- If our money
could actually talk, do you ever wonder
what it would tell us? I know that you don't, because every time
I've mentioned this
series to someone, or this topic, they just kind
of roll their eyes, like, actually I know what
my money would tell me. I'm not even sure
I want to know. I'm not even sure I'm gonna come listen to you talk
about this, right? Because if our money could talk, assuming it was for us, and assuming our money
was trying to help us, I doubt that we would
be shocked at all at what our money would tell us, because we kind of already know. If our money started talking, our response would be
along the lines of, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, I know, I know. Yeah, I should have known. No, I shouldn't have. In fact, and this is a
topic for another day, the way that we handle our
money or manage our money especially in the West, is an indicator that
there's really something kind of wrong with us, and Christians
have an explanation for maybe what's going on, but regardless
when you think back on what you've done with money, that you wish you hadn't done, and you knew what you were
doing at the time with it wasn't the wisest thing to do, and you knew you
might even regret it, but you did it anyway! There is something
wrong with us, but anyway we will talk
about that another day. The shocker, I think
in this whole series that we're gonna talk about, is not what our money would say, the shocker, that I
hope is a shock to you and a pleasant surprise, the shocker, is the parallel between what our money
would say if it could talk, and what Jesus did
say when he did talk. You may know this if you
grew up around church, but Jesus actually said more
about money than Heaven. He gave about 35 or 38 depending on how you count them parables. These stories where
he illustrated what the Kingdom of God was like and what we were supposed
to do in the meantime, and out of those
30 plus parables, 16 of them had to do with
money and possessions, but the interesting thing
that may be a shock, because of the way
preachers talk about money, is Jesus never
asked for any money. He talked about it all the time, and never asked for any, except for one
occasion we know of. He asked somebody
to borrow a coin. He did a coin trick. Not really. Anyway, he used it
as an illustration and then the best we can
tell, he gave the money back. So what was he up to? What was this about? What we discover when
we read the gospels is when it comes to
money and possessions, Jesus really was
up to something, and he really was
after something, but as it turns out it
wasn't anybody's money. Let's jump in. If your money started talking, and if money could talk, one thing for sure it
would tell us is this. I, I being money, I can add meaning to your life, but I'm not the meaning of life. I can add meaning to your life, but I'm not the
meaning of our life. Money, your money and
my money would remind us that money doesn't get
much play at funerals, other than in relationship
to how much of it might have been given away. Money would remind us that it is a much better
means, than an end. In fact, if you
make money an end, you may end up alone, but using money as
a means to an end, is what makes money meaningful. This is a really
important little statement I'm about to make because this lands
on all of our lives, and this isn't like
a Christian thing or a non Christian thing. This is just a thing thing. This is gonna be a
little bit of the theme in terms of what we talk
about today specifically, but being a means to an end. I want you to think about this. Being a means to an end is
what makes anything meaningful. Being a means to an end is
what makes anything meaningful. This is why we
don't have segways. You didn't get that. Okay, have you ever
ridden a segway? It's like if you've
ever ridden a segway, you think this is the coolest
thing in the world, I need one and you can never
come up with a reason for why you should
have a segway. Even if they were
less expensive, they just didn't catch on, because we just couldn't
figure out a meaning, so they became meaningless. They're interesting. They're fun, but there's
just not a means to an end, that anyone's come up with yet. The thing that makes
anything or anyone meaningful is when that thing
or that person becomes a means to an end. That's what it means
to have meaning. That's what meaning
actually means, and it's true for you as well. If you want to live
a meaningful life, if you want to live a
meaningful life, and you do, if you want to live
a meaningful life, you have to figure
out how to become a means to an end
that's not you. If you want to have
a meaningful life, you have to come up
with a way of being a means to an end
that goes beyond you, and here's what
we're gonna discover. When you decide to
be a means to an end, your money becomes a means
rather than an end as well, and you will begin to
view all of your money, you will begin to view
all of your resources, you'll begin to
view your net worth, you'll begin to view
everything, as a tool, and this is exactly we
shouldn't be surprised. This is exactly what Jesus
taught in one of his, are you kidding me? Did he really say that? Parables. Luke as you know
by now hopefully, if you've been attending, or you grew up in church, Luke was a first century doctor, who actually got the information about the life of Jesus, and put it in an orderly
chronological order for his first century audience, and it was so valuable
to the church, they meticulously copied it, and eventually it was collected with some other New
Testament documents that became part of
the New Testament which became part of our bible, so Luke who thoroughly
investigated all these things, records for us several
of Jesus' parables, and one of them is a parable
about money and possessions and here's what Luke
said that Jesus said. Jesus told his disciples, and the disciples are the
general group of people that follow Jesus everywhere,
including the apostles, but broader than that. Jesus told his apostles,
there was a rich man, and they knew immediately
this wasn't a true story. Jesus was making this up
in order to make a point. There was a rich man
whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. Once upon a time
there was a rich man whose manager was accused
of wasting his possessions. There was a rich man who
had so much to manage he couldn't manage it all. He had so much to manage
that he hired a manager who bought and sold and
traded with his name, and he got wind of the fact that this manager was
doing deals on the side or doing something dishonest
that made him nervous. Jesus continues. This rich man who had
too much to manage so he had to have a manager, called the manager
in and he said, hey, what is this I hear? Word on the street is you're
not dealing with my stuff well. You're not being
very accountable. You're not being honest. You're not representing
me well with my stuff. What is this I hear about you? Give an account of
your management. That is, get the books together. Finish up whatever you're doing, because you can no
longer be my manager. You cannot be my
manager any longer. He fires him, but before him lets him go, he says, you're fired, but I need you to tidy
up all the loose ends. Bring me the big notebook. Give it to me and then
you're out of here. You can no longer be my manager. Jesus continues. Everybody's leaning in, because he's such
a good storyteller. The manager in the parable, this is Jesus teaching. The manager said to himself,
and this is the keyword, what shall I do now? What shall I do now? Oh, no! I wasn't expecting this. I've been caught. What should I do now? My master is taking away my ob, and I'm not strong
enough to dig. I'm an inside guy, and I'm ashamed to beg. I have my pride, and suddenly he finds himself, and the guy in the parable, with a little bit of time, and a little bit of opportunity, to figure out where
he's going to go, and if anybody is
going to take him in. He thinks about it, and he comes up with an idea, and he says, I know. I know what I'll do. I know what I'll
do so that when, because this is all about time, when I lose my job here. I'm losing it. People will welcome
me into their houses. He comes up with a
plan to make sure that when he's no longer
employed by the rich guy, he has some place to go
and someone to go to. Here's the plan that
he came up with. This is Jesus
telling this parable. He called in each one
of his master's debtors, and his master probably
had a lot of debtors. He just gives us
illustrations of two of them. He calls in each of the people who owed his master something. People he'd been
doing business with, and he asked the first one, how much do you owe my master? This gentleman said, well I owe your master nine
hundred gallons of olive oil, he replied, and the
manager told him take your bill and
sit down quickly. Sit down quickly
before anybody sees. Sit down quickly before
anybody finds out. Sit down quickly because
I don't have much time, and I need to make sure
I take good advantage of my limited time to make sure I have somewhere to go,
and someone to go to. I've only got a little
bit of time left. Sit down quickly and
make it out for 450. In this parable, everybody in Jesus audience, they have mixed emotions. If you're on the owing side, it's like wow, that
was a good deal. Suddenly I owed $900. Now I only have to pay half. Then people who are on
the rich people side are like what a crook. Needs to let this guy go. The guy's like absolutely. Let's just finish this up. Said boy this is amazing. Thank you. Thank you. If you ever need
anything, call me. Yeah, I might do that. Then he asked, Jesus continues, they he asked the second, And how much do
you owe my master? A thousand bushels
of wheat, he replied. He told him, take your
bill and make it $800. Just $800. Yeah, let's just finish
this account out. Just make it $800. Let's just wrap this thing up. Wow! Thank you. If there's ever anything
I can do for you, just let me know. Don't worry. You may be hearing from
me sooner than you think, and the implication is, he did this over and over, because Jesus in
the parables said, he went to each
one of the people who had done business
with his master, and he settled these accounts, so he could have all
the accounts settled, but he gave everybody
these huge huge discounts. Now in the parable,
when his boss, when the rich guy finds out, or the way Jesus says
it is, the master, because you know the master's
gonna find out about this. The master and everybody
in Jesus' audience is thinking oh man, this
guy's going to jail. This guy may be executed. This guy's gonna be strung up, and if you have not heard
this parable before, you think the same thing, and the reason you
think the same thing, is because Jesus is
the master storyteller. Jesus knew how to get
his first century, and sometimes his 21st
century audience to lean in and to be just confused enough, to have the categories
scrambled just enough to where we have to pay
attention and ask the question, what is he trying to say
in this fictitious story? Because in every parable there's
someone who represents God and in every parable,
there's someone who represents the people
in Jesus' audience. There's someone
who represents God, and there's someone
who represents you, and there's someone
who represents me, and the people in Jesus'
first century audience assumed that the
dishonest money manager is about to get
into big trouble, but they would be wrong, and if that's where you
thought this was going as I would think this was going the first time I read it, I would be wrong as well. They would be wrong, because the text says that Jesus actually commends in the story, the master commended, that is he complemented him. That is when he found out
what happened, he smiled. He high fived him. He slapped his knee
and he laughed, and he said you got me, and the text says
that Jesus said inside this made up story in
order to make a real point, he said the master commended
the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. He commended him in the parable because this guy had
thought it through. He thought it through
with the future in mind. He thought it through with
his limited opportunity and his limited time and mind. He thought it through with
his own future in mind and of course Jesus'
audience may be like you the first time you've
read this story. Maybe this is the first
time you've heard it. Jesus' audience
is very confused. Wait a minute, wait a minute. We're so confused. He should be in trouble. You're telling us the
wealthy guy actually commended the dishonest
money manager? What's going on? Jesus has them right
where he wants them. He has us right
where he wants us. Jesus pulls out of the parable and he begins to
teach the lesson he wants his audience to
know from the parable, that in the Kingdom of Heaven, the way that God views wealth
and money and possessions is different than
the way we view it, and here's how he views it, and this is the lesson. This is the takeaway. This is the application
of the parable of the unjust,
dishonest, money manager. He pulls out of the
parable, and he looks at us. He looks at his first
century audience, and here's what he says. For, now he's out
of the parable, for the people of this world, the people who live their lives as if all there is
to life is this life, the people who live
as if it's only about a birth certificate
and a death certificate. The people that live as if
all you see is all there is and all you get. The people of this world,
he said, are more shrewd. That is, they are
more thoughtful. They think things
through better. They are more shrewd in
dealing with their own kind than are the people
of the light, and the people of the light
in that particular context, he was talking about
the Jewish people who had an eternal
promise from God that God was gonna do something
fabulous through the nation. He's saying the people
who have the covenants, the people who have
the promises of God, sometimes aren't as thoughtful, and don't think things through as well as the people
that just assume that all there is to
this life is this life and that if there is a God, he's not that
interested in my life, and that this has
expanded to those of us who put our faith in Jesus. Anyone who believes that
there's more to life than life, that there's life
beyond this life, he says the people
in this world, oftentimes they think
it through better than those of us who
think in terms of, or are supposed to think
in terms of eternity. Those who live within
or who are supposed to live within a
broader context. The money manager was commended for taking full advantage
of his limited time and his limited opportunity. Jesus' point is the reason
this guy was commended, it's not because
he was dishonest. He was commended because
he took full advantage of his little bitty time, and his little
bitty opportunity, and Jesus' point for you
and for me, is simply this, that we are to do the same. That when it comes to our money, and when it comes to our wealth, and when it comes to our income, We are to view it
within the context, not simply of this life, but the broader context, and we're to ask the question, how do I get maximum
use out of it in light of my little
bitty time on this planet and the little bit of
opportunity that comes my way, and then just so
we don't miss it. Jesus leans in and he
gets very very specific, and he gets so specific
that the first time I read this parable as an adult, and really understood
the implications, it really was life changing
and life shaping for me because Jesus now
gives an imperative. He gives a command to those
who claim to be his follower. If you're not a Christian,
you don't have to do this. Please don't hear me
telling you what to do. I have no authority over you, and if you're not
following Jesus, he doesn't have any
authority over you either. However, there's some
takeaways for you, so hang on, but if you're a Jesus follower, Jesus leans in and he says, I tell you, in other
words, pay attention! I'm talking to you now! This isn't a story. I tell you, this is
the command, use. Why? Because it's a means to an end. It's not the end, because it's a tool. Use worldly wealth, to which we might
be inclined to say what other kind of
wealth is there? Aha, the question. You're paying attention. Use worldly wealth,
this is a command, to gain friends for yourselves
like the money manager so that when it is gone,
because it will be gone, actually, you'll be
gone, but anyway. When it is gone, you will be, and this is so strange, welcomed into eternal dwellings. Now don't ask me
to explain this, because I can't explain this, and in fact, isolated
to the teaching of Jesus at this particular
time in his life, this really doesn't
make any sense, because the implications
are unmissable. The implications are that
there's something we can do with temporary wealth during
this little bitty slot of time that we have in life, that makes an
eternal difference, and honestly, I would
not take that seriously, and you shouldn't take
it seriously either, except for one thing. After Jesus was crucified,
he came back to life, and when someone predicts their
own death and resurrection and pulls it off, whenever they talk about
death or resurrection, you and I should pay attention. Consequently,
looking back through the filter of the
resurrection of Jesus, Luke is writing this on the
other side of the resurrection. He's like, I know this
sounds a little bit crazy, and I know that Jesus' first
century audience in the moment certainly didn't understand
what he was talking about, but clearly there is
something to this, because Jesus
substantiated the idea that there is eternity. Not just through his teaching, but through his life, and specifically through
his resurrection, but his point is clear, that your money and
your possessions, my money and my possessions, money is a means. It is not the end. It's a means to an end, that goes beyond
us and Jesus says, it even goes beyond this life. The implication is that
our right now resources, that our right now resources, that your right now resources, have the potential to
make a forever difference. That we can't take it with us. We've heard that our
whole lives, right? We can't take it with us, but there is a way for
us to have something to show for it beyond this life. It's a means to an end. As Jesus would
say, it is a tool. Now, if Jesus is right,
and I think he's right. If Jesus is right, it means, and I know this is
a little different. Maybe if you've not
heard this before. Different. A little disconcerting. You go home and go okay, even if you're right Andy, I don't know what
to do with that, but if he's right it
means that I should view, and that you should view, not a percentage
of what you have as something that
should be made available to your Heavenly father, it means that we
should view 100% of what we have as a
potential means to an end. In other words, the question
that we should begin to ask as Jesus followers. In fact, I would encourage
you to ask this question just for fun, even if
you're not a Jesus follower. The question that we should
all ask at some level is how can I leverage
more of what I have as a means to an
end that's not me? How can I leverage
more of what I have as a means to an
end that is outside of what benefits me? Because as most of
you already know, because all of us
have experienced just enough of this to know, that is where joy is
truly found, isn't it? When Sandra and I
were first married, one of the advantages
that we had, is we had several advantages. One we were raised
very similarly, when it comes to money, and managing money
and generosity. We were both raised by, two sets of very
generous parents, and so consequently, when we set up our budget, and we started
doing life together, we decided up front. There is a percentage
of our money that is going to be
given away first. We just decided that. 10% to our church, and then another
percent is gonna go to other things that we love, and so we decided,
we made a decision. I've encouraged young
couples to make for years and I don't think anybody
takes me seriously because it's a little
bit complicated. I've always told young couples, you should decide ahead of time what percentage of your
income you're gonna live on, and here's why. This is pretty brilliant. You're gonna want
to write this down. Ready? The reason you should
decide ahead of time what percentage of your
income you want to live on, is because you are
going to live on a percentage of your income. Let me say that again. You, each one of you. I don't even know you. All of you are living on a
percentage of your income. Why would you not choose it, rather than letting a
lifestyle choose it for you? That's what shrewd thinking, forward thinking people do. They don't think about
the numbers of dollars. They think about the percentage. We just decided no
matter how much comes in, we're living on the percentage, and then we're gonna
give a percentage away and we also decided
that anything we own, we're gonna try to
figure out how to use it to help other people, and we've been successful, and we've been unsuccessful, and sometimes I get selfish, and sometimes she
has to say, remember? I'm like oh yeah. Because she's more
inclined that way than me, and we also decided that
we're not gonna hoard stuff. If we're not using it, we're going to give it away. As soon as I have the box, and I'm about to go into
the basement with it, I realize, if I take
this into the basement, it will live there for
two or three years, doing no one any good, and then one day I'm
gonna see it and go, I need to get rid of that, and then I'm gonna put
it into circulation so don't even take
it down there, just give it away! Then we decided, we're
gonna try to say yes to anyone who ever
asks us for anything. That's complicated. That's not even always wise
to do for people when they ask but we decided if
we're gonna err, we're gonna err on the
side of generosity, and so what happened
through the years, what happened through the years, and this isn't unique for me. Many of you have done this. If you haven't I hope this
is challenging to you. Through the years,
what actually happened, what actually transpired, is that we turn
stuff into stories, and we don't miss the stuff. The stories are still
very emotional for us. There are some stories that
we can't tell to this day and years ago some of
these things happen that we just don't tear up. When we think about the
opportunities we had because we decided
ahead of time. We decided ahead of time. It is all in play. It's all available. How do we use more
of what comes our way and what sits in our
bucket of resources to do things that are
not simply for us? The number of dollars
is irrelevant. It is all about pre-deciding
ahead of time as it relates. It's all God's. It's all in circulation
for your benefit, and here's the percentage
that's going ahead of time and I'll figure out how
to live on the rest. These stories will
always be emotional. Here's the thing, and
then I'll move on. This is what I know about you. All of you have several things you factor into your
financial decisions. We all do. Even if you don't have
them written down. You don't even
know what they are. I promise you every time you
make a financial decision, you factor in something. Some things that you
factor in, right? I want to suggest you begin
factoring this question in, because this could
possibly free you up, to become more of
the kind of person that you actually
want to be anyway, and here's the question. Do I want more stuff, or do I want more stories? Do I want more stuff, or do I want more stories? Let me just give you a tip. Nobody's gonna talk about
your stuff in the end. They're gonna tell
stories about you. Do you want more stuff, or do you want more stories? Now let me just say
something real quick to a group of you. Decatur City Church,
Hamilton Mill. Our Hamilton Mill
gathering up there. Gwinnett Church, Hamilton Mill. I just want to say something
to both of you real quick. I want you today, as you're
leaving, or even right now, to look around the
buildings you're in. These cool buildings
that you just moved into a couple of weeks ago, and for those of you who gave to make those
buildings possible, I just want you to know
for the rest of your life, that building is
part of your story, and I already know
that you don't know what you would have
done with the money that you decided to give to
make that building possible and you don't miss that money, but that building, every
child that comes to faith, every baptism story,
every adult that gets reconnected with
their Heavenly father, every mom who drags
her teenage son and every husband that
drags his wife there and she's confronted with
something that's life changing, their story is your story
for the rest of your life. Way to go. I hope you never ever
lose sight of that and the reason I
wanted to say that, is because every
time Sandra and I walk into any of our buildings, any time we
experience a baptism, we feel like wow, their
story, this story, is a little part of our story, and I don't miss the
money that we gave, and I wouldn't trade
the money we gave for the stories of
life transformation and marriages that
come back together and kids that reconnect
with prodigal parents and parents are reconnect. How do you compare the
stuff with the stories? Yeah we gotta make a living. Gotta pay our bills. Gotta get our kids
through school. I get all that. I'm not advocating
irresponsible living. I'm just saying, I think
you should factor this in. What do you want? More stuff or more stories? Now here's Jesus' point. His point is simply this. Money. Money can add
meaning to your life when you use it as
a means to an end that goes beyond you. The parable, the teaching
on the parable isn't over and I'm gonna get through
this last part pretty quick because it's fascinating. He continues. He's not done. They're all leaning in. He says this. He says, hey by
the way, whoever, and whoever means whoever, whoever can be trusted
with very little can also be trusted with much. Do what? Yeah. And whoever is dishonest
with very little will also be
dishonest with much. Wait, wait, what are
you talking about? He keeps going. So I tell you if you
have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you
with true riches, or who will trust
true riches with you or to you one text says. It's like what are
you talking about? Little, much, worldly wealth. What other kind
of wealth is there other than worldly wealth, and I don't just have a little. I have a lot. Or I may have a little, but they have a lot. What's your point? Jesus' point is simply this, that no matter
how much you have, and no matter where you
think it ultimately came from that your money, your
wealth, your possessions. My money, my wealth,
my possessions, not only is it a
means to an end. Not only is it a tool, from the Kingdom of
God's perspective, it's all a test as well. It's like the manager
in the parable. That we have a
little bit of money. We have a little
bit of resources for a short amount of time, and we are basically
being tested to determine whose Kingdom, we are most devoted to? The book ended
Kingdom of this world, or the Kingdom in which
there is more to this life than what we can see and
that goes beyond the bookends of our physical lives,
and again, as strange, and maybe from your perspective, as creepy as that sounds, again, no one should
take that seriously. Apart from the
resurrection of Jesus, but he's not done. He says this, and by the way as we wrap up, if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property. Wait, wait, what are
you talking about? I'm not a money
manager you would say. I'm not a money manager. This is my stuff. I'm not managing this
for someone else. I mean this is my paycheck. This is my money. I have the deed to the house. I have the title to the car. Somebody else. This is. I own stuff. This is my stuff. If you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you
property of your own? I've lost you, but if your money could talk and if my money could talk, I think it would confirm
what Jesus is saying at the end of this teaching. It would say I'll still
be here when you're gone, and the moment you
think you own me, the moment you think you own me, I actually own you, because we all like the
money manager in the parable are in fact managers. We are not owners, and the way we know
that we're not owners, is that if you're going
to leave it behind, clearly you don't own it. You're just managing it, but here's the real question. If you're just a
manager, not an owner, who are you managing it for? If you're just stardust, if you're just an
accident of evolution by natural selection, if you just happen to be
and you don't know how it is and you don't know
where it came from, and we don't know
why anything exists. If you just don't know, then I don't know how
to answer the question who you are managing this for, because you are gonna
leave it all behind. We all know that. Nobody argues with that, but think about this, if in the beginning, God created the
Heavens and the Earth and if in the beginning
God created mankind in his image and if
in the beginning, God made us as a race,
stewards of this plant, and he gave each of us
a little bit of time and a little bit of opportunity and a little bit of
resources to manage, then suddenly all of
this makes perfect sense, and Jesus would
say manage it well, and please don't get confused. Don't get confused. If your money would
talk, it would remind us. I'm a means. I'm a means. I'm not an end. I'm a tool and I'm a test. I can add meaning to your life, but don't be confused, I'm not the meaning
of your life. As we wrap up, I want
to ask this question. Then we're gonna pick
this up next time. What do we do with all this? Where do we start? This is, for some
of you, I get this. It's like, he's just
trying to get my money. You gotta draw your
own conclusions. Others of you, it's like, oh Jesus is trying
to get our money. No, he never asked
for any money. For others of you
perhaps, it's like, you lost me with the
whole eternity thing. I get that, but for those of
you who are Jesus followers, for those of you who've
already settled the issue that there's more to
this life than this life, for those of you that
wrestle with this, because you hate the
greed that bubbles up inside of you sometimes, you hate the resistance you feel when there's an
opportunity to do more and your heart's saying yes, and as soon as you
get the pen out or as soon as you get
the phone out, it's like, you put one less zero on
there than you planned. You have that struggle. Where do we start? I think a great place to start is the place that
Jesus is pointing to and the place to start
is not an amount of money and the place to start isn't
even really a percentage. The place to start is
with the bigger question. The big question that
really most people never stop to ask
and consequently never have an answer for. A question that on the
surface seems to have nothing to do with money, but in the end it has
everything to do with money. Here's the question I
want to leave you with. If being a means to an end, if being a means to an end, is what gives life meaning. If being a means to an end, is what makes
anything meaningful. If something is not
a means to an end, it has no meaning. It has no purpose. If being a means to an end, is what gives your life
meaning and purpose, to what ends do you want
your life to be a means? If being a means to
an end goes beyond you is what gives your life
purpose and meaning, to what ends? It doesn't have to be one thing. It shouldn't be one thing. To what ends do
you want your life to be a means to? What, and we've asked
these questions before, what do you want people
to celebrate about you, when you're gone? What breaks your heart right now that you're actually
doing something about? Not just complaining about. What would you, and this is a question
Sandra asked years ago when we were talking about this, so I want to give her credit, but she said, the
way she said it is, what do I want people to
line up to thank me for at the end of my life? My friends, if you don't
answer those questions, your appetite will eat
up all of your resources. If you don't answer
those questions for you, your appetite will
dictate an answer to you and I know what your answer
to those questions isn't and I don't even know you, but I know you
enough to know this. The answer. You wouldn't give this answer. Here's what it is for me. It's accumulation,
consumption, upgrades, fashion forward, a
house full of stuff. That's the meaning of my life. Nobody chooses this on purpose. Listen to me. If you don't decide
the ends to which you want your life
to be a means, that is the direction our
culture will pull you. You already know that, and you don't want to spend another season of
your life like that. I know you don't. Nobody does. She ate, she drank, she was
merry, then she died, right? That's not a legacy, right? That's a life poorly lived. Here's the thing,
and then I'm done. When you answer. Look up here. When you answer
the big question. When you answer the big question and you start wrapping
your heart around the answer to the big question, your money will follow, because money is
a means to an end. Money is a tool. It's not the goal, and we've all lived long enough to have seen that in the
lives of other people. We've all experienced
just enough joy to know it's true. When you answer
the big question, something begins to
happen in your heart, but listen, until you
answer the big question, until you answer
the big question, you may just end up
following your money and that would be shame, because live for yourself. You'll only have yourself
to show for yourself. Along with some stuff
for people to fight over when you're gone. This week, here's the question
I want you to wrestle with. If being a means to an end
is what gives life meaning and that's what gives
your life meaning. Every one of you who are
parents, you understand this. Grandparents you
understand this. We've all tasted enough
of this to know it's true. If being a means to an end
is what gives life meaning, to what ends do I want
my life to be a means, and when you
identify and embrace the answer to that question, your money will begin to follow and you will begin to
view everything you own, everything that comes your way, as a means to an end, as
it was intended to be. At the end of this teaching, something very
interesting happens. Jesus, the teaching began, Jesus was telling his
disciples and I said there was another group
listening on the outskirts because there was
always a group of people following Jesus around, who they were
trying to trap him. Asking him tricky questions. Make him look foolish
in front of the crowd, and so Luke tells us at the
very end of this teaching, he says this, the Pharisees, the Pharisees who loved money heard all of this. Everything I just
shared with you. The Pharisees who loved money, heard all of this and
were sneering at Jesus, and do you know what
their names were? Yeah, me neither. Let's get this right. We'll pick it up
there next time.
