Simplify Your Life

Luke 12:13-21

Today’s message is going to make most of us feel a bit uncomfortable, but I pray that you’ll let these thoughts about this spiritual discipline settle into your soul so each of us can evaluate our lives more effectively and become better followers of Jesus. I also want to ask that you not force your application of this message onto others, because each expression of it will be unique to the individual seeking to follow Christ. To attempt to impose your practice of this subject onto other people as the only acceptable expression of it is to become a legalist. While there are truths in scripture that demand uniformity, this truth allows for variations of application. However, my prayer is that all of us will think more deeply about this subject and not allow ourselves to drift into living in ways that do not reflect the values of our Lord.

I’m talking today on the subject, “Simplify Your Life,” which has to do with the matters of greed, covetousness and materialism that too easily take up residence in our attitudes, actions and quest for status in this world.  

Did you know that Jesus spoke more about economic issues (the poor, the rich, greed, money, etc.) than he did about any other social issue of His day? When you stop and consider that His society was a relatively simple society, this only serves to heighten the significance of His teachings about these matters for our affluent societies.

Let’s begin our discussion by defining two extremes about material things that we, as followers of Christ, need to avoid. First, some people intentionally distinguish between a good spiritual world and an evil material world. Thus, they embrace one and eschew the other in an attempt to reach a higher spiritual plane with God. This view is called asceticism and those that espouse it will often renounce their possessions, along with all other forms of material goods or gain. In their delusion, they think they can find a spiritual connection with God by being materially abased. In essence, they seek salvation by avoiding as much of the physical realm as possible in order to connect more closely with the spiritual realm.

The Bible gives no credence to this point of view and argues poignantly against it. It consistently shows that God’s creation is good, that material things may be enjoyed with moderation, and that wealth is a gift from God. There is no spiritual gain in divesting yourself of all the things that God has given mankind to enjoy.

The other extreme to asceticism is crass materialism that involves lusting after and hoarding the goods and services of this world while seeking the fulfilment/meaning of life in those things. It is characterized by greedy people living primarily to make money, have possessions, acquire an affluent lifestyle, and make their futures secure. Please note that materialism is not about being successful. It is about hoarding your success while only thinking of yourself and how you can attain more for yourself...without any thought to the needs of others.

Most of us have a hard time thinking of ourselves as being materialistic, partly because we have difficulty distinguishing between what we really need and what we selfishly want. Truth be known, we could probably all live with fewer things than we presently possess and in the process become a greater blessing by sharing with those in need. For too many Christians, the American dream has become their god and acquiring as much “stuff” as possible in pursuit of that dream is one evidence that materialism rules in their hearts.

Not unlike asceticism, the materialism that grips the hearts of many believers is something that needs to be renounced...put to death in our lives. Jesus reminds us that, “our lives do not consist in the abundance of the things [we] possess” (Luke 12:15). In spite of what the world constantly tells us, the person that dies with the most “toys” really doesn’t win. Actually, he/she may be the biggest loser, if all they’ve lived for are temporal things!

What I want to do in this message is challenge all of us to “simplify our lives” by putting/keeping material things in their proper perspective. I don’t want for us to de-emphasize them to the point of avoiding any enjoyment we might derive from them. Neither do I want us to waste our lives chasing after things that only have temporal value while squandering the real opportunities to be “rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). My heart’s desire is to help people make investments in eternity that will outlast the material things they might attain. I want people to see the bigger picture of why God has given us material things and how we can use them for His glory...not just our selfish good.

Somewhere between the two extremes of asceticism and materialism is the scriptural truth of contentment (1 Timothy 6:6)...which is another way of saying, “simplify your life.” People that are content know both how to be “abased” and how to “abound” (Philippians 4:12), when it come to material things. Neither condition, though, turns their hearts away from the Lord. Their focus is on God and they see all the circumstances of life as secondary to “seeking first the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). Nothing to the contented person interferes with his/her commitment to Him and he/she refuses to think only of themselves.

Not only that, where contentment reigns there is a peace that dispels anxiety (Luke 12:22-31) because people are joyfully unconcerned about their possessions (whether the absence or abundance of them). Their sole focus is on loving God and loving others, just as Jesus commanded us all to do.

Listen to some of the cautions that are given in scripture concerning the dangers of greed, materialism and wealth. For instance...

• The Psalmist said, “If riches increase, do not set your heart on them” (Psalm 62:10).
• The tenth commandment forbids inordinate desires of all kinds. “You shall not covet…” (Exodus 20:17), which is the inner lust to have something you do not have or more of something you want.
• Solomon, the richest man that ever lived in the ancient world said, “He who trusts in his riches will fall...” (Proverbs 11:28).
• He also said, “Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19)
• Jesus spoke unambiguously about materialism when He said, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13--”mammon” is the Aramaic term for wealth or money).
• He further stated, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
• The Apostle Paul wrote, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6: 9-10)
• He also warned that neither a pastor or the deacons were to be “greedy for money” (1 Timothy 3:3, 8).
• He calls “covetousness” idolatry and lists it alongside other equally sinful deeds that prevent a person from inheritance in the kingdom. “For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” (Ephesians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 5:11)
• And, he tells Timothy to warn the wealthy when he says, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
• Finally, the writer of Hebrews counsels, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you..” (Hebrews 13: 5).

These are just some of the warnings, commands and exhortations about material things given across the pages of scripture. As you can tell, the subject of materialism, greed and covetousness, is spoken about often. The reason for mentioning these matters so frequently must surely be because it is prevalent in every society, at every time period of history, and in every heart. Even those with relatively very few possessions can be greedy and covetous, if all they think about are the things they do not have and how they can go about getting them.

To further illustrate the importance of the subject of money and materialism, these subjects are an ongoing theme in Jesus' training of his disciples. In the Gospel of Luke the importance of these matters is either implied or made obvious in the following passages. For instance...

• The calling Levi the Tax Collector (5:27-32)
• The parable of the Sower and the thorns of riches that choke spiritual life (8:14)
• The Pharisees who inside are full of greed (11:39)
• The giving of a party in order to be reciprocated by one's "rich neighbors" (14:12)
• The Prodigal Son who squanders his wealth on wild living (15:13)
• The Parable of the unjust servant (16:1-12)
• The problem with trying to serve God and mammon (16:13)
• The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (16:19-31)
• The Rich Young Ruler and the hindrance of riches to entering the Kingdom (18:18-27)
• The story of wealthy Zacchaeus and his generosity (19:1-10)

Clearly, how we deal with material things is important to God!

Because of the dangers of materialism, greed and covetousness, it’s right for us to look at ways we can “simplify our lives” (i.e., avoid materialism, greed, covetousness, etc.). We would all do well to learn to be content and let material things take on less importance in our lives, while the kingdom of God takes on greater importance...as reflected in the way we handle of our possessions.

I love to hear the stories of our children that forfeit receiving multiple birthday gifts at their parties in order to have people bring gifts for the use of helping others who are in need. That’s the spirit of “simplifying your life” and the kids are learning an important lesson early. Does that mean a child should never receive a gift for his/her birthday? Absolutely not, but it is a teaching moment where children can learn that their lives do not consist in the abundance of the GIFTS they receive and it helps them to look out on the needs of others.

Jesus was teaching one day to a multitude of people that had gathered. He had just finished telling them not to fear (12:7) or worry (12:11) when out of the crowd came a request. “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” (Luke 12:13) Not only was it an inappropriate request in this setting, it also revealed something in the man’s heart that only Jesus could see at that moment. Consequently, He used it as a teaching moment to remind people that life is not about the acquisition of things and that we all have a higher purpose for living than the accumulation of wealth.

Following a brief response to the man’s request, Jesus gave the parable of the rich fool that had been blessed with even more wealth than he already enjoyed, but who only thought of himself in its use. This man displayed an ungratefulness of spirit for his blessings, he failed to seek the counsel of God in how to use his blessings, and he never looked beyond himself for how others might benefit from his blessings. Everything this man thinks about related to his newly received abundance centers around himself! Jesus never rebukes him for having barns that were already full of grain (wealth to enjoy), but He does correct him for having an abundance beyond what he needed and thinking of no one else but himself. In other words, he was not judged for his success, but for how he managed his success. Basically put, he mismanaged a miracle!

Among the several things this parable can teach us, there are two lessons that must be noted.

• The first lesson of this parable is that it is not God’s will that we devote our lives primarily to gathering and accumulating wealth.

It’s not wrong to be wealthy (there are many examples of wealthy people in scripture), but the greater purpose of our lives is the glory of God that comes in seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness first (cf. Matthew 6:33). When our minds are totally consumed with material things and their pursuit, it shifts the focus of our hearts from the eternal to the temporal. In the process, we often find ourselves thinking only of ourselves and we become consumed with the pursuit of more (greed). Enough is never enough and greedy people never have too much. They are always looking to accumulate more and forget that with the increase of material things comes the increase of multiple complications in their lives.

Albert Barnes notes, “Riches increase thought and perplexity. Indeed, this is almost their only effect—to engross the thoughts and steal the heart away from better things in order to take care of the useless wealth.” The famous J.C. Ryle, a prolific author and faithful pastor said about this rich man in the parable, “The more his money increased, the more of his time is generally consumed and eaten up in thinking about it.”

It’s worth asking ourselves the questions occasionally, how much is enough and how much is too much? The answer is different for each of us, but all of us should be thinking about these kinds of issues as faithful followers of Jesus. We should be forcing ourselves to confront the greed and covetousness that may be hidden in our hearts. We all have blind spots and this is one of those that most of us don’t want exposed. However, God is more interested in you becoming “rich toward [Him]” (cf. Luke 12:20) than He is in you becoming rich in this world.

Jesus was clear that a person cannot be mastered by two things at the same time. Your heart is either passionately pursuing God or it is passionately pursuing other things (“stuff”). Listen again to the teaching of Jesus that we have already seen.

“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13).

• The second lesson of this parable is that the things God gives us are not to be stingily hoarded and/or selfishly consumed.

God intends for us to be channels, not reservoirs that dam up the flow of His blessings through us. We are blessed to be a blessing to others and to advance His kingdom in this world.

This man in the parable already had more than he needed for himself, but he thought of no one else BUT HIMSELF! He wanted to make sure that he had secured his future so that all he had to face ahead were the pleasures of life (“...take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” - 12:19). Sadly, he gave no consideration to eternity, God’s will, or how he could bless others with his abundance. The only riches he was concerned with accumulating were the riches of this world and what a terrible mistake he made.

“Simplifying our lives” means sharing with others what God has given to us so that their needs can be met and the kingdom of God might be expanded. It means recognizing that all we have belongs to God and should be placed at His disposal for His use.

Hoarding may be a mental illness for some people, but for most of us it’s simply a SIN! In a world that calls right wrong and wrong right, Richard Foster speaks poignantly about American society when he writes, “Covetousness we call ambition. Hoarding we call prudence. Greed we call industry.” (Foster, Richard J. [2009-03-17]. Celebration of Discipline [p. 81]. HarperCollins. Kindle Edition)

We have to change the way we think about material things if we are going to “simplify our lives.” There must be a willingness to let God search our hearts to see if there is any wicked way in them (including covetousness, greed, hoarding, waste, materialism, etc. - cf. Psalm 139:23-24). As one scholar put it, “Covetous, or the greedy clutching at more and more of earthly good, has its roots in us all, and unless there is the most assiduous weeding, it will overrun our whole nature.” (Alexander MaClaren)

How do we confront greed, covetousness and materialism in our lives? (using the parable as the backdrop for these thoughts)

1. Remember the Giver of all good gifts (James 1:17) and be grateful to Him.
2. Seek God’s will with material blessings, not your own greedy will.
3. Work for simplicity in life rather than status in life. (less can be more)
4. Develop a contented heart and repent of a covetous one.
5. Consider the needs of others and move toward meeting them yourself.
6. Invest in eternal things so your riches are laid up in Heaven.

Warren Wiersbe reminds us that, “Wealth can be enjoyed and employed at the same time if our purpose is to honor God (1 Timothy 6:10ff). To be rich toward God means spiritual enrichment, not just personal enjoyment. How tragic when people are rich in this world but poor in the next!” (The Bible Exposition Commentary)

Maybe the best attitude to have toward material things is the one found in Proverbs. Listen to the author, “...Give me neither poverty nor riches—feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8-9)

Somewhere between the asceticism of some and the crass materialism of others is the place of contentment where we have enough for our needs and extra to share with others. If God has chosen to bless you with an abundance beyond what most will experience, look up to see what He would have you to do with it, look out on His kingdom to invest in it, and look around to see whose needs you might meet with it.

I think the saddest part of this whole story is that the rich man sought to secure his place in this world, but paid no attention to securing His place in the world to come. That’s where many people are today...chasing down the American dream and giving no thought to their eternal souls.

Nobody gets into Heaven by being rich and no one is kept out of Heaven for being poor. To have our sins forgiven and become the possessor of eternal life, we have to each receive the gift of Christ’s payment made on Calvary for our sins. Jesus became poor that we might be made rich (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:9), but the riches He gives are far greater than any you can earn from the pursuit of material wealth here.

Don’t seek to be rich in this world and lose out on being “rich toward God”!  

In his book The Gospel and the American Dream, Bruce Shelley tells the true story of a man who boasted to others that he would be a millionaire by age thirty-five. This young man was known as a really nice guy with a good sense of humor. He was considered bright, thoughtful, and generous to a fault. In 1984 he had acquired many of the appearances of success. He was flying to Dallas from Phoenix weekly on business. He drove a nice company car, and had moved his family into an exclusive neighborhood. He was also doing all the things that wealthy young men should do. He was the program chairman of the local Lions Club, president of the 200-member Arizona chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a board member for the local Boys Club. However, on a Sunday in May 1985, the family missed church for the first time in months. The aspiring millionaire spent the day struggling in vain to scrape together enough cash to salvage his business, his image, and his pride. At 11:30 that night, after the family went to bed, he laid out his insurance policies and then went into the garage. He got into his expensive, company-provided BMW and turned on the ignition. Within a few minutes he was in eternity.

Never forget the closing question in this parable, “...This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’” (Luke 12:20)