Vision Series 2017

Hopefully you've received one of these on your seats or on the way in.

If you haven't got one of those, then our ushers will be more than happy to bring one to you where you are.

Just a bit of an outline of where I'm heading this morning.

And as Sam has indicated, if you're a guest here today, you have helicoptered right in the middle of our vision series for us as a church.

And the big theme of the vision series is that if we have been the recipients of such radical, abundant generosity from God, what sort of lives does that lead to?

What does it mean for us?

What does it mean for the recipients?

And the bottom line is that it overflows from us into a life of radical generosity as we have received.

So we give and not just in terms, as I said last week, in terms of finance, although that is going to be what I'm going to land on today, is that it's much more than that.

It's emotional generosity.

It is generosity with your time.

It's generosity in every aspect of life.

When you are the recipient of abundant generosity, it overflows to a life of abundant generosity.

And as Sam also said, we are on this journey with Jesus.

It's said in chapter 9 of Luke, Jesus resolutely set his face to Jerusalem.

He's on the way there to die.

Again, it's his radical generosity towards us in that he's dying for the sins of humanity.

And he calls us to follow him, but to also acknowledge there's a cost that's associated with following him.

In chapter 9, verse 23, it says,

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.

Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

That is, because as a recipient of God's radical generosity, our whole life is just turned around and do totally different priorities of what they used to be.

This is a difficult journey for Jesus to make, but he calls us to walk it with him.

He's not just our substitute, which is what I've said all along, not just our substitute, but he is also our pace setter.

He sets the pace for us in life.

This is a radical call for us.

It's a radical call, but the basis of it is radical generosity, mercy, grace towards sinners.

And so what is the result is pervasive generosity, which includes money, which we're looking at here.

The issue of riches and wealth and money come up again and again as Jesus walks this road to Jerusalem.

As he teaches his disciples what it means to be a follower of him, what does it mean to be on the road with him.

And someone says here in verse 18, he gets asked this question.

He has a number of encounters with different individuals where he tells stories about rich people,

but here's one in the flesh right in front of him.

It says that this person is a ruler.

In verse 23, we are also told that he's rich.

And in Matthew and Mark's account of this incident, we are also told that he is young.

And so for centuries, this guy has been known as the rich young ruler.

Don't know what his name is.

Just know that he's the rich young ruler.

That's who he is.

And with this particular interaction with Jesus, there are three things that we can learn about money, wealth, possessions, and where they fit.

So firstly, the danger of wealth.

We see that right in the middle of the passage, verse 24, Jesus looks straight at this young man in the eyes.

And he says how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.

Indeed, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.

Now what Jesus is using here is a metaphor.

It's a metaphor of impossibility.

The camel was the biggest land animal that people knew of their time.

They didn't have elephants in the Palestine at that point.

And the eye of the needle was the smallest hole that they could kind of imagine.

And it's kind of a similar kind of metaphor that we might use nowadays.

Oh, you know, they've got a snowball's chance in hell.

It's that kind of a metaphor.

It's a metaphor of impossibility.

It is virtually impossible for the rich to get into heaven.

That's what Jesus is saying.

Now, I don't know if you saw the news this week, but Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon,

passed the $100 billion US mark in personal wealth.

Apparently, it's the second time it's ever happened.

Bill Gates hit the milestone very briefly in 1999.

So it's nearly 20 years since anyone's hit the $100 billion mark in personal wealth.

He's got more money than I've got.

That's another understatement thing.

However, I'm not on any BRW rich list or anything like that, not even close, but I am on the global rich list.

That's something that's more significant.

And you too are on the global rich list.

The global rich list is a website.

You go on the website.

You can load on your income or you can load on your assets.

And it will give you a position in the world of where you sit in terms of wealth.

And as it turns out, Nat and I are ranked in the top 6 million richest people in the world in terms of income.

Top 6 million people.

So if they had a BRW that went right down to 6 million, I'd be on the list.

Down the bottom, but I'd be on the list.

That means that I'm in the top 0.09% of the wealthiest people in the world.

And yet, as a financial advisor said to us recently, based on our incomes, he says,

Steve, you're a pastor, Nat, you're a teacher, you haven't given me much to work with here.

Did you know that even if you're a student in this country and you live off solely off the government to be a student,

which, let's be frank, most students do, or their parents,

you are in the top 16% of wealthiest people in the world.

So when Jesus is here speaking about rich people, he's talking about people like me.

Not Jeff, he's referring to Jeff as well, but people like me, people like you.

He's saying it's easier for a camel to go through that little eye of a needle than it is for us to get into heaven,

to be part of his kingdom, to be friends with God.

So, is Jesus saying here that it's only possible for rich people to get into heaven,

but everyone else, holidays for everyone else?

I think that would be a problem, if that's what he was saying,

because a number of the great ones in the Bible were fabulously wealthy.

Job, for instance, in the Old Testament, fabulously wealthy, and yet they were saved.

See, notice the reaction of those who were listening to this incident, this little encounter.

Verse 26, they said, well, who then can be saved?

Who can be saved?

You see, the disciples are confused because in their culture,

they just assumed that the rich ones were the ones who God had blessed.

That's why they would say, well, that God had blessed them.

So if they can't be saved, then who can be saved?

But Jesus responds with, what is impossible with men is possible with God.

Jesus didn't say here, what is impossible for rich people is possible with God.

He says, what is impossible for all people is possible with God.

What he's saying there is that all salvation, all rescue is a miracle.

It's impossible that anyone can be saved because as Romans 3 says,

all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

It's not possible for anyone to be part of God's kingdom,

part of his family, to be friends with God, to be saved,

except for God intervening and doing the impossible.

That's what Jesus is saying here.

So why does it appear that Jesus is picking on the rich guy?

I think it's because that the spiritual issues that create a problem for us

tend to be made worse by wealth.

The same thing that makes salvation impossible for all

is made worse by money, wealth, possessions.

That is, money has an incredible power for good,

but it also has an incredible power to make things even worse.

The Bible actually says a great deal of positive things about money,

but it also has a number of warnings.

The Old Testament book of Proverbs is a wisdom book

and it's primarily concerned about how to navigate life well

in God's world his way.

And it says a great deal about money,

a great deal of positive things about money.

But there are two really important things

that it says about the spiritual power of money.

Firstly, it says that money has the spiritual power

to distract us from what is really important in life.

That is, it says that money makes us very busy.

And I'm not sure if you've ever noticed

in another kind of word study here

how busyness and business are very similar words,

as you will know from Monday to Friday at least.

The making of money takes so much time.

It absorbs so much of our life to accumulate things.

And then when you do make it,

it gets you busy spending it.

It makes you busy getting it,

then it makes you busy getting even more of it

and maintaining it and sustaining it and spending it.

So busy, in fact, that we don't have time

to really ask the important questions of

what am I really here for?

What is my life about?

What is the trajectory of my life?

Is this world all that there is?

What am I really seeking to accomplish in life?

Nobody, and I mean nobody,

on their deathbed says,

I wish I'd spent more time in the office.

Nobody.

And Proverbs 11.4 says,

Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,

but righteousness delivers from death.

Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath means

money can't help you when troubles hit.

It does attempt to give us the delusion

that that's what it can do for us when troubles hit.

It does try to give us the delusion

that we're safe when we've got it.

You know, for instance,

you get into sorts of legal troubles,

and if I've got money,

I can pay the best lawyers

who can get me an innocent verdict,

so then I've got a clear conscience.

The one thing God can give you,

money can provide,

apparently in this scenario.

Or if I get really sick,

I can have the best doctors to treat me,

and I can get healing,

and so on and so forth.

That's why Jesus says that money is the alternative God.

It gives me the delusion

that it can give me things

that only God can give me.

We're not safe.

We're not safe from grief,

from bereavement.

We're not safe from illness.

We're not safe from disaster,

and it doesn't matter how much money you've got,

you're never safe from financial ruin.

You're never safe from financial ruin.

No amount of money can stop those things happening to us.

Money can't stop death,

can't stop tragedy,

heartbreak,

and when they come,

it says in Proverbs,

you're not ready for it.

When it happens,

you're not ready for it.

In fact, right at the beginning of this journey

to Jerusalem,

Jesus told a story about a rich man

who accumulated more and more things

with the goal of having a safe,

and secure retirement

in ease and comfort.

And God said to him,

you fool,

you idiot,

you fool,

this very night your life will be demanded of you.

Then you will get,

who will get what you're prepared for yourself.

So busy,

distracted from what is really important.

Secondly,

Proverbs also says that money has the ability

to distort our understanding of ourselves.

It distorts our self-image.

Proverbs 38, 9 says,

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise,

I may have too much

and disown you and say,

who is the Lord?

I could extend on extensively with this one,

but as I think it was Bernadette Clairvaux said,

to see a person humbled under prosperity

is the greatest rarity in the world.

To see a person humbled under prosperity

is the greatest rarity in the world.

Wealth leads to pride.

It leads to independence,

self-confidence.

It puts us in a place

in our thinking

where we actually think

that because I'm a self-made individual

in a Western world,

it leads us to a view

that we're experts on everything.

It puts us in a place where we say,

who is God?

Why do I need him?

I've got myself.

So why then is wealth so dangerous?

Let's go back to the beginning of this passage.

Verse 18,

a certain ruler asked him,

good teacher,

what must I do to inherit eternal life?

Why do you call me good?

Jesus answered,

no one is good except God alone.

You know the commandments,

you shall not commit adultery,

you shall not murder,

you shall not steal,

you shall not give false testimony,

honour your father and your mother.

All these things I've kept

since I was a boy,

he said.

Now,

if you've been here

for the first few weeks

of this series,

you should be shocked

by that answer from Jesus.

You should be shocked

that the answer to the question,

what must I do

to inherit eternal life,

Jesus effectively says to this guy,

obey the Ten Commandments.

The implication is,

that's how you get eternal life.

And if you were here

a couple of weeks ago,

you should be shocked by that

because immediately,

in fact,

almost exactly immediately

before Jesus has this encounter

with this rich young ruler,

he has this story

of this Pharisee

and the tax collector.

And the Pharisee is proud

that he obeys the commandments.

He was sure

that he was right with God.

And the tax collector

instead knows he's rotten,

knows he's a sinner,

pleads for mercy.

And Jesus says,

it was that tax collector,

that rotten scoundrel tax collector,

the one who said,

who asked and pleaded

for grace and mercy,

forgiveness.

He was the one

who went home saved.

He was the one

who went home

with eternal life.

He was the one

who went home

right with God.

And the Pharisee

went home

not saved,

not justified,

not right with God.

That is the point back then

was you cannot get

a relationship

through good works.

You can't get a relationship

with God

through the obedience

to Ten Commandments.

Nobody can do it.

It's impossible.

So why does Jesus say here?

Why does he say that here?

Why does he not say

to this rich young ruler,

dude,

whatever your name is,

I'm on the way

to Jerusalem.

I'm going there

to die on a cross

to pay a ransom

for the sins of humanity,

to take the penalty

for the sins

that you deserve

upon myself.

And if you put

your trust in me

and walk with me,

you put your trust in me,

you will have eternal life.

I mean,

that would be consistent,

Jesus.

That'd be consistent

with everything you've said.

That'd be consistent

with the whole New Testament

if you did that.

I think the reason

why he doesn't do it

is because Jesus

is brilliant.

That's why he doesn't do it.

Jesus is so,

so perceptive.

When Jesus deals with people,

he's not working

from some script.

Don't forget,

you know,

someone comes to you

and asks me

about eternal life,

start at point one

and go down to point six.

He is amazing

in the way he deals

with people.

He is so perceptive

into the insights

of their hearts

and he penetrates

their hearts

every time.

To say,

I've come to die

for your sins

would have been

totally incomprehensible

to this man

in the same way

that it is

totally incomprehensible

to most people

in Sydney right now.

this man

like us

don't think

we've got a problem.

We don't think

we need a rescuer.

We don't need

someone to die for us.

In fact,

reading a journalist

early this week

from London

said that the most,

and this journalist

is not a friend

of Christianity

but said the most

offensive thing

about the Christian faith

is the fact

that we need

a rescuer.

Look what he says

in verse 21.

All this

I've kept

since I was a boy.

In other words,

I don't need a rescuer.

I'm a good person.

I might not be perfect

but I don't need

a rescuer.

And Jesus

is so perceptive here.

He's digging deep

into this young man's heart.

He projects,

this young man

projects a confidence

in his own righteousness,

his own goodness.

So you've got to ask

the question,

why is he even here?

Why is he even

in front of Jesus

at this point?

Because deep down,

take the surface off,

deep down in his heart

he must have been

feeling something.

He must have been

knowing something's

not quite right here.

There's got to be more.

Something's wrong.

Something's missing.

A doubt that in fact

he was not right.

Which of course,

if we think we can

get right with God

by being good,

it will always,

always deep down

result in a

lack of confidence.

It will always

dig down

in a sense of insecurity.

Am I really good enough?

Have I really

done enough?

Even those who project

an image that they've

got it all together,

on the outside,

on the inside

they know better.

There's always

things that we

would not want

to come to the surface,

things that we

would work hard

to hide.

Jesus seems to

jump on in

straight away.

He says this man

in verse 19,

he just jumps on him,

why do you

call me good?

It's like he

rebukes him straight away.

What do you

call me good for?

No one is good

except God alone.

Now Jesus isn't

saying here that

he's not good,

he is however

responding to this

rich young ruler's

characterization of him.

This rich young ruler

walks up to Jesus

as Jesus is

walking to Jerusalem

and he calls him

teacher,

rabbi.

That's it.

you're a good

bloke,

Jesus.

You said some

amazing stuff.

But you are just

like any other man,

you're another man.

And Jesus is saying

here,

why are you

walking up to

someone who you

regard just merely

as another human

being and calling

him good?

Why are you doing

that?

If you think I'm

merely just another

human being,

why are you

calling me good?

Because there is

no person

is good,

only God

is good.

And so what

Jesus is doing

here in a roundabout

kind of way

is he's reminding

this young man

that his first

problem,

his foundational

problem,

his biggest

fundamental problem

is that he

in fact is not

good.

And Jesus

then goes on

to show him

where he's not

good.

Verse 22,

when Jesus

heard this,

he said to him,

you still lack

one thing,

sell everything

you have,

give to the

poor,

and then you

will come and

have treasure

in heaven,

then come

follow me.

Now Jesus

has never

suggested to

anyone else

that this is

the way to

be saved.

Never suggested

to anyone else

that you must

give away all

of your money.

John 4 with

the woman of

the world,

didn't say to

her,

give away all

your money.

Zacchaeus,

next chapter,

Zacchaeus is

welcomed by

Jesus,

so overwhelmed

by that,

he immediately

gives away

half of his

income,

half of his

resources,

just gives

it away.

Jesus doesn't

say,

we're going to

beat Zacchaeus,

that's only

halfway.

Zacchaeus,

that's fine,

good on you

Zacchaeus.

Good work

Zacchaeus.

So why

here?

Again,

Jesus is just

so brilliant.

He's doing it

because it's a

brilliant strategy

to help this

rich young

ruler to see

where he needs

rescuing.

Jesus targets

deep down in

his heart

the idol of

this man,

what he values

more than

anything else.

This is the

thing that he's

looking to,

to give him

what only God

can give him.

See,

money is not

just a tool

for him,

it is his

identity

scorecard,

it is his

security and

his hope,

and Jesus

is going

after it

because it

is the

thing in

his life

that is

squeezing

God out.

And when

Jesus presses

him on,

we see he

hasn't in

fact obeyed

the commandments

at all.

He's not

good.

Jesus

pushed him

to give

it all up

for the poor,

to give it

all away

for God,

to give it

all up

and follow

him.

And he

couldn't.

He wouldn't

do it.

Verse 23

says he

became very

sad.

It's a

strong word

that means

he was

deeply

grieved,

deeply

distressed.

His money

was just

too important

for him

to give

it up.

His money

to him

is what

money is

to many

of us

in a

Western

materialistic

world.

More

important

than

anything.

He

didn't want

God to

get in

the way

of what

was so

important

for him

and so

what Jesus

was showing

him,

dude,

you're not

good.

You're not

good.

You actually

haven't obeyed

the Ten

Commandments.

You,

in fact,

haven't even

got past the

First

Commandment

which says

you will

have no

other gods

but me.

He says

this money

is your

God.

We cannot

possibly get

eternal life

by obeying

the Ten

Commandments.

We need

a Saviour.

Money can

so easily

become the

pseudo-Saviour

for us,

the alternative

of God,

a false

Saviour,

and Jesus

sets it

up as

the

alternative

God

when he

says you

cannot

serve both

God and

money.

You're either

devoted to

the one

or to the

other but

you cannot

have both.

That is why

money is so

dangerous.

So how

do we

escape the

danger?

First

thing is

to assume

you're in

denial.

That's the

first thing.

Assume

everyone here

just work on

the assumption

you're in

denial.

Jesus is

pretty blunt

to this

guy.

It's like

why was

he so

blunt?

It's like

because Jesus

is slapping

him in the

face.

Wake up

dude.

Wake up

you're in

denial.

That's the

nature of

addiction.

The addiction

will say

I'm not

addicted.

I haven't

got a

problem.

So the

first thing

is to

assume we

are under

the influence.

Just humor me

with this

one.

Assume that

the amount

of money

you think

you need

is more

than what

you really

need.

Just assume

that.

Assume that

the amount

of money

you think

you need

is more

than what

you really

need.

And

assume also

the amount

of money

you think

you can

give away

is less

than what

you really

can give

away.

Assume it.

The Bible

says that

money makes

us blind.

Second thing

to escape

the danger

of money

is to

look to

the rich

young ruler.

Why do

that when

this guy

doesn't do

the right

thing?

He walks

away sad,

he rejects

Jesus.

So why

look to

the rich

young

ruler?

Well,

there's

actually

two rich

young

rulers

in this

text.

Did you

notice

there's a

second one?

Jesus is

around 30

to 32

when he's

heading to

Jerusalem.

The Bible

says that he

existed with

God for

eternity.

He made

everything.

He rules

everything.

He sustains

everything.

And he

left that

aside,

came from

heaven to

identify with

the spiritual

poverty of the

human race.

And he is

on his way

here to

Jerusalem to

die on a

cross and

to at that

moment to

go into

deep, deep

poverty,

deeper poverty

than anyone

else has

ever experienced.

He will be

stripped of

everything of

his earthly

goods, which

is minimal.

Everything will

be taken away

from him.

And he will

be abandoned

by his

father and

he will lose

his life.

He will even

give away his

life.

And he

gave everything

for us,

for the

poor, the

spiritually

blind, the

spiritually

dead, the

ones who

need

rescuing.

2 Corinthians

8-9 puts

it in

economic

terms.

It says,

for you

know the

grace of

our Lord

Jesus

Christ,

that though

he was

rich, yet

for your

sakes he

became poor,

so that you

through his

poverty might

become rich.

He was

drained of

all of his

riches, so

that we,

though poor,

can receive

all of his

riches.

In Jesus, we

get adoption

into God's

family, forgiveness,

pardon, eternal

life.

It is the only

wealth that

makes you truly

secure, even

through and beyond

death.

And so we need

to look to the

true rich young

ruler in this

passage.

until we get

weepingly

excited,

weepingly

excited over

what he has

achieved for

us and what

he has gifted

us.

Look to the

glorious news

of God's

grace and

his riches

to us in

the Lord

Jesus until

it drains,

drains all

the power out

of money and

possessions.

until those

things just

become

currency.

Not

identity

markers, just

currency.

Just money

are no longer

our security

and our

self-esteem.

Third thing

to do is to

have a plan.

Step one,

this is getting

particular now in

terms of radical

generosity.

Step one,

investigate what

percentage of

your income

you are giving

away.

We in

Australia,

the more

money we

get, the

less we

give away.

I think the

latest thing

was around

2% or even

under 2%

that we give

away of

our income.

So work out

what percentage

of your income

you're giving

away.

How much of

that goes to

Christian

ministry?

How much of

that goes to

poor, needy,

outside your

own family?

Step two,

if it's not

10%, the

very least

amount the

disciples are

encouraged to

give away.

Work out how

you can

aggressively

move towards

10% this

year.

Step three,

figure out

what sacrifices

you are going

to make in

order to get

there.

If you don't

need to make

sacrifices in

order to give

10%, then you

aren't really

giving.

Sacrificial

giving is not

about a

percentage.

It's about a

standard of

living.

It's about a

standard of

living changing

in such a

way that we

feel the

loss.

That's what

generosity, we

start to feel

the loss.

Just let me

add here what

Jesus says at

the end of

these verses

when I talk

about loss.

Having seen

the rich young

man walk

away, Peter

pipes up.

Verse 28,

we've left all

we had to

follow you.

And Jesus

reassures the

disciples in

this moment that

though they

have made

sacrifices and

have sacrificed

many things,

they have left

many things,

they will not

fail to

receive many

more blessings

now and

forever.

Truly I say

to you,

Jesus said,

no one who

has left home

or wife or

brothers or

sisters or

parents or

children for

the sake of

the kingdom

of God will

fail to

receive many

times as

much in this

age and in

the age to

come eternal

life.

God's no

man debtor.

He's no

man's debtor.

Step four,

decide what

you're going to

give to,

wear and

follow through

with it.

That is make

yourself accountable.

That's why we

do pledging here

at St. Paul's.

Giving is a

spiritual issue

and like all

spiritual issues

we are accountable

for it.

To live

radically

generous,

to be

radically

generous with

our money,

our wealth,

our possessions.

We don't

need courage.

What we

need is

joy.

That's what we

really need.

We need joy.

We need to be

relaxed and at

peace and

secure enough

in order to

do this.

And the

only joy,

the only

security,

the only

peace that

comes to

us is when

we look at

the true,

rich,

young ruler

who lost

everything so

that we could

gain everything.

The more

we look to

him and

the riches

that we have

in him,

the more

free we

will be,

the more

free we

will live

a pervasively

generous life,

including giving

our money away

in eye-popping

proportions.