We re going to spend six Sunday mornings talking about money and things and some of you are going to be ticked off.

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1 Would The Real Owner Please Stand Up? The Treasure Principle (1 of 6): God s Wisdom for Living in a Material World Pastor Dan Sarkipato Matthew 6:19-21; I Chronicles 29:14 Intro We re going to spend six Sunday mornings talking about money and things and some of you are going to be ticked off. Ticked off because you already know that all the church is interested in is your money. And here is some further proof. Ticked off because you think, Why can t they just do what churches are supposed to do, and help me with my soul, my spiritual life, and teach me the Bible. Money, money, money. It s all they ever think about. Some of you are ticked off already because you took all this time and effort to be here, and now you are going have to endure getting beat up on about materialism so that you will give more to the church. I think there are some people here who think like this, so let s deal with it, OK? We re going to give you an answer to that objection--and we will, right away. But there are some other people here; people who want to hear what God has to say about one of the most important issues of daily life how does God want me to handle money and things? What is the will and wisdom of God about that? You are about to receive, today and in the coming 5 weeks, some very very practical help from God about one of the areas of life that presses in on you. Read Two Texts: Matthew 6:19-21; 1 Chronicles 29:10-14 All the church wants is my money. Is that right? If it is true, it is like saying All God Wants is My Money. Do you really think that? Listen, God would NEVER be satisfied with getting your money. Let me give you two reasons. #1, it s not your money. We re going to learn that and see that today. You might think it is your money; but you didn t come into this world with it, and you wont leave with it. Might be in your pocket for a while, but you don t own it. You can lose it any time. A very, very rich man, John Rockefeller died, and someone asked his accountant: How much did he leave behind? The obvious answer: All of it. It s not your money.

2 Famous preacher John Wesley was out riding his horse one day, and a friend galloped up breathlessly: MR WESLEY, MR WESLEY, I HAVE SOME TERRIBLE NEWS: YOUR HOUSE BURNED DOWN. Wesley paused for a moment and said, No, friend, the Lord s house burned down. He realized that it was not his house. God is not interested in your money, because you don t have any money. It all belongs to God. And if you say, Hey, wait a minute I earned every cent of what I have by working hard; you can t say that it is God s money then I say, read Deut chapter 8, and you will find out where the strength you have came from. Don t miss vv 17-18, which are directly to the point. If you worked hard, it is because God gave you the energy and the ability to work. So, remember that it is NOT YOUR MONEY Second reason God would NEVER be satisfied with getting your money is: #2, God wants MUCH MORE THAN YOUR MONEY; he wants you; he wants your heart; your soul; your life; your desires, your love. If all God got from you was your money, he would be completely unsatisfied. He wants all of you. When you understand from Scripture the kind of relationship God desires with his people, you discover that money is but a detail. He wants to be the Commander, the Boss, the Manager of everything about you. Now that can either scare the pants off you, or it can bring you great comfort; maybe a little bit of both! God doesn t just want your money; he wants every part of you dedicated to His service. And you don t really know what joy is, what happiness is, what fulfillment is, until you live your life for Him. Let s ask this question: Why Talk About Money and Things? The Sovereignty of God That s a fancy word. What does it mean? Literally, The Highest One God is at the very top of the Who s Most Important list.

3 He is #1. He is Lord of everything, and of every one. He is the Lord and Ruler and Master of all. We went to see March of the Penguins Friday night. Great movie. Go and see it. Spectacular photography and scenery. And ask yourself: whose penguins are these? Whose ice is this? Who s fish do they eat, who s ocean do they swim in? This is all God s. What an amazing God, who could think of such a way for birds to survive. God is over all. He has a purpose and plan for all that he has made. When we cooperate with that, we find REAL LIFE. When we fight against that and try to do it our way, we find REAL HASSLES. SECOND reason to deal with money and stuff is: The Power of Hellenism/Materialism Those two world views were right there in your face in Jesus day. Two ways of looking at life. One traces to the God of Scripture, one to Alexander the Great who wanted to spread the Greek worldview all through the world. Let s contrast them. Hellenism Biblical View Greeks thought this way. It was the worldview that was predominant. about ownership I am the owner about the focus of life Life is about me about money. Money is everything God is the owner Life is about God Money is temporary about things Things measure success Things are the gift of God

4 about happiness Happiness is more stuff Happiness is honoring God These were the two competing worldviews in Jesus day. You know something? Things haven t changed. The two ways of thinking are competing for your heart right now. Every day, this war is going on, this battle is being fought, for your heart, for your desires, for your mind. Which way are you going to think? I ve got some news for you from the battlefront. The war is not going so well. Even among those who name the name of Jesus, we are losing battle after battle. WE ARE BUYING IN TO THE ENEMY S WORLD VIEW AND MIND SET. And if he can get our minds, if he can get us to buy into his worldview, he s got us, no matter what we say we believe. And this is exactly why I m preaching this series of messages from the Scriptures. Because, God helping me, the enemy is not going to keep winning this battle for our hearts and minds. We are going to use very spiritual weapon God has given us to combat the lies of his worldview, and we are going to make a dent in this problem. We are going to learn to live like disciples of Jesus; because that is exactly what God wants us to do. These next 6 weeks may be the most spiritually significant of your life. Why? Because God is going to talk to you about your everyday life. Let s consider next the teaching of Jesus, over against the teaching of Hellenism and materialism: The Teaching of Jesus Look again at what Jesus said: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 Notice what Jesus did not say: DID NOT SAY DON T STORE UP ANY TREASURE. Oh No that is not the teaching of Jesus. He WANTS you to store up some treasure. But he wants you to store up a treasure that is going to last forever--a treasure you will not lose; a treasure that you can take with you even when you die! Jesus wants to set you free from the lie of the enemy, the lie that says; THINGS WILL FULFILL YOU AND SATISFY YOU. MORE MONEY WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY.

5 No matter how much money or stuff you have here, the happiness it brings you is as temporary as good weather in Michigan. You can have it for a while, but just wait. Everybody knows it is going to change. When He says do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth Jesus is saying, Don t buy into the lie that more stuff and more money is going to make you happy. IT IS A LIE. I want you to find REAL and LASTING happiness; I want you to have treasures in heaven that will never be taken from you. Why does he care about this? because he knows: where your treasure is, there is your heart. The focus and energy of your life, your thoughts, your time, are going to be given to wherever you consider your treasure to be. God realizes that if my mind and my heart are taken up with a focus on material things, money, bills, houses, cars, whatever, then I will be distracted from giving my thoughts, heart, and energy to the things of God. As we consider this topic further in the coming weeks, we need to keep in mind -- Two vital truths: Truth #1: God is the owner But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 1 Chronicles 29:14 everything comes from you My stuff is not my stuff. My money is not my money. It is all God s stuff. Hellenism and materialism is a lie. And when I believe it, it puts me in prison, in bondage. But when I remember everything comes from you, then I am set free. the earth is the LORD s The earth is the LORD S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Psalm 24:1-2

6 Hag 2:8 The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty. NIV The cattle on a thousand hills belong to God. The mountains themselves are his. God is the owner. Second thing to remember: I am the manager Whatever I have, I am managing for God. That includes all things, all possessions, all stuff, all money, and my life itself. That s right. Even my life is not my life. It is God s life, given me as a gift, and I will one day give an account of how I managed it for him. I ve been to restaurants before where the place was going down hill; food and service and cleanliness were declining. Owner wasn t paying attention; everything slipping. Then, the place is sold. Someone new now in charge. And to let the customer s know that things are different, they put up a big sign that says UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. When you become a Christian, that is exactly the sign that God puts on you. Your life is under new management. You are managing for a new owner. Before you made decisions for yourself. Now, you make decisions based on what God wants. It makes everything different. In the coming weeks, we will explore this more. We are following the outline of this book: the Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. This is an excellent book. I recommend you read it, and that your Small Group study it as soon as you can. What is the Treasure Principle? In Randy Alcorn s own words: the Treasure Principle is this: -- You can t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead Let s use other words: -- Money and things are God s gifts that are to be managed and used for God s glory. And that will build us a treasure in heaven. This is great news.

7 We live in the most prosperous nation that has ever existed, at the most prosperous time in its history. If there was EVER a time and a place to address these things, it is NOW. One day you are going to give an account of your life to God. The first and most important matter is: DO YOU BELONG TO JESUS CHRIST? Did you believe in the name of the one and only Son of God? Jesus is the Savior of the World, and he is LORD of All. He wants you to believe in him and follow him. He will give you life; he will forgive your sins, ALL of them; he will make you new. Then, secondly, this WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE LIFE I GAVE YOU AND THE THINGS I ENTRUSTED TO YOU? These next weeks, we are going to help you learn how to live so you can give your God a great accounting some day. What s Next? #2 Your Heart Follows Your Money My heart always goes where I put God s money #3 Think Like an Alien Heaven, not earth, is my home #4 He Who Dies With the Most Toys Still Dies I should live not for the dot, but for the line #5 The Best Investment Advice You ll Ever Hear Giving is the only antidote to materialism #6 Why Do I Have All This Stuff? God prospers me not raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving Verses to Ponder and Memorize Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21