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EMAIL SERMON SERVICE Vol. 3, No. 09 from Diversity Press

IF JESUS LIVED TODAY
HOW WOULD HE HANDLE PRIORITIES
(Luke 12:16-20; Matt. 16:24-26)
(Delivered 5-5-02)

A shopper in a Christian Book Store saw a cap with the letters
WWJD on it. The price tag said, $16.99. He took it up to the
counter and asked what the letters stood for. The clerk said,
"Haven't you heard? It means, 'What would Jesus do?' " The man
looked at the cap again, thought for a moment, and then said,
"Well, I don't know what he would do, but I know one thing he
wouldn't do. Jesus wouldn't pay sixteen dollars and 99 cents
for this cap!"

He's probably right. Jesus was not a spend-thrift. He lived
simply and had few possessions. He avoided waste. He used
money; he didn't let money use him.

Once a man tried to get him to mediate a financial problem. The
Scriptures say, "And someone in the crowd said to Him, 'Teacher,
tell my brother to divide the {family} inheritance with me.'
But He said to him, 'Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbiter
over you?' And He said to them, 'Beware, and be on your guard
against every form of greed; for not even when one has an
abundance does his life consist of his possessions' " (Luke
12:13-15).

To make his point Jesus told a dramatic, and even frightening
story about a very successful businessman. He said, "The land
of a certain rich man was very productive. And he began
reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no
place to store my crops?' And he said, 'This is what I will do:
I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I
will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my
soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years {to
come;} take your ease, eat, drink {and} be merry." ' But God
said to him, 'You fool! This {very} night your soul is required
of you; and {now} who will own what you have prepared?'" (Luke
12:16-20).

Now, this man was not a criminal. There's no indication that he
stole his wealth or even that he deprived or cheated others to
obtain it. In fact, he seemed to be a hard worker and a good
planner. He was ambitious and conservative, yet God called him
a fool!

You see, this man had the same problematic attitude of the Rich
Young Ruler. When he inquired about life, Jesus told him, " 'If
you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to
the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come,
follow me.' When the young man heard this, he went away sad,
because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples,
'I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of heaven' " (Matt. 19:21-23).

Both of these men forgot that life is more than "bread or
clothes." The man God called a fool was self-centered. He
claimed everything for himself alone. He even said, "My Soul."

But in the Scripture, God says, "Every living soul belongs to
me, the father as well as the son- -both alike belong to me . .
." (Ezek. 18:4a).

This man forgot that he wasn't in control of his life. James
put it this way. "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow
we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on
business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will
happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears
for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to
say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or
that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil"
(James 4:13-15).

This man had no gratitude. He was totally materialistic. All
he thought of was gratification of physical lusts. He didn't
use his resources for others. John said, "If anyone has
material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no
pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" (I John 3:17).

This man neglected spirituality. He wasn't "rich toward
God."Why do you suppose Jesus told such a negative and
frightening illustration. What lessons can we learn from this
parable? What point was he making about priorities.

I. FIRST, WE MUST OVERCOME SELFISHNESS.

Personal survival and looking out for number one are universal
human traits. Babies say, "Me! Me! Me!" and that continues to
be our basic orientation throughout life. Some self-interest is
essential, but this man's only thought was about, "My crops; and
My barns; My grain; and My goods. His family and employees and
neighbors were forgotten. Jesus said, "Sell your possessions
and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear
out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near,
nor moth destroys" (Luke 12:33).

This man's belief about God is not mentioned, but Jesus seemed
to agree with the writer who said, "Selfishness is the only real
atheism!"

II. NEXT, WE MUST OVERCOME IMMEDIACY

Being impatient and impulsive are also universal human traits.
People are prone to put "now" over "later" when it comes to
getting what they want. A Deferred Gratification Pattern is not
a natural characteristic. It must be developed. Jesus said,
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But
store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust
do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"
(Matt. 6:19-21).

Unfortunately, this rich man's treasures were here on earth. He
was more interested in possessions and pleasure than eternity.
Recently, people over 95 years of age were asked, "If you could
live your life over, what would you do differently?" One answer
dominated the results: "I would do more things that would live
on after my death."

Most things that are really worthwhile take time. Paul said,
"If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it
patiently" (Rom. 8:25).

III. FINALLY, WE MUST OVERCOME SUPERFICIALITY.

This is another universal human trait. Concrete things are more
important to most of us than spiritual values. An interesting
bit of gossip takes precedence over the consideration of a
deeper concept. New gadgets get more of our attention than
moral principles. These common tendencies are destructive, not
because small talk and gadgets are evil, but because our time
and resources are limited. Life is made up of choices. A BMW
costs more than a college education. So before you buy one, be
sure you can finance your children's education. Richard Burton
gave Elizabeth Taylor a million-dollar diamond ring; but didn't
invest any time or money in strengthening their marriage. A
documentary on the city of Hong Kong tells of one home that sold
for $69 million while other needs were unmet. We must decide
what's really important.

Jesus didn't say that eating and drinking and having fun were
sins. It fact the prodigal son's father did all three when he
welcomed his son home. These things were a problem in this
case, because they became more important to this rich man than
wisdom and goodness and being spiritual.

Paul said, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly
things" (Col. 3:2).
Now, what if this were today? If Jesus was telling a modern
story, would he use a man who's a "Day Trader" in the Stock
Market? Would he relate the details of a lucrative business
deal? Would he describe a woman whose music video made her a
wealthy star overnight? Would he remind people of tragedies
like Howard Hughes, and Marilyn Monroe, and the Enron executive
who committed suicide recently?

We can't know exactly which rich and famous person Jesus would
use as an illustration; but we do know there are many "rich
fools" in our world. Even though Jesus would describe a
different individual, if he lived in America today instead of
Palestine 2000 years ago, his general principles about
materialism would still be the same.

1. FIRST, JESUS WOULD STILL ADVOCATE MODERATION.
Jesus was not a fanatic. He didn't go sit in a tub or become a
monk. There's no indication that he was a beggar or a derelict.
He worked and he would encourage us to work and earn a living.
It's not money that's evil. It's the obsession to hoard money
that's evil. Paul said, "People who want to get rich fall into
temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires
that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of
money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for
money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with
many griefs" (I Tim. 6:9-10).

2. NEXT, JESUS WOULD STILL ADVOCATE DEFERRED GRATIFICATION.

He would put first things first. Making more is not our purpose
in life. Being more, doing more, and giving more is our
purpose. Good management is a Christian discipline. One
writer advises Christians to follow 3 guidelines: 1. Be
grateful for what you have; 2. Take care of what you have; 3.
Delay the urge to amass more. In other words, always wait a few
days before buying that "impulse" item.

Our financial statement is not the bottom line. Instead, it's
what we would be worth if all of our possessions and wealth were
taken away that matters. Jesus said, "What good will it be for
a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or
what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26).

3. FINALLY, JESUS WOULD STILL ADVOCATE IMPORTANT PRIORITIES.

He would be careful with his time and possessions and money. He
would not waste his resources on a lavish lifestyle. Instead,
he would use them to help people. But, he wouldn't give in such
a way as to destroy personal initiative. Paul said, "Command
those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor
to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put
their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for
our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good
deeds, and to be generous and willing to share" (I Tim. 6:17-18).

Now, if we're to take the Gospel seriously, what does this mean
for us?

Remember the Scripture says, "Whoever claims to live in him must
walk as Jesus did" (I John 2:6).

If Jesus lived today, he would be a good steward of his
resources. He wouldn't constantly think and dream and plan
about how to make more money? Once, a man suddenly received a
large inheritance. He bought a beautiful home in the country;
furnished it magnificently; hired a tutor for his children and
invited many friends to a sumptuous housewarming.

During the housewarming the rich man observed that the tutor was
having a ball, eating, drinking and telling his best stories and
singing all the songs he could recall. Finally, the master of
the house could stand no more of this kind of behavior from one
of his employees. He called the tutor aside and said to him,
"Cool it and don't forget your time in this house is limited."
The tutor, slightly inebriated replied, "And you sir, what about
you? Don't forget that your time in this house is also
limited." That's what Jesus was saying.

Would you choose an occupation that fits your talents and offers
a needed service to mankind rather than one that pays more?
Jesus did!

Would you rate the value of a person on his character, rather
than his income? Jesus did!

Would you use your resources wisely and share them generously?
Jesus did!

Abraham Cowley said,

"Poverty wants some things.
Luxury wants many things.
Avarice wants all things."

Will you put first things first and live for spiritual things
instead of material things?
(WC2018)

******
EMAIL SERMON SERVICE is a free service from Diversity Press.
Material in our sermons usually present the Gospel from a
non-Fundamentalist, psychological point of view. They should be
readily adaptable for ALL denominations.

My ministry has been blessed immeasurably by reading other
people's sermons. When I started preaching 55 years ago, I
waited for "inspiration" before I began my sermon preparation
(usually Saturday night, about midnight). Then, I discovered it
wasn't inspiration at all-it was sheer PANIC. I would have
welcomed this service.

Comments are always welcome. (Please indicate if you do not want
your comments to appear in New Perspectives).
Miles E. Wesner