let me give you an example.
John Wesley Now follow with mehere.
John Wesley, when he was inOxford in college.
His biographer writes Wesleyhad just finished buying some
pictures for his room when oneof the chambermaids came to his
door.
It was a winter day and henoticed that she had only a thin
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linen gown to wear forprotection against the bitter
cold.
He reached into his pocket togive her some money for a coat
and found he had little left.
It struck him that the Lord wasnot pleased with how he had
spent his money.
He asked himself will thymaster say well done, good and
faithful steward, thou hastadorned thy walls with the money
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that might have screened thispoor creature from the cold.
Oh justice, oh mercy, are notthese pictures the blood of this
poor maid?
Did you catch what happened?
He equated it.
He saw.
Were these pictures inherentlybad that he had bought and was
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putting on his wall?
Not inherently bad?
Not inherently wrong?
But it was wrong to spend moneyon pictures for his wall while
a woman was freezing outsidewith no coat.
Now let's take Wesley'sexperience and let's transplant
it into ours.
Imagine taking a tour throughyour home, or my home for that
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matter, and look for unnecessaryfurniture, unnecessary wall
hangings, unnecessary clothes inthe closet, unnecessary
entertainment centers,unnecessary, and the list goes
(19:13):
on and on, and on and on.
Are these things bad in and ofthemselves?
They're only bad it's ifthey're only bad.
If outside, in your yard,there's 500 children from
Southern Africa whose bodies aremalnourished and whose brains
are deforming because they don'thave a meal, now it's bad to
(19:38):
spend money on those thingsinstead of them.
You see, the only way we can askthe question well, what's wrong
with that is if we're ignoringthe poor on our doorstep.
You see the connection here.
Which one?
Are we going to live for A lifeof selfish luxury that forsakes
the poor, or a life of selflesslove for the sake of the poor?
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This is what Jesus is saying,what Paul is saying Give, give
radically to the poor, becauseif you don't, then you'll be
ignoring not only the needs ofthe lost and the poor, but you
will overwhelm your heart withstuff and more and more and more
, and you may, in the end, missthe kingdom altogether.
Deadly danger of possessions.
(20:22):
So, practically, here's myencouragement Take it or leave
it.
My encouragement would be forfamilies across this room and
individuals across this room toidentify the necessities and
luxuries in your lifeNecessities and luxuries and be
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honest.
Then begin selling and givingaway your luxuries for the sake
of the lost and the poor.
I will go ahead and let youknow this is not an easy process
to walk through.
It's a painful process becauseyou begin to realize how little
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in your life is necessity andhow much is luxury.
And it's painful because all ofthese rationalizations and
justifications begin rising upin your heart to explain away
your luxuries.
Begin rising up in your heartto explain away your luxuries.
But what happens when weidentify food and covering basic
needs, minimal wants, maybe,minimal wants that are germane
(21:28):
to this culture, and then,beyond this, begin to ask the
question do I need the kind ofcar I drive?
Do we need the kind of house welive in?
Do I need all of the clothesthat I have?
Do we need all the stuff in thehouse that we have?
(21:49):
Do we need this, do we needthat?
And be careful, because you'llstart to ask well, what's wrong
with that?
Why can't I have that?
And these questions are justexposing self-centered plague
and your heart needs to beremoved by Christ and you'll
(22:12):
begin to see that your life isfull of excess and full of
surplus.
To see that your life is full ofexcess and full of surplus that
can be given away for the sakeof the lost and the poor Leads
to this second practicalapplication Based on your
(22:39):
necessities.
Then set a simple cap on yourlifestyle and then give away
everything else.
Set a simple cap on yourlifestyle based on food and
covering necessities.
Decide this is what I or myfamily needs to live on.
Now you've got a cap and nowyou are going right against the
grain of a culture that says themore you make, the more you
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have to live on that.
The more you make, the higheryour standard of living
increases.
Now, the more you make, thehigher your standard of giving
increases.
This is starting to sound alittle more New Testament.
And you've got a cap and nowyou're freeing up anything that
God grants above that cap Tomake the glory of Christ known
among the lost and the poor.
You say well, is it wrong, dave?
(23:22):
Are you saying that it's wrongto have a lot of money or to
make a lot of money to have agood job?
No, it's absolutely right.
Like get the best job possibleand make the most money possible
, because now God is entrustingresources to you, not for
yourself, indulgent, for thesake of the lost and the poor
around the world.
Now this begins to make sense.
(23:43):
This is exactly where Wesleywent, in light of what he
experienced.
Listen to what his biographerwrites.
In 1731, wesley began to limithis expenses so he would have
more money to give to the poor.
He records that one year hisincome was 30 pounds and his
living expenses were 28 pounds,so he had two pounds to give
away.
The next year his incomedoubled, but he still lived on
(24:06):
28 pounds and gave 32 poundsaway.
In the third year his incomejumped to 90 pounds.
Again he lived on 28 pounds,while giving 62 away.
The fourth year he made 120pounds, lived again on 28, and
gave 92 pounds to the poor.
Wesley preached that Christiansshould not merely tithe but give
away all extra income once thefamily and creditors were taken
care of.
(24:26):
He believed that withincreasing income here it is the
Christian standard of givingshould increase, not his
standard of living.
He began this practice atOxford and he continued it
throughout his life.
Even when his income rose intothe thousands of pounds, he
lived simply and quickly gavehis surplus money away.
One year his income was over1,400 pounds.
(24:47):
He gave away all but 30.
He was afraid of laying uptreasures on earth.
That's a great line.
He was afraid.
He knew 1 Timothy 6 was real.
He was afraid of laying uptreasures on earth, so the money
went out in charity as quicklyas it came in.
When he died in 1791, the onlymoney mentioned in his will was
the miscellaneous coins to befound in his pockets and dresser
(25:08):
drawers.
Most of the 30,000 pounds hehad earned in his lifetime he
had given away.
You say, well, he didn't leaveany investment behind.
He left thousands of soulsfollowing Christ behind.
That's an investment, that's amajor investment of someone's
(25:29):
life.
You transfer this over intocurrent day's wages.
There were times when Wesleywas making $160,000 a year and
he was living off $20,000 a year.
In our culture Is that weird,sound extravagant?
It's just out there.
No, it's godliness withcontentment and it's great gain
(25:53):
and it's generous giving to thepoor, willingness to share.
It's rich in good deeds.
What if?
What if we did this?
I know people think that'scrazy.
Don't even think about it.
What if?
What if we decided across thisfaith family that a 50 or 75 or
$100,000 salary does notnecessitate a 50 or 75 or
(26:15):
$100,000 lifestyle, or a milliondollar lifestyle for that
matter?
What if we decided we weregoing to live and trust that God
was going to provide and we'regoing to food and covering and
then minimum wants, and thenwe're going to free up the
resources that God has entrustedto us for the sake of the lost
and the poor.
People say, well, that's radical.
What if it's obedience?
People say, well, that'sradical.
What if it's obedience?
(26:42):
Think, the resources of heavenentrusted to us for the sake of
the world.
You'll say, dave, have you lostit?
I mean, don't you think thiswould go too extreme and we
don't take care of ourselves andour families?
I don't think we're in dangerof that, of going so extreme in
(27:02):
our giving that we're notproviding for ourselves.
And I would hesitate to saythat.
Well, not hesitate to say thatthere's not one person in this
room who will ever stand beforeJesus, the judgment seat of
Christ, and hear him say yougave too much away, you should
have spent more on yourself.
It's not going to happen, Ipromise you it's not going to
(27:27):
happen.
Don't worry about erring toofar in that direction.
Let's say there's a deadlydanger in our possessions, for
us and for the sake of the poor,that we are indifferent to.
And so let's hit right at theroot of that and let's give away
.
Let's do what Jesus told therich man to do in Mark 10 and
what Paul is telling the rich todo in 1 Timothy 6.
(27:50):
That's the warning it leads tonow.
This giving is the overflow ofa gift in you.
The second or eighth yeah,eighth a radical gift Salvation.
Listen to this.
Salvation is utterly impossiblefor any and every person apart
from the grace of God.
Come back to Mark 10.
(28:10):
Salvation is utterly impossiblefor any and every person apart
from the grace of God.
So Jesus says it's hard for therich to enter the kingdom of
heaven.
And then his disciples areamazed, and so Jesus decides to
repeat himself it's very hardfor the rich to enter the
kingdom of God.
It's easier for a camel to gothrough the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter thekingdom of God.
Now here's where it gets reallygood, this verse 25, maybe one
(28:31):
of the most abused verses in theNew Testament.
Because at this point it's whenpeople or preachers begin to
talk about this gate into thecity of Jerusalem.
It was very, very thin.
It was very, very small, kindof a side gate and in order to
get through, if you were goingto try to get a camel, it was
called the eye of a needle.
In order to get a camel throughthere, you'd have to take the
(28:52):
load off the camel's back, you'dhave to get the camel to kneel
down and kind of crawl throughthere.
To load off the camel's back,you'd have to get the camel to
kneel down and kind of crawlthrough there.
And the only problem is it'snot true.
There's no gate like that.
People started telling storieslike this either in the 9th
century or the 19th century,some say, but regardless, for
eight centuries they didn't talkabout this gate, including the
(29:15):
first century, when the gatewould have been there.
And so it makes for some reallycool sermon illustrations,
because you got to take off whatyou're holding on to and you
get down on your knees and Imean you can hear the music
playing and the invitationbeginning.
At that point.
The only problem is it's justnot true.
So what is Jesus saying?
And this is why it's important.
We're not just trying to debunkgreat sermons from the past,
(29:37):
but it's important because Jesusis not saying it's really hard,
so you've got to do this andthis and this he's saying it's
impossible.
He's saying here's the eye of aneedle, a little picture of an
eye of a needle and you take acamel through that.
Can you do that?
Absolutely not.
(29:58):
There's no chance.
It's not hard, it's impossible.
And Jesus is saying that'sexactly it.
It's impossible for the rich toenter the kingdom of heaven and
, for that matter, it'simpossible to anybody, for
anybody, to enter the kingdom ofheaven.
This is a picture here.
We keep coming back to thisover and over and over again.
I want to come back to it today.
There is nothing we can do toearn entrance into the kingdom.
(30:19):
No matter how much we give, nomatter how much we do this or
that, we cannot earn entrance tothe kingdom of heaven.
We cannot earn salvation.
Why?
Because God gives salvation tous.
He gives it, he gives it.
We're not working for oursalvation when we talk about
these radical commands.
We're not working for oursalvation.
Instead, god gives salvation tous.
(30:41):
Camp out here for just a minute.
God does not sell us salvation.
He does not sell us salvation.
The kingdom can't be bought andhe doesn't trade us salvation.
Now, this is huge.
I want to pause for a secondhere.
This is so key becauseScripture obviously talks about
it and we've been talking aboutthe cost of following Jesus.
(31:02):
Now, does that mean that we'resitting across the table from
God and if we put enough moneyon the table then he'll save us.
That's not what Scripture'steaching.
We don't buy salvation.
We don't trade for salvation.
That would not be a wisebusiness deal, because we've got
(31:22):
nothing to bring to the tableto God, nothing but sin.
So here's what happens we sitacross the table in our sin and
God, based on absolutely nothingin us, reaches his hand of
grace into our lives and hetakes our sin and he removes it
(31:44):
and in its place he puts therighteousness of Christ.
I want to come back to thisover and over and over again.
The only way you or I standaccepted before God at this
moment is because of thefinished work of Christ on the
cross and his righteousnessbought for you and me.
Accepted before God at thismoment is because of the
finished work of Christ on thecross and His righteousness
bought for you and me.
What happens is, by His grace,he takes our heart and he
(32:05):
removes our sin and he putsrighteousness of Christ in us.
Now, as a part of that, as apart of a new heart.
This goes back to what we weretalking about in the Lifeblood
series a while ago a new heartthis goes back to what we were
talking about in the Lifebloodseries a while ago A new heart
that doesn't desire sin, doesn'tdesire self, that desires
Christ.
He puts a spirit in us thatbegins to flow from us in our
(32:28):
lives and the way we live.
And now, what we are doinggiving to the poor or obeying
Christ in any way is not inorder to earn salvation.
It's not what we're putting onthe table, but it's the overflow
of Christ in us.
It's still the work of God inour hearts.
And the reality is now ourgiving is a result of His giving
(32:50):
to our hearts.
Does that make sense?
Don't miss it.
Our giving is a result of hisgiving.
Our giving is an overflow ofwhat he is doing in our hearts,
and we need him to do it.
That's the whole point in herein Mark, chapter 10.
These disciples are sittingthere with their Old Testament
foundations thinking if anybodycan get into the kingdom, this
guy can.
(33:11):
Look at his riches, look at hisresume, this guy can get in.
And Jesus says no, it'simpossible for him to get in.
He needs a radical change ofhis heart in order to come into
the kingdom.
And you need a radical changeof his heart.
You need a radical change ofour hearts, and then what we
give is still the result of hisgiving.
So here's the beauty of it Godgives salvation to us and then,
(33:33):
when it comes to this wholepicture we're talking about,
when it comes to giving for thesake of the poor, not only does
God give salvation to us, but heenables sacrifice in us.
Now this is where it getsreally good.
When we are talking about going, selling all your possessions,
giving to the poor, so you havetreasure in heaven, how many of
us in this room are reallysitting on the edge of our seat
(33:56):
thinking the sooner I can selleverything and give it all away,
the better.
All these things that I'veworked for, all these things
that I've prized, that I'veacquired, I can't wait to get
rid of them.
We walk out of here with smileson our faces every Sunday, just
so uplifted, because now we getto give everything away.
That's really probably not thereaction that we've experienced
(34:17):
over the last few weeks, whichshows us something.
Don't miss it.
It's impossible to have thatkind of reaction.
It's impossible to manufacturea heart that doesn't want
security and comfort and thingsin this world.
But the good news is our God isthe great doer of the
(34:41):
impossible and he does it.
He does it.
He takes our hearts and hechanges them.
People would say it's nuts totalk about these things and this
culture and a church like thiswith all wealth and possessions
that are represented here.
(35:01):
It's crazy to think that apeople, individuals, families
and faith family is going to dothese things.
It's impossible, I would say.
But God is the great doer ofthe impossible and this is where
I want to take you practicallyto this picture.
My challenge for you this one'sa little bit easier than the
(35:24):
other one.
Each day this week, mychallenge is to set aside a
specific concentrated time,alone and or with your family,
and pray, really pray.
Make sure we get that, notroutine.
Really pray and ask the HolySpirit to change your desires
(35:48):
and show you what he wants youto do.
Then begin to do it in hispower, one step at a time.
Here's the picture.
When we see some of thesetruths, I've got a feeling
there's a tendency to almost bea little bit of shell shock
experience, a little bit ofshell shock.
Some of these things that maybewe've never seen before in
Scripture or haven't seen beforein a long time in Scripture
(36:12):
coming to the top.
I know it's been a sense, someof that way for me looking at
texts that I'd read before butI'd missed so much in them.
And there's this kind of you'rewalking along with the culture
living when it comes to moneyand possessions, like most of us
are including myself as apastor, living pretty much in
(36:34):
the rat race that everybody elseis living in, maybe a couple
little changes here or there.
But all of a sudden we come totext like this and we're stopped
in our tracks and we start tothink, well, what do I do?
Where do I even begin?
And it's at this point where Iwant to encourage you, at this
point, to fall on your knees,maybe literally, and say God, I
(36:57):
don't know what to do and Idon't know what to do and I
don't know where to begin.
But I know that anything I door anything that begins in me is
going to begin with you andyou're doing a work in my heart.
So change my heart so that Iwant whatever you want.
You know what.
That process of a heart changewill probably not happen
(37:18):
instantly to where now you walkaway, smiling and selling
everything and giving it away.
Instead, what it will begin tolead you to do is God will begin
to change your heart and you'llsee this in your life and this
in your life and this in yourlife that you can change, and
this in your life and all of asudden you're beginning to turn
in a different direction.
And this is why Jesus, I'mconvinced, does not give us a
(37:39):
checklist, because there's aprocess of heart change that
happens here.
There's an internal processthat needs to happen here that
we would be robbed of if we hada checklist, and we are
quick-fix people.
We want to do it, just get itdone.
But the reality is we needChrist to change our hearts and
(38:02):
that's not a quick-fix thing.
Now we have to be careful notto grow weary in that, because
we can see Him start to changeour heart.
We make a little step this wayand then we just start moving.
Okay, well, that was a goodseries here.
We go Back over here.
Before long we're right back inthe grain.
It's a battle, it's a struggle,it's a fight.
Paul talks about that in 1Timothy 6 and all over Scripture
(38:23):
.
But it's something he will do.
He will do it in us.
Let's ask Him to do it in us.
We need Him to change ourhearts.
So I want to encourage you,prayerfully, thoughtfully, spend
time with your family alone andask him to guide your lifestyle
according to these radicalthings that he is showing us in
scripture.
Okay, number nine in these 10truths of radical freedom, jesus
(38:47):
frees us from our bondage toourselves and our stuff.
We're not gonna spend too longhere, but I want you to see this
.
I want you to see Peter'sresponse in Mark, chapter 10,
verse 28.
With man, this is impossible,not with God.
All things are possible withGod.
Peter said to him we have lefteverything to follow you.
I love this.
See the picture here.
(39:08):
See the contrast.
Just a few verses before this,a man walks away from Jesus, sad
because he's holding on toeverything he has.
Now you've got an eagerdisciple let's be honest, a
little too eager at some pointsstands up and says we've left
everything to follow you.
And there's a radical contrast.
Here there's a freedom.
Here there's a man walking away, sad, chained to his
(39:29):
possessions, and a man who isstanding up, excited about the
fact that he has left everythingto follow Jesus.
And it sounds a little bold,but Jesus doesn't rebuke him or
anything.
He actually affirms him in this.
There's a freedom here.
Now, I know this.
We've looked at some of theseradical commands in Scripture.
There is a tendency to alsothink well, when we're saved,
(39:52):
doesn't Christ free us?
Why aren't we talking about allthese commands?
We're free.
We're not free from commands.
For the first time, when Christsaves us, we're free to obey
commands.
Now we have what's in ourhearts that's necessary to put
these truths into practice andwe don't have to try to work or
earn or do this that we don'twant to do.
(40:14):
We do begrudgingly.
No, we do it because Christ ischanging our hearts and it
overflows into our obedience.
And the beauty is now we arefree, absolutely free from
ourselves and our possessionsand our stuff and our living for
comfort and security in thisworld, because now we're free to
live for Christ and we're freeto go wherever he calls.
What happens, because?
(40:34):
What happens when a people,because of spending, are not in
chains to debt and largemortgages and large payments on
this and that?
What happens when we're not inchains to this or that, that
we're holding on to?
What happens when we are freeto go wherever he calls what a
picture and free to givewhatever he asks.
(40:55):
Imagine that A cap on yourlifestyle that frees up abundant
resources.
And now your struggle is whereare we going to give these
resources?
What's the best way to givethese resources?
Where do I give to the lost andthe poor?
Now, this is a good question toask, a good question to wrestle
with and a good problem to have.
Before, when we were givingscraps, we could manage that
(41:16):
pretty easy.
Now we're giving surplus, nowwe're giving instead of having a
nice house or a nice car ornice clothes or this or that,
now we see, okay, well, how canI best spend that?
How can we best spend that forthe sake of the lost and for the
sake of the poor?
And all of a sudden don't missthis what if?
What if there really werebillions of people on this
(41:39):
planet who are headed to aneternal hell and millions of
them haven't even heard the nameof Jesus?
And what if there wereunprecedented numbers of
suffering people on this planet?
And what if God decided to givehis people on this side
unprecedented wealth to make adifference among the lost and
(42:00):
the poor?
What if that's exactly what hehas done?
What if that's exactly what hehas done in this room and what
happens when the people in thisroom, when you and I, are free
to go wherever he calls and togive whatever he asks.
Ralph Winter said Listen tothis O calls and to give
whatever he asks.
Ralph Winter said Listen tothis.
Obedience to the GreatCommission has more consistently
(42:22):
been poisoned by affluence thanby anything else.
Let's get rid of the poison sopractically.
Here's my encouragement.
Honestly answer this questionIn your life or in your family,
(42:46):
are you giving less than yourability?
Are you giving according toyour ability or are you giving
beyond your ability, less thanaccording to or beyond your
ability?
Less than according to orbeyond your ability?
To be honest, I would guess andI certainly don't have anything
empirical to back this up, butI would guess that 90 plus
(43:10):
percent of us are giving lessthan our ability, and I would
include myself as your pastor inthat Far less luxuries and
excess that surround my life.
I would say maybe a couplepercentage points of us that are
giving according to our ability, commensurate with how much we
(43:33):
have, and I would say probablyless than 1% of us who are
giving beyond our ability, andthose are probably the most
unnoticed in this room.
It's the whole picture in Luke21, when all the wealthy are
putting gifts into the templetreasury and a widow comes by
with two copper coins and putsthem in.
And what does Jesus say?
(43:55):
He says she gave more than allof them.
Why?
Because she gave out of herpoverty and she has nothing left
.
She gave beyond her ability.
We don't think like this.
We don't think like this.
You use even an extreme example.
Say, a man makes $10 millionnext year and he gives away $9
(44:15):
million to the poor.
Would we say that's extravagantgiving?
Of course we would.
But the reality is it's givingfar less than that man's ability
, far less.
He's only living on a milliondollars.
It doesn't square with 1Timothy 6 at all.
What happens when people making$30,000, $50,000, $75,000,
(44:42):
$100,000 and more in a faithfamily begin to give beyond
their abilities?
Probably not going to happenovernight.
But what happens when we beginto move in that direction?
We are spending our surplus andexcess in our lives for the
sake of the lost and the poor.
(45:03):
And this brings it around tothe second question, or second
point there.
Stop asking how much you canspare.
Start asking how much it'sgoing to take.
I'm going to be honest here.
This is part of where thebeginning point, I guess, of
(45:25):
conviction in my heart was A fewmonths ago.
We have some friends, we have avariety of friends living
around the world and a couplefriend of ours came to visit us.
They live in an area in the1040 window in the world, where
1040 window is some of the leastreached peoples in the world
and they're living amidst apeople.
Most of them have never heardthe name of Jesus.
They've given their lives.
(45:45):
They've been there, two orthree kids third kid on the way
giving their lives there, andthey came to visit us and there
were a lot of things about thatvisit that helped trigger some
things in my heart.
But when they were coming, whatbrought me to my knees was
(46:05):
looking back over some of theemails he had written me and I
want you to hear what one ofthem said.
He wrote how many people havenot believed because they have
not heard?
He's surrounded by peoplewho've never heard the gospel.
What will it take for thesepeople to hear?
Have they not heard becausethere is no one to tell them?
What can we do, in obedience toGod, to change a world in which
there are millions and millionsof people who cannot call on
(46:26):
the name of the Lord becausethey haven't believed and who
haven't believed because there'sno one to tell them.
Most of us would say we knowthe answer to that question.
Many of us would say we're evendoing things to change the
situation, but the truth isthere will continue to be
millions and millions of peoplewho do not hear as long as we
(46:46):
continue to use spare time andspare money to reach them.
These are two radicallydifferent questions what can we
spare and what will it take?
I know that when I throw outsome of the numbers that I have
(47:07):
thrown out over the last fewweeks, that they're almost too
overwhelming 4.5 billion people,30,000 kids today dying, who
will die of starvation orpreventable diseases, and my
fear is that the overwhelmingnature of these numbers actually
can lead to inaction, becauseit can actually make us begin to
(47:30):
think well, what can I reallydo to impact that?
In light of that, I want toencourage you.
The line of thinking that saysI can't do everything, so I
won't do anything is straightfrom the pit of hell.
It's straight from the pit ofhell.
(47:50):
What happens when individualsand families across this room
begin to say I can do, can freeup this over here to do for one
and free up this over here to dofor five and free up this over
here to do for 10, 20, andhundreds, and more and more and
more and more.
What happens when a faithfamily stops asking what can we
spare while we indulge ourselvesinstead?
(48:10):
What's it going to take to makethe gospel known among the
least reached peoples on theearth?
What's it going to take tobring water, food unprecedented
needs in the world?
That begins to change the wholemindset and that really leads
(48:31):
us to this last truth, and itdeals with the church.
It brings this all together forus as a community of faith, a
radical family.
Here's the deal, jesus.
This is the picture that itends with in Mark 10.
Jesus unites his peopletogether to enjoy and encourage
one another as they abandonthemselves to him.
Did you catch that?
Enjoy and encourage one anotheras they abandon themselves to
him.
We don't have a lot of time tohang out here, but look at verse
(48:52):
29 and 30.
I tell you the truth.
Jesus replied In other wordsguaranteed.
Mark it down, don't miss it.
No one who has left home, orbrothers or sisters, or mother
or father or children or fields.
For me and the gospel will failto receive a hundred times as
much in this present age homes,brothers, sisters, mothers,
children and fields, and withthem, persecutions and, in the
age to come, eternal life.
(49:13):
I love this.
This brings this whole seriesto such a strong concluding
statement.
Here Jesus says you abandonyour house and your possessions
and your family.
That's what Christ calls you todo, which he's doing all across
this world today.
(49:34):
Talked to a brother this lastweek who lives in a part of the
world.
Just about every person heleads to Christ is then beaten
by their brothers or sisters orfather or mother.
This is reality.
Many of you will lose yourmother, father or brother or
sister.
You'll lose your life maybe,but here's the beauty you do
(49:58):
that, you get a hundred times asmuch.
That's a good deal.
If you give me one dollar and Igive you a hundred dollars,
that's a smart thing for you todo.
That's what Jesus is sayinghere and the picture is is don't
miss it first.
The church no longer is anabstract idea in our minds.
(50:21):
He says some of you will losefamily, but you're going to get
a family.
You can't even imagine.
This is talking about thechurch.
Let me show it to you realquick.
Look at this.
In verse 29, I want you tolisten to the family members
that are mentioned and see ifthere's a conspicuous absence
the second time he mentions themaround.
Follow with me.
No one's left home, or brothersor sisters, or mother or father
, or children or fields for mewill fail to receive a hundred
(50:42):
times as much.
Then listen to what he saysHomes, brothers, sisters,
mothers, children and fields.
What did he leave out?
Did you catch it?
He left out father.
You catch it?
You left out father.
Picture is when you leavebehind, if necessary to abandon
(51:03):
an earthly family because you'refollowing Christ.
It says you will have brothersand sisters, mothers, but you
will have one father who takesyou as His children and makes
sure that you are provided for.
This is the beauty Church, nolonger an abstract idea.
This is Acts 2, 3, 4.
(51:23):
When we, if we do this, if youwere to do this, if you were to
take food and covering and thenbegin to give surplus away, then
all of a sudden some unexpectedneed comes that you never saw
coming in your life.
The beauty of it is now you'vegot a family that is around you
to walk with you through that,to help you in that, a giving
family of that.
This is the picture.
This is the church in reality.
(51:45):
But I also think it's one ofthe deterrents when I think
about these truths and puttingthem into practice.
I think one of the reasons whywe're hesitant to is because of
our love of things.
I think another reason whywe're hesitant to is because of
our fear of loneliness.
Here's what I mean by that.
(52:07):
I think it would be a loteasier to live out these truths
in a simple, radical life if wesaw everybody else in the church
doing that.
But when we look at these wordsand we look around us and even
(52:28):
look at our pastor, and we see alife of self-indulgence, then
we think, well, I guess thisreally doesn't matter, I guess
this isn't really true.
We need each other to show whatthis looks like in practice.
(52:55):
I need you to pray for me and Iwant you to know that I'm
praying for you.
We need each other.
The church is not an abstractidea that we gather together
with every Sunday.
This church is motivator in ourlives that spurs us on to
Christ with the way we're livingGod.
(53:23):
Do this.
In this faith.
Family Church is not anabstract idea.
Sacrifice no longer seems likean appropriate term.
A hundred times as much.
This is all over Scripture.
Proverbs 14, 21.
You're gracious to the poor,you will be happy.
Proverbs 22, 9.
You give generously to the poor, you will be blessed.
Acts 20, 35.
It is more blessed to give thanto receive, and I love Isaiah
58, 10 and 11.
Isaiah 58, 10 and 11.
If you spend yourselves listento this If you spend yourselves
(53:49):
in behalf of the hungry andsatisfy the needs of the
oppressed, then your light willrise in the darkness and your
night will become like thenoonday.
The Lord will guide you always.
He will satisfy your needs in asun-scorched land and will
strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-wateredgarden, like a garden whose
waters never fail.
This is what he says.
You spin yourself on behalf ofthe hungry and the poor and you
will be a well-watered garden.
That's a good picture there.
(54:11):
A hundred times as much.
This is why Hudson Taylor,after giving his life for 50
years in China, spending hislife, his family's life and his
possessions for the sake of thelost and the poor in China, gets
to the end of his life, after50 years, and he makes this
statement I never made asacrifice.
He says I never made asacrifice because it all made
sense.
(54:31):
See the treasure here church nolonger an abstract idea,
sacrifice no longer an abstractidea, sacrifice no longer an
appropriate term and the worldno longer seems like an adequate
home.
The world, this world, nolonger seems like an adequate
home, not just in the presentage, but in the age to come.
Brothers and sisters, thisworld is not our home.
(54:56):
This world is not our home.
This world is not our home.
This world is not our homes.
Let's stop living like it is.
Picture this you live in france, you come over to the united
states and you're here in the usfor one month and you're living
in a hotel room here and therule is during this one month
(55:20):
you can make as much money asyou would like, but when you get
on that plane at the end of themonth to go back to France, you
can take absolutely nothing onthat plane with you.
You can take no money and nopossessions with you.
Just all you've got on yourback is what you will take back
with you.
Now, the only caveat to that isas you make all the money you
want, you can deposit that inyour bank and friends.
(55:43):
So you got a month here.
What are you going to do?
Are you going to go out and buyexpensive paintings and put
them on the wall in your hotelroom?
Are you going to go out and buyexpensive paintings and put
them on the wall in your hotelroom?
Are you going to go out and buyexpensive furnishings to fix up
that hotel room as nice as itcan be?
(56:03):
Absolutely not.
That would be the most foolishof things you could do.
You would squander it all.
Instead, you're going to makeas much money as you can and
you're going to make sure thatbefore you get on that plane,
it's in Bank of France.
I remind you, ladies andgentlemen, we are here for a
(56:25):
vapor, a mist.
Our life is here one second andit is gone.
The next, and there is aneternity to come.
What is?
80 years here to be followed by80 billion years?
So why live for nice hotelrooms, houses and cars and
clothes and stuff that are fullof luxuries?
(56:47):
Why?
Why not leave all the luxuriesbehind?
Because it makes sense, becausethere's another world to come.
This is the question.
Do we believe this book Becausethis book tells us about Christ
dying on a cross so that wewould not have to live for
comforts here, or we don't haveto live for luxuries here,
(57:08):
because we're free from thoseluxuries, because we know the
luxuries to come.
We know that we're living foranother home.
We know there are people herethat God has left us here for
their sake.
The reason we're here insteadof with him at this moment is
for their sake.
So how can we indulge in moreand more and more and more for
ourselves?
(57:28):
Not if we believe this book,because this book says we're
living for another world.
And it brings us to thequestion that all of us have to
ask.
And we are at a point wherewe've got to ask, as a church,
where are we going to stand?
Are we going to stand with thestarving or with the overfed?
Are we going to stand with therich man on his way to hell or
(57:55):
the poor man, lazarus, on hisway to heaven?
How can we hoard our wealth andpossessions when millions are
hovering on the edge ofstarvation?
I appeal to Christ in you, arewe going to have the courage to
(58:25):
seek justice for the poor andthe lost, even if that means
disapproval from our affluentand religious neighbors.
Which world are we going tolive for?
(58:45):
We must decide, and myencouragement is to decide today
.
We must decide, and myencouragement is to decide today
to take our lives and ourpossessions and to give them to
(59:08):
God and to ask Him to spend themradically for the sake of the
lost and the poor around theworld.
We hope you've enjoyed thisweek's episode of Radical with
David Platt, of the lost and thepoor around the world.
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