When Greed Becomes God Sermon Series: A Look at the Seven Deadly Sins Luke 12:13-21

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1 When Greed Becomes God Sermon Series: A Look at the Seven Deadly Sins Luke 12:13-21 Rev. Michael D. Halley Novemb er 19, 2017 Suffolk Christian Church Suf folk, Virginia Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Pentecost Stewardship Sunday ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Seven Deadly Sins are pride envy anger sloth (laziness) greed gluttony, and lust This list had its origin in the early fathers of the church. You will also find in the Bible, in Proverbs 6: , and in Galatians 5: , similar lists of sins that God especially hates. So, we are taking a few Sundays to look at this traditional list of sins and how we can deal with them and overcome them in our lives. Today we look at greed. Talking about greed is not easy. I am sure that just about everyone would agree that greed is bad. And I am equally sure that we are quick to judge greed in others. You may hear someone say, Did you see that expensive new car Mr. So-and-So was driving? How can he justify that with all the needs in the world?

2 Yes, we can see greed in others, but few of us would admit, I have a problem with greed. Page -2- Saint Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians to average Christians in an average small-town church. He told them that they must put to death their sinful nature with regard to greed, which amounts to idolatry (Col. 3:5). If greed was a problem for them in that culture, then surely we who live in this most prosperous nation must come to grips with greed. But how do we judge greed? Are we being greedy by living in nice, spacious homes furnished with all the conveniences of modern life when there are millions around the world living in shacks with no indoor plumbing? Are we being greedy when we have nice cars in our driveways and expensive toys in our garages? Where should we draw the line? How can we keep greed from becoming our god? Let s look at four questions today: (1) What is greed? (2) How should Christians view greed and wealth? (3) How can I know if I m greedy? (4) How can I deal with my greed? What is greed? One writer 3 defined it like this: Greed is the insatiable desire to have more money or possessions for self-gratification, while ignoring God and eternity. The dictionary defines it as a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (such as money) than is needed 4. But, some people would

3 Page -3- respond, I don t have a selfish and excessive desire for more... I would just like a little bit more. A man called out to Jesus from the crowd he was addressing and asked for help in getting his share of the inheritance from his brother. Jesus sidestepped the question by saying, Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. Then he told them a parable about the man who had too many crops and nowhere to store them. Bigger barns, that s what I need, the man said to himself. But he did not realize that his life was soon to come to an end. Evidently, the man in the parable was a person whose goal was to get more and more and ignore God in the process. He wasn t thinking about God s work in the world or the needs of others. That s a good example of greed. So, here is a question for us all: In light of eternity and the brevity and uncertainty of this life, am I managing what God has entrusted to me so as to be rich toward God? How should Christians view greed and wealth? Greed is a serious sin to be avoided; wealth is a serious responsibility to do good. 5 Paul says in the 3 rd chapter of Colossians that greed is the same as idolatry and brings the wrath of God. Further, Paul warns us in 1 Timothy chapter 6, saying, But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:9-10, NLT 6 ). So, does that mean that we must take a vow of poverty and get rid of all

4 Page -4- our possessions? How should we view wealth? In the Bible, wealth is seen as a serious responsibility to do good. All wealth comes from God as a gift entrusted to us to use properly for Him. We are free to enjoy without guilt the wealth God bestows, but we re also stewards of that wealth to use for the purposes of God in our world. We should never think that we are the cause of our own success or that God somehow owes it to us. The Bible views wealth as good, but dangerous. How can I know if I m greedy? There are many signs of greed, but we need to be careful that we are judging ourselves and not others. We each have to stand before God someday, so we need to face these matters personally and honestly on the heart level before God. Let me suggest some questions we might ask ourselves: Do I view my money and possessions as mine or God s? 7 If I knew that I were to die in one year, would I do anything different in my management of God s resources? Why do I want more money? Am I more concerned about making money than I am about seeking God s direction for my life? What is the source of my security: money or God? Do I cling to my things or am I generous and ready to share? Do I compromise godly character or priorities in the pursuit of making

5 Page -5- money? 8 How can I deal with my greed? Proverbs 23:7 says, As [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he 9. It starts with our thoughts and I must radically separate myself from all greed, beginning on the thought level. We Christians find our joy and contentment in God, and we acknowledge God to be the owner of all we have and see ourselves as the manager who must give an account to God. As a steward of God s gifts we adopt God s priorities, His kingdom purposes. We should regularly ask ourselves, Why do I need more stuff, even if it s really nifty stuff? We should pray about major purchases before we buy. We should also get rid of all the needless stuff we can and then to seek to live as simply as possible. All of us Christians need to learn to walk in the Spirit so that His fruit of self-control governs our impulses. Do you know what else helps to get rid of greed? Make a faith commitment to give as generously as you can to the Lord s work. One preacher 10 said that Giving is the drain plug for greed. How do we give? Give in a prayerful, planned way, rather than giving when you re pressured. Give when it hurts a bit: surely there are other things you could do with the money, but you joyfully sacrifice so you can give it to the Lord s work. With kingdom priorities and careful stewardship we can all probably give more. Does God need the money? Of course not! It is already God s. I need to place a worthy portion back in God s hands to remind me that it all belongs to God and not me.

6 Page -6- One of the best sermons ever written about greed is The Pearl 11, by John Steinbeck. It is the story of Kino, a pearl diver who dreams of finding the perfect pearl. One day he finds it, but rather than bringing him the happiness he had hoped for, it brings him one problem after another, because everyone is after his pearl. He almost gets killed. His son is killed. He and his wife are at odds. His formerly poor but tranquil life is totally upset because of his attempts to cling to this pearl. Finally, he stands at the shore and hurls the cursed pearl as far into the sea as he can. That s what we must do with our greed! Radically separate ourselves from it! Put it to death! Today, as you know, is Stewardship Sunday. I think we would agree that every Sunday should be devoted to stewardship, but today we are having a special focus. Many of you brought a card with you this morning, a simple card that says, I commit. Yes, we are walking by faith, and our walk is through commitment. We need to come together as never before, coming together as sisters and brothers in Christ, sisters and brothers who believe that God has put us here as the body of Christ to be channels of blessing and witness to our world. These pledge cards are one small but vital part of our commitment to serve together. Members of our Board of Finance at this time will pass baskets to you in which you can place your pledge card. These will be brought to the front where we will pray over them. Let us pray together: +==+==+==+==+==+==+ Oh Lord, giver of life and source of our freedom, we are reminded that

7 Page -7- Yours is the earth in its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. We know that it is from Your hand that we have received all we have and are and will be. Gracious and loving God, we understand that You call us to be the stewards of Your abundance, the caretakers of all You have entrusted to us. Help us always to use Your gifts wisely and teach us to share them generously. May our faithful stewardship bear witness to the love of Christ in our lives. We pray this with grateful hearts in Jesus name. Amen 12 +==+==+==+==+==+==+ I am greatly indebted to the Rev. Steven J. Cole for his insightful thoughts on greed. His website is +==+==+==+==+==+==+ All Scripture references are from New International Version, NIV, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, by Biblica, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ Sunday Sermons from Suffolk Christian Church are intended for the private devotional use of members and friends of the church. Please do not print or publish. Thank you. Suggestions for sermon topics are always welcome! 1. The sins listed are: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

8 2. The sins listed are: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. 3. Quoted from Steven J. Cole, Steve has been the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship since May, Greed, m-w.com. 5. Steven J. Cole, cited above. 6. Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Page This is the basic stewardship question. While the Bible recognizes personal property rights (the commandments against stealing presume that I own some things and you own other things), there must be the fundamental sense that God owns all that I have. I manage it for Him, and at the judgment, I will give an account to Him (Matt. 25:14-30; Rom. 14:10, 12). Steven J. Cole, cited above. 8. Some things ought to count far more than making money: God s reputation through my testimony as a Christian; my relationship with Jesus Christ; a clear conscience; my relationship with my wife, my children, and other people. If I sometimes cheat, lie, or steal to get ahead financially or to avoid loss, I m being greedy. If I m willing to shred relationships or to take advantage of another person for financial gain, I m being greedy. If I care more about making money than about being a witness for Jesus Christ, I m being greedy. Steven J. Cole, cited above. 9. New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. 10. Steven J. Cole, cited above. 11. For a summary of this book, see For more about John Steinbeck, see This prayer may be found at