Letting Go of Stuff - Travel Light, Part 1 with Pastor Craig Groeschel

hey thanks for joining us here on our YouTube channel if you haven't done so already I'd love you to click that subscribe button to join our community that way you also be notified the moment a message goes up each and every week now if that being said let's join up with our senior pastor Craig Groeschel for this part of his message travel money [Applause] [Music] Hey I just want to tell you guys I'm kind of in the mood to preach today and hoping you're kind of in the mood to help me and so I got it warn you up front that this message could like a little bit step on your toes if you can handle it just say I can handle it they just remember you asked for it okay we're launching into a new message series called travel light what I hope to do over the next few weeks is remind you and remind myself that this world is not our home as I travel through my life it's amazing how much of the wrong kind of stuff I end up accumulating I accumulate hurts and I accumulate junk and I accumulate seeds of discontentment that grow into all sorts of problems so over the next few weeks we're gonna do is we're in talking about letting go some of the stuff that holds us down weighs us down holds us back and so that we can really live the life that would be honoring to God next week we're going to talk about letting go of distractions we're gonna talk about letting go of bitterness we're gonna talking about letting go of control which some of you probably want to skip that week because you are you're the spiritual gift of control freak all over you and your husband just said amen and so today what I want to do is I want to talk about letting go of stuff the stuff that weighs this down I've got a key thought for you if you're taking notes and it's this it's better to have less of what doesn't matter and more of what does matter let's say this aloud it's better to have what it's better to have less of what doesn't matter and more of what does the problem is everything in our culture screams the opposite you can go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible the story of God creating atoms that it's good but it's not that good because Adam lost his keys and has a hard time and so he treats woman to be a helpmate to get Stroeve together and they're both naked and God says be fruitful be multiplied enjoy everything in this card and what could get better than that you know and you just can't eat from this one tree and the serpent comes along and so something like that's how I imagine the serpent introducing the conversation to said did God really say you can't eat the fruit of that tree all the way back the very first creation story you see the very same lie implied that so many of us tend to believe the day and that is what you don't have give all these other blessings from God but what you don't have is what you need to be happy fulfilled and complete and I grew up believing this that something else out there is what I need more is always better more is always better if $1 good $2 is better if one vacation is good two vacations is better if one car is good two cars is better if one kid is good six is more than enough and our family and I learned the beginning of this lesson that more is not always better years ago when I went to a movie and I bought not one roll of sprees who knows what it spree is the candy not one roll of sprees but two rolls - sprees because I wrongly believes that if one roll is free is good two is always better well I ate my way through the first roll of sprees I was probably a good 65 or 70 percent through the second role of sprees when my body rejected violently rejected the Spree party that I was enjoying and I vomited the most colorful stream of internal juices that you talk about a Technicolor yawn I put down on the floor of the Ardmore AMC or whatever it was at that time the most colorful array of discussed in the history of mankind and I learned the principle that I want to teach you today Solomon actually said this he said that better everybody say better he said better is what he said better is one hand full with tranquility with peace with joy better is one hand full with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and a chasing after the wind in other words it's better to have less of what doesn't matter and more of what really does matter why because your life is too valuable your calling too great and your god too good to waste your life on stuff that does not last jesus warned us about this in fact there's a powerful story about two sons that were kind of excited about their inheritance and Jesus warns them in Luke 12 verse 15 he says watching on everybody say watch out he says be on your guard if I say be on your guard the intensity of this warning kind of gives me a pause it's like something's gonna get you something but people really dangerous there must be something lurking around the corner that could cost me a lot and the reality is although I might think of physical danger when someone says watch out and be on your guard Jesus is showing something that is equally as dangerous to our soul and he says watch out be on your guard against all kinds of greed because life does not consist in an abundance of possessions somebody save my life save my life does not consist of my stuff everything in culture tells you the opposite but I hope you'll understand you not what you have you are not what you drive you are not what you wear you are not what you own even though you're being incredibly quiet right now and you act like I'm getting all up into your business you are not the stuff that you have the lie is what you don't have is what you need to be happy fulfilled joyful cool to sit in to feel good about yourself to be significant to be important to be possible to have the house like the one against whatever it is what you don't have is what you need the laissez to be happy to be fulfilled to be complete more more more more stuff I would ask you the question what if the stuff you have is actually robbing you from the life that you want but there is one handful with tranquility and two with toil and stress and anxiety it's chasing after the wind so what I want to do today is kind of at the perfect time of the year when you're about to buy a bunch of junk give it to your kids and they ignore what was inside the box and they play in the box right I want to I want to give you three thoughts about what I call one handful living one handful living are you ready so I'm ready first thing what I encourage you to do is because better is one handful is to throw out when you look at the junk that most of us have it is ridiculous ridiculous ridiculous throw out as if your life depends on it because for some people it really really does your life does not consist in the abundance of the junk that you have in your drawer in your closet up in your attic in your garage that is so overflowing that you can't even park your car in your garage it's not your life it's not your life it's a lie less of what doesn't matter more of what does I'm not talking about just decluttering I'm talking about do nning getting rid of stuff I would argue all day long that owning less is way better than organizing more your life doesn't consist of your stuff and there was a guy in the New Testament that in in many ways for so much of my life I could relate to he was he was known as the rich young he was young he was an up-and-coming kind of leader he had a lot of stuff and this problem is with him as the stuff had him Jesus said something to him that Jesus didn't say to anybody else because he knew the problem this guy had with his stuff Jesus said what you need to do when the guy was asking about you know spiritual life how do I get right with you and says Jesus said you need to go sell your stuff take that money give it to the poor and he said then you will have treasures in heaven in other words you'll have less of the stuff that doesn't matter and you'll have more of what really does matter and the problem was this guy was so into his stuff that scripture says when the young man heard this he went away sad because he had great wealth I want to land on this story for a minute and talk about it because it's not wrong to have stuff's not wrong had nice stuff God is the generous God god blesses you it's wrong when your stuff has you it's wrong when your life is defined by your stuff it's wrong when you believe that more stuff is actually what you need to be fulfilled to be happy in life pursuing a bunch of junk believing that there is something meaningful something powerful something's going to feel a void inside of you that no stuff can ever feel it's a spiritual void it needs to be filled by the goodness of God in His grace why is it let's just talk about it from him why is it that we hold on this all my staff why won't we give it away why can't we throw it out it's two big reasons why we don't throw our knickknacks well we have so many dishes while you still keep VHS tapes well you still have those pants that haven't been worn since MC Hammer warned and they may come back in stock but there's two reasons one is fear we're afraid we might need this in the future how many of you are living with somebody like that right now just don't point out them just acknowledge it with a raised hand your children might want it you don't want to be a waste you want to be a good steward this is how I grew up I grew up with a real poverty mindset I might need that I could need to save it I might need it beside I paid good money for it I don't want to give that away this is important to me what I found is there was a tremendous lack of faith and now I am incredibly passionate about blessing other people with stuff then we don't need and it's symbolic of a deeper spiritual sense of faith that's very real in my life and that is when I give this stuff away that I might need in the future I'm trusting God to provide for me in the future and I'm blessing someone else today got them trusting you to be my provider I'll show you an example of how passionate I am about this how many of you would probably assume that because I speak in public a lot in a lot of different environments that I probably need more clothes than the average person how many would say that's probably true probably true okay let me show you show you my closets this is my closet at my office on the right and the other one is my closet at home on the left that is the sum total of the clothes that I have with the exception of workout clothes it does not include my shoes and those are my clothes you could take the picture down now because people are starting to judge my clothing okay the reason I have clothes at the office just case you're wondering is because I have someone that dresses me because I'm color blind and it's much better for everyone if someone else dresses me okay how do I make it with that amount of clothes I have a very strict rule and that is when I get something I give something away every single time get a new shirt give a shirt get a sweater give a sweater get a pair of shoes give a pair of shoes and what this does is it keeps what I have for what I do lene it all fits it all works I like it all I wear it all if something goes more than a year without being worn it's gone and given away and what this does is it actually frees me up from pressure of this this this managing and such and this is really how I try to live my life well what if I need it in the future well god I trust him to provide why do we not often give because of fear another reason we don't tend to give away or throw aways could a sentiment in other words you know this was my first ribbon that I run when I was 4 years old or this is my child's first drawing that she made you know in second grade and here's the first one in third grade here's a 17th one in the fifth grade and here's the report card and here's the first diaper that my baby did the duty and you know whatever it is and so we we tend to keep because of sentiment there was a book that I read and among many different books on minam and such this book was by Marie Kondo called the life-changing magic of tidying up it's a very odd strange book which I like if I read a book that's close to my philosophy it doesn't change me if I meet it and read a book with one degree away from my philosophy doesn't change much if I read one that's way way different from the way I think it can rattle me off-center that's what this book did and that's why I like it so I recommend it because it's weird enough to jar me out of where I am what the author says about sentimental things is she says to think that thank them for the purpose they served in the past and bless someone else with it thank you God for that Duty that was in that diaper 27 years ago when my baby first pushed that stuff out of her little body into that tiny diaper it served its purpose in my life and now I'm gonna bless the garbage man with this treasure and move on with life thank you God for the gift that my college roommate painted for me years ago it served a very valper piss and showed me the love and relationship we have I treasure that in my heart and now I bless someone else with this gift and I'm not gonna let the stuff weigh me down what I want is I want less of the stuff that doesn't matter so I can have more of what really does let's all say it together better is what better is what better is one handful with tranquility than two handfuls for the toil and chasing after the wind the first thing we're gonna do is we're going to throw out somebody say throw out notice I did not say throw up I said throw out the second thing we're gonna do is we're going to buy less buy less some of you can say too late pastor Craig Black Friday and Cyber Monday just came and I just failed for the glory of God in every single way 62 percent of people actually admit to shopping to cheer themselves up I feel down I feel depressed so guess what I'm gonna go shopping and get more financial struggles because that's going to make me feel so much better it's a form of entertainment I want something new I want something clean when I go shopping it makes me feel powerful it gives me a sense of momentary significance to buy something I don't need with money I don't have to impress people that I don't even like there's something about that gives me a dopamine temporary high Oh glory to God because what I don't have that thing out there it's what I need to feel fulfilled complete and satisfied I love what the psalmist says in psalm 119 verses 36 and 37 a prayer God caused my heart to bow before your words of wisdom and not to the wealth of this world I need to pray this all the time help me turn my eyes away from illusions so that I may pursue only that which is true help me turn my eyes another version says away from meaningless things but I want to do is I want to get to the place and I'm not there now but I want to get to the place where my life is so full of the goodness of God that I don't need things to help me feel better about myself I don't need things to define who I am because Jesus has defined Who I am and in our home one of the things we're really working on and doing better at than in years past is we're working hard to choose experiences over things experiences over things experiences over things I want my children to enjoy have great memories of experiences over things in fact just to kind of even see what they would say I texted my two oldest daughters Katie and Mandy both of whom are married this week and I asked them what are your favorite childhood memories you know what they didn't say that time you got is the video game right the time I finally got my new Lulu leggings or whatever it was they did not say that and I want to tell you what they said because it really made me emotional they said this Mandy said when we played G ball that was our our Groeschel version of kickball much better than kickball is G ball you see when we played the escape game I did this with all of my kids where I lock them up and hold them and they have to escape by a certain number if not they get tickled and so ready go and they fight and they fight they fight and we played the escape game man said the officer of course as we go to the playgrounds we have to go over and under ready get set go and we time them and such Katie said it was the first of the year look backs whenever the new year starts we look back over the previous year and we write down all of the memories and here's when you got your training wheels off and here's when you lost your first tooth and such she said Nancy Drew books because I read all of them to my kids all of them there's seven hundred and ninety three thousand Nancy Drew books if you look it up and we read all of them and then she said I'm the dog fairy stories which I don't go into details but it is a true verifiable fact that since it shot as a child there's actually a dog fairy that lives under our house he follows us from house to house at nighttime the magical door opens under a bed the dog faith comes out and does all sorts of wild adventures in the house some of you will not believe it but I tell you God is my witness there's a dog fairy that lives in our house and I'm sticking to that story as long as I live throwout think that's stuff let me wait down by that stuff on the other side of that stuff there's freedom and there's joy and there's time for relationships I'm gonna buy alas we're going to experience this memories time with the people that we love not stuff that will burn up and then finally to have the life that really matters one hand living I'm going to talk about giving more give more give more I love what Paul told Timothy in first Timothy 6:17 I mean this is so powerful and emotional to me what he said Paul to Timothy he said command those who are rich in this present world let me stop there for a moment because whenever we read a verse about rich people I know what most of you do most all of your gonna say well I know some rich people but I'm not a rich people I work with a rich person but I'm not a rich person I've got a friend at college and her parents pay for everything they're rich people but I have a job I'm not a rich people let me just put it in global perspective for a moment if you drove somewhere today you are rich people you're in somewhere between the top five to seven percent richest people on planet earth if you have three meals a day or at least the option to have the you're a rich people you're in the top 40% of people alive today if you're able to order a pizza on your phone you're a crazy rich people we're rich people and we look at the totality of the population of the world today we are incredibly blessed this verse is to us hear it feel it internalize it embrace it live it become it command those who are rich this is us in this present world not to be arrogant we're going to put their hope in wealth which is so uncertain but where are we to put our hope we're to put our hope in God who does what who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment we don't feel guilty about our blessings God is a God who bless us we don't feel guilty if we have nice stuff we just don't let the stuff have us then he tells them command those rich people notice what he doesn't say command them do by more command them to hoard it all until they don't have room in their nice house and they have to buy extra storage space just to put their stuff he doesn't command them to click buy now on Amazon over and over again but this is what he says command those rich people to do good to be rich in good deeds to be generous and willing to share in this way they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age so they may take hold of the life that is truly life your life does not consist in the abundance of stuff but when you're a blessing when you choose experiences when you overflow the goodness of God and you're generous that is the life that is truly life less of what doesn't matter more of what does in fact what I think about stuff I never get emotional like who my gosh I just I got that expensive high in bed oh it makes me so emotional I I don't have a single emotional getting story oh when I finally got my my iPhone 1000 God they feel so close to you what I finally got the off-white shoes what I don't have those but if I did Oh No I just have to cry for a while I don't have emotional getting stories finally made the purchase 54 inch TV I also don't have emotional keeping stories oh it's so meaningful I was just about to give an end of your sacrificial offering to help eradicate Bible poverty but I am so glad I didn't instead I took the whole family out to Chili's I'm so glad we got an extra refrigerator a new one and I was gonna give the old one to this great single mom from my life group who is in need and doesn't have one but oh thank god in heaven I kept that out in the garage we don't even remember it's there but it's out there just in case I love an emotional story like that but of it too many emotional giving stories to count it goes back to my first time when I was scared to death because I was raised with it you better have more more more MORE and giving God 10% seemed irrational and I remember being totally convicted to do it and scared and I wrote a check if you don't know what a check is you can google it along with a DHS tape for those of you that are under 25 years of age and my hand was like shaking I put it in an offering bucket and I felt so close to God faith and he proved himself faithful to me I remember when we when we started life church and I mean I felt called by God to do what we call it going all-in we took everything that wasn't tied down like that means a house every cent that we could liquidate with everything we had and we gave the first offering to the church it was the biggest offering to us wasn't big compared to what we can do now but at the age of 28 we went all-in and two years later we did it again and I remember that with joy and great emotion I remember when I wrote my first book 15 books my first book and we had six little kids and we were looking at braces and had college coming and weddings cuz I have four daughters and I thought this is gonna be a great way to pay all this stuff and we felt called by God to give the royalties from that first book we wrestled with it we wrestled with wrestle with it God called us to do this I feel great emotion for that I remember when people wanted to buy our church resources and we said well if we gave them away I remember the fear of could we keep doing it and would it matter for the care and how now years later churches around the world are blessed about that decision I remember when we gave our first car to someone in need wasn't an expensive car but it was a lot to us then things that are remember in value at this age in life it's not stuff so funny in the early years alive all I want to do is accumulate more more more more more more and more at this age I could look at it and say that stuff's gonna burn up and doesn't matter better some I said better stay against a better better is one handful with tranquility with contentment with peace with joy with simplicity with margin with assurance with confidence with the ability to be generous with the heart to be a blessing then two handfuls stop stop stop stop chasing after the wind less of what doesn't matter more what does less of what doesn't matter more of what does this world is not our home we're passing through I asked myself this question all the time are you accumulating on earth what you cannot keep or are you investing in heaven but you cannot lose traveling light travel light throw out buy less give more less of what doesn't matter more of what does less of the stuff that just cost more stuff less of the stuff it just accumulates and gets in the way of what matters more intimacy more peace more joy more deep and committed relationships more generosity more blessings that are truly blessings less of the imitations less of the distractions more of the life that is truly life because listen to me your calling is too great your life is too valuable your God is too good to waste this one life on things that do not last why is one handful living better think about it when you've got one handful what can you do if someone's down you can help them up what do you have one helpful you can give to someone who's in need if someone who is hurting you can encourage them cheer them up give them a hug Pat them on the bottom flat never cupped unless you're married think up at all you want you can give praise to God because your life is not so full of the stuff that holds you back let's say it together better is one handful with tranquility and two with toil and a chasing after the wind less of what doesn't matter more of what does so father we ask today that by your power and I pray this for me God that you would help us let go of the stuff that weighs us down and holds us back not to feel guilty for the way you blessed us we know you're a generous God but not to let the stuff on us to define us that help us not to believe the lie that there's something out there that we don't have that's what we need unless the thing that we don't have God is you because that's what we truly need all of our churches today if if you'd like to pray with me god help me to not be defined by the things of this world not to crave the things of this world but God to truly have less of what doesn't matter and have more of what does if you want to pray that with me would you lift up your hands right now just all of our churches God thank you for people that want to be Kingdom minded want to be a blessing in this world want to be generous want to be free from the lies that what we don't have is what we need to be happy fulfilled and complete I pray God that you'd give us a sense of gratitude never entitlement gratitude for all the blessings that we have not guilt but gratitude I pray that you give us a sense of stewardship to recognize that most of us we have far more than we'd ever need and that we could truly be a blessing to others god I pray that there are those today that would even love with an irrational act of generosity someone who may give their very first offering ever and someone who'd give their very first time ever someone who will take that second refrigerator and bless somebody with it someone who will bless someone in their life group with a car someone who has the ability he'll say hey I have this and it would be my great honor to bless you with it help us god help us god help us God to have less of what does not matter and more of what does as you keep praying today at all of our different churches some of you you're gonna recognize very clearly this is you you're going through life pursuing that something that's something to satisfy that something that you're missing you've tried everything and you can continue to try go to the party scene try to get more likes become more popular have more fun travel more places go to more exotic places get more things get better name brands upgrade your house get a bigger house get nicer stuff in your house try a different person and another person and another person and and then burn through relationships and you can try everything of this world and you're still going to come up short why because you were not created for this world you're not created to be satisfied and blessed and fulfilled by the things of this world this world is not your home the problem is so many of us is we're trying to fill a spiritual void with material things our need is not for more physical our need is for spiritual peace through Jesus the grace of Jesus Christ why is it that we want so much of this world the reason is because we are bent towards sin we're all sinners every single one of us we do things wrong we know what we feel guilty we feel unqualified for heaven God if I stood before you I know I've done a lot of bad things I don't know what to do about it let me tell you what there's nothing you can do about it God did everything about it he sent His Son Jesus who was perfect sinless in every way Jesus became for us sin on the cross he died in our place on the third day God raised him from the dead what did God do God defeated death hell sin and the great now we have access to all the eternal spiritual blessings of God through Jesus Christ not by our own effort not by our own goodness but only by the grace of God how are we made right with God it's never by our own good works it's never by the lack of our own sinfulness it's only by the grace of Jesus so that when you call on his name the name that is above every name the name of Jesus God hears your prayers he will forgive your sins they're covered by the blood of Jesus your sins covered and what do you become new forgiven completely made whole by the grace of Jesus that all of our churches are those of you you recognize you've been looking you've been searching you can't find it the reason is you've been looking and you've been searching in the wrong places today is the day where you turn from your sins you call on the name of Jesus he will forgive your sins he will give you the life that is truly life all of our churches those who say yes I want less of what doesn't matter more of what does I turn from my sins I give my life to Jesus that's your prayer and lift your hands right now all over the place and say yes that's my prayer back here in this section god bless you right back over here over here as well up here in this section oh my gosh over here others have your way back here towards about Jesus I call on you here in the middle section Jesus I need you right back over here tricks online you click right below me and we're all gonna pray together then we're gonna worship God for His goodness would you pray aloud pray Heavenly Father I'd give you my life Jesus saved me forgive all my sins fill that void with your spirit so I can follow you so I can love you so I can serve you help me to have less of what doesn't matter and more of what does more of you more of the life that is truly live today I give you my life thank you for a new life in Jesus name I pray because somebody worship God they didn't like somebody welcome those born into God's family today hey thanks again for joining us here at Life Church you know it's always our heart to see you take your next steps in your relationship with pricing of a very easy way for you to do that just go to life dot Church slash next and there you'll be met with all kinds of resources to help you continue to grow in your relationship with Christ if you've enjoyed this message again you can click Subscribe you'll be notified the next time we have a message come up + if you liked it you have a comment or a question you can leave those in the comments below thanks again for joining us and we'll see you next time [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Life.Church

Views: 95,007

Rating: 4.9234972 out of 5

Keywords: Craig Groeschel, Sermon, Life.Church, Lifechurch, travel light, life.church sermon, christmas stress, christmas sermon, consumerism, materialism, baggage, dealing with stress, minimalism, minimalist christmas, stress, worry, holiday stress, life.church, sermon, lifechurch

Id: 6xCfBYMIeoc

Length: 37min 26sec (2246 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 03 2018