FREEDOM- GREED AND GENEROSITY
TEXT: Luke 12:13-21
Intro: One of the seven Deadly SIN. “Greed” I would like to examine this word or SIN Greed. We’re using them as a lens to examine our hearts, to be able to repent of sin and ask Jesus to help us build virtue. Means= behavior showing high moral standards
1. The sin of greed:
What is greed? Webster says that it is “a selfish and excessive desire for more than is needed.” More! More! . Greed is never satisfied. The more it gets, the more it wants. More! More! More money, more stuff, more possessions , more power!
Let’s go back to our definition. Greed is “a selfish and excessive desire for more than is needed.” Desire is not wrong; in fact, it is natural and good-until it becomes selfish and excessive. But where is that line? And what is “more than is needed?”
Why is greed a sin? Let me list a few reasons.
Greed is a sin against yourself: it ruins you. A greedy person is an unhappy person: he is never satisfied, never has enough, and is unable to enjoy what he has for very long.
ILL: Have you ever said, “If I just had this, I’d be happy”? And you get it, and you’re happy… until a new, better, shinier model comes out. I have said this about , computers, cameras, phones, backpacks, gadgets…you name it. More, more!
Greed means you’ll never be satisfied, which is why Jesus warned us:
Luke 12:15 “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Life is more than the sum of what you own; greed reduces your life to a collection of things. Paul put it this way:
1 Timothy 6:9-10 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. 10 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.
Greed ruins people.
Greed is a sin against my neighbor when my having more means he must have less.
1 John 3:17-18 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? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
Strong words! John says that if you are able to give to someone in need and refuse to do so, you don’t love God. Your love for God shows up in action-specifically the action of giving to those in need.
Greed is the cause of conflict.
James 4:1-2 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.
Trace most wars back to their causes and you’ll find greed. Trace most personal conflicts back to their sources and you’ll find greed. As the saying goes: “Follow the money.”
Greed is a sin against God. Greed is idolatry, it is misdirected worship towards a false god.
Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.
How is greed idolatry? The greedy worship something other than God. Greed tries to satisfy our restless souls with things that were never met to satisfy it.
In the Old Testament, idolatry was worshiping a statue; today, idolatry is greed, worshiping money, and stuff.
Greed keeps us from God. Luke 18 tells the story of a rich young ruler who came to Jesus and wanted to follow Him. Jesus told him:
Luke 18:22-25 “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
What kept this young man from following Jesus? Greed.
Greed is a sin against yourself, your neighbor, your world, and your God. So how do we overcome it?
2. The virtues of:
We overcome greed by developing a couple virtues.
A. Generosity: to be FREEDOM in giving.
Generosity is a quality that's a lot like unselfishness. Someone showing generosity is happy to give time, money, food, or kindness to people in need. Generosity is a quality — like honesty and patience — that we all probably wish we had more of.
The classic virtue that is usually considered the opposite of greed is generosity. To be generous is to have FREEDOM in giving. Perhaps the best way to pry the fingers of greed off your heart is to give. It is certainly what Jesus recommended.
Matthew 5:42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Matthew 6:2-4 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 19:21 Jesus answered, “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.”
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Give! There is no better way to overcome greed than to give. One of the reasons generosity is so effective in overcoming greed is that it makes us aware of the needs of others. When I’m greedy, I’m thinking only of myself; when I’m generous, I’m thinking of others.
Nothing will make you happier than when you look beyond yourself. Discover the joy of sharing! Give!
If you feel yourself growing greedy, fight back! Give!
B. Contentment: to be satisfied with what you have.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Contentment isn’t usually listed as one of the Seven Holy Virtues that correspond to the Seven Deadly Sins. I’m adding it because I think it is the exact opposite of greed. If greed says “more, more”, contentment says “enough”. I have enough. I am satisfied with what I have. Would you say that with me? I have enough. I am satisfied with what I have. It’s very hard to say, and harder to live.
Waiting. This spiritual practice has fallen out of favor in our busy society. We don’t like to wait-for anything! How many of you hate to wait in line? How many of you count the number of people in the check-out lines so you can get in the shortest line? And some bozo needs special help, and they call the manager, and you’re stuck waiting. Listen to these verses:
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 130:5-6 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Wait for the Lord. When was the last time you just sat and waited for God?
How does waiting overcome greed? Greed is fueled by our impulsiveness. We see things and buy them impulsively, without waiting. But if we waited, if we let the impulse die, we’d buy less and be happier.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Mark 8:36-37 KJV
We overcome greed through generosity.
If you are a greedy person, and by greedy I mean tight-fisted, stingy, frugal, selfish, penny-pinching or grasping, then you need March Kindness. You need to do intentionally kind and generous acts. You need God to do a work in your heart, and He will begin the work as you begin to give.
This week our challenge is to give something away. I’m talking to all of us greedy people (because the generous ones have already done it 3 times since Sunday). What are you going to give?
Personally, I gave to a friend who’s in need financially. If you need an idea, you can start with him. Let it be a springboard to generosity in your life.
