How We Grow: Implementing Spiritual Disciplines "Laying Up Treasures Above: God’s Call to Kingdom Focus"

 How We Grow: Implementing Spiritual Disciplines 

"Laying Up Treasures Above: God’s Call to Kingdom Focus"

Introduction:

Good morning Eastern Shore Baptist Church. Today we are going to enter into the second sermon from a series entitled “How We Grow: Implementing Spiritual Disciplines”. Last week we talked about resting, retreating, and guarding our hearts and minds. This week, we are going to talk about being content, being grateful and what it means to be a cheerful giver. 

Giving to God is a discipline. Giving cheerfully and charitably is not something that comes naturally to many of us. Generosity is a powerful dynamic that God’s Holy Spirit enables in believers. 

I want to ask you this morning a question. What do you think God treasures? Think about that for a second. What do you believe God values the most in all the universe? Does God treasure things, stuff, material possessions the way we humans treasure them?

Not many of you know the story of Saint Lawrence. Lawrence was martyred for Jesus Christ in the year 258 A.D. At the time, he was the Archdeacon of Rome. Saint Lawrence was in charge of distributing help to the poor. Lawrence would give them money to purchase food. He would give them charity from the church to buy clothing, pay for medicines, and money to care for their children. Saint Lawrence was known far and wide fr his exceedingly great generosity. He was greatly beloved by the people he served. 

Sadly, the Governor of Rome was an evil man. He captured Saint Lawrence and demanded from him the “treasure of the church”. Lawrence told the Governor that if he gave him three days, that he could bring the Lord’s treasure to the Governor. The Governor agreed and allowed Saint Lawrence to gather the treasure. 3 days later, Saint Lawrence walked into the Governor of Rome’s courtyard. He was followed by thousands of people. The people who followed Lawrence were poor, destitute, sick, injured, diseased, and starving. Men, women and children came far and wide to support and stand with Saint Lawrence. The Governor shouted in anger at Lawrence, “where is the treasure of the Lord” he screamed. Lawrence pointed at the lame, the deaf, the nobodies of society and said, “here are the treasures of the Christian church”. 

I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that God treasures above all things people. Answer for me another question this morning. What do you treasure? Is it money and materials? Is it your wages and wealth? Do you value most of all your possessions and amassing power? If that is what you value you most in life, let me give you a warning. the Bible tells us that the treasures of this world will one day wither and wilt. They will all fade away and they will certainly fail to bring to your life an ounce of peace. Scripture tells us that what we treasure sets the trajectory of our lives. In fact, that is our “Today’s Thought”. Fill in those blanks for me this morning. What we treasure sets the trajectory of our lives. In just a moment, I will reveal that passage of Scripture to you.  

God does not want us to be captured by thought amassing wealth. No sir. Captured no. However, He does want us to see wealth, material goods, and money as a tool for His Kingdom good. When we take the blessings that God has given to us to use for His good, to use for His goals, and when we use God’s blessings to grow His Kingdom, we call this good stewardship. 

Can you think of someone in your life who fits into this category? Can you think of someone who you might say is a “good steward”. This person does not have to be wealthy or poor. This person’s devotion is not marked by how much capital they posses but rather their commitment to give and their cheerfulness in their generosity. 

Are you a good steward?

About 8 months ago we recorded the testimony of Byron and Debbie Sherman. Here they are telling their story of stewardship. What you will hear is that stewardship is something that does not come easy. There are always barriers to giving. Listen to their story. 

So again, what does it mean to be a good steward? Well listen to the quote for the day. Check this out. 

“Stewardship is the voluntary and generous offering of God’s gifts of resources, time, talents, and treasure for the benefit and love of God and others. …Stewardship means recognizing that nothing we have really belongs to us. Everything we own belongs to God. We are simply stewards of this wealth, his gifts, his opportunities, his houses, his cars and his computers. Sharing is in our DNA. Yet much of the world identifies the Christian West as consumers rather than people who are good stewards”.

Context and Background:

This morning, we are going again to read a couple of Scriptures and draw out from them some central truths. If you want, open your Bibles to Matthew 6:19-24 and Philippians 4:11-12. The other day I was introduced to a new term. Life hack. Anyone ever heard that term before? Basically a life hack is a simple way of doing something to make your life easier, more enjoyable, and it is something that saves you time. A life hack. A practical life hack can be tying a small piece of brightly colored fabric to your luggage so it is easier to spot on an airport carousel. Another life hack, and this is for you college students, tape a dryer sheet to your dorm room AC and it will keep your dorm from smelling back. These are just a couple of examples of life hacks. 

Well, I’m here to tell you that life hacks are as old as Jesus and Paul. How do I know this to be true? I know this to be true because Jesus and Paul are going to give us some life hacks this morning. 

Matthew 6 is Jesus giving us the ultimate life hack—don't stock up on the stuff that's just going to get old, rust and fade away. Jesus tells us to place our eyes and set our hearts on things of eternal value. Now, let us turn to the comforting words of Paul in Philippians 4:11-12. Here, Paul speaks of a another life hack for Christian—this information is revealed in the light of Christ. He has learned to be content in any and every circumstance, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. This is the same contentment that comes from treasuring Christ above all. Honestly friends, if we can learn to treasure the things that God treasures and if we can learn contentment, that is quite a life hack. 

So, let’s read our Scripture this morning…

Statement of Belief:

We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect.  

Today’s Scripture:

Matthew 6:19–24 ESV 1; Philippians 4:11–12 ESV

Matthew 6:19-24 ESV

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, [20] but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. [22] "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, [23] but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! [24] "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Philippians 4:10-13 ESV

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. [11] Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [12] I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

“This Is The Word of The Lord”

“Praise His Name, Praise His Holy Name”

Cultivating Our Faith Through The Spiritual Discipline of Generosity…

Point One: Cultivate Your Faith By Being…Content 

So, this section of today’s message is called cultivating our faith through the spiritual discipline of generosity. Fill in the blanks for point one, cultivate your faith by being content. 

The other day I was listening to a sermon called “I’m Really Content”. The pastor of the church has these remarks…

I am really content-until I start surfing through Amazon. 

I am really content with my car-until I saw the new Tesla. 

I am really content and satisfied with my clothing-until I looked through the racks of Lululemon. 

I really love our home-until I drive down by the bay or until I drive through the fruit and nut district of Fairhope.

I am really satisfied with every area of my life-until I start comparing it with someone else’s life. 

I feel like I have enough of everything-until I see someone who has more. 

You know friends, the Bible has a lot to say about being content. Hebrews 13:5 states, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Jesus, our ultimate example, has this to say about being content in Luke 12:15, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 

One of my favorite passages in all the Bible dealing with the subject of learning contentment again comes from Jesus. Mark 8:36 captures Jesus’ words saying, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” 

Brothers and sisters, are you a content person, satisfied with what you have been given? Are you at ease in life or are you always looking towards the horizon, waiting on what is next, wanting to see what’s around the next corner? Maybe you are familiar with the statement, “the grass is not always greener on the other side”? There is another statement, similar to that one, “the grass is greener where you water it.”

Paul in Philippians 4 discusses the ideal of contentment. Paul knew what it was like to live in palaces and prisons. Paul had been in mansions and stuck in the mud. Paul knew what a full bell felt like and he knew what it meant to starve. He knew what it meant to have plenty and what it meant to be poor. You see friends, contentment cannot be determined by your flesh, by your appetites, contentment is something that comes from a spatial place. Contentment is built on an understanding that everything is temporary, everything that we know is passing away, fading like flowers. If we place importance, meaning if we derive our happiness and joy on stuff, things, material possessions, then we are going to live transient lives. 

I want to share something with you this morning, a challenge really. I want you to know that contentment is a direct sign of spiritual maturity. The most spiritually mature people that I know are the most content people that I know. Solomon, the wisest man to have ever lived said in Ecclesiastes 6:9 that “it is better to be satisfied with what you have than to always be wanting something else.” 

Brothers and sisters, instead of being regretful, you need to be grateful. Instead of complaining, you need to remember that everything is a gift from the Father. 

Do you know the enemy of contentment? The enemy of contentment is envy. 

Envy asks, “Why them? Why not me? Why does he have more money, better health, a fancier car?”

Envy asks, “Why does she have a job, a good looking husband, children, and I don’t have any of those things?”

Gratitude says, “Why me? Why do I get to have clean drinking water when so much of the world doesn’t? Why me? Why do I not face daily persecution when people in the Middle East are being killed daily for their belief in Jesus Christ?”

You see friends, envy is based on the myth that you must have more to be happier. That’s not true. It is a lie. Happiness is a choice. If you are not happy with your little than you will not be happy with more. It is not natural for me or you to be content. It may not be natural but it is mature. Babies are discontented unless they get everything that they want. Maturity is learning to be content when things are not going your way or when you don’t have everything you want. 

I do want to be clear with you this morning. Envy is not desire, desire is good. Envy is not ambition. Ambition is good. You should be ambitious and work for good things for you and your family. Envy is not a dream, you should have dreams for your life and it is ok to make plans. Envy is not setting goals, possessing dreams, having ambitions. God can put all of those things in you and that is ok, it’s good. Envy is resenting others for something that they have but you believe that you deserve it. Envy is the inability to be happy with what you have. Envy is built on the idea that someone else’s success are your failures. You cannot be content and envious at the same time. Paul speaks about this in I Timothy 6. 

1 Timothy 6:6-8 ESV

But godliness with contentment is great gain, [7] for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. [8] But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

Point Two: Cultivate Your Faith By Being…Thankful

Our first point is to cultivate your faith by being content. Next, cultivate your faith by being thankful. 

The other day I heard a story about a Polish railway worker named Jan Grzebski. In 1988 Jan was hit by a train. He lived…but only barely. For the next 19 years, until 2007, Grzebski was in a coma. His wife tirelessly fought for him to be cared for and tended to. 

In 2007 Jan awoke to an entirely new world. 19 years earlier, Poland was a communist state. Back then no one could find meat. Bread was in short supply. People were starving in the streets. There were long long lines at gas stations. The only thing to drink in the country was water, tea, and vinegar. 

19 years later, Jan awoke to a very different Poland. He awoke to a free nation. He awoke to a nation filled with food. No one was starving. Everyone had a home. People had jobs. They were free. He marveled that everyone had smartphones. His people had so much. So much food. Roofs over their heads. Plenty. Jan did notice one thing. The people were miserable. Unhappy. Ungrateful. 

"What amazes me is all these people who walk around with their mobile phones and yet they never stop moaning."

Sound familiar? We are living in a land of plenty but all we seem to do is moan. Social media is not social, it is just a place to complain, a place to gossip, and a place to run one another down. Why are we so deeply unhappy? Why is it that we have so much but seem to be so ungrateful? Again, the Bible has plenty to say about thankfulness and gratitude. 

I Thessalonians 5:18 states, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Psalm 107:1 reminds us to “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Philippians 4:6, Paul’s words, remind us to not be “anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Did you know that the concept of giving thanks, or thankfulness comes up 102 times in the Old Testament. Thankfulness or being thankful comes up 71 times in the New Testament. If you were to read all these verses, all of these instances dealing with being thankful, being grateful, you will discover a few things. First, being thankful is not a suggestion, it is a command. God expects us to show our gratitude to Him in everything we do. We speak kindly to others because we are thankful to God. We buy a co-worker lunch because we are thankful to God. We do a good deed because we are thankful to God. Thankfulness to God should drive everything we say, everything we do, even everything we think. Thankfulness is a command. Next, thankfulness fuels a spirit of generosity. Did you know that it is impossible to be generous, truly Biblically generous, while missing the spirit of thankfulness. If you are a penny pinching miser, if you are a cheap to a fault, if you are a hoarder, you by nature are not a thankful person. 

How many of you remember the movie “Saving Private Ryan”? "Saving Private Ryan" is set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. The film opens with a harrowing depiction of the D-Day landing at Omaha Beach. After this brutal combat, Captain John H. Miller (played by Tom Hanks) and his squad are assigned a new mission: to find and bring home Private James Francis Ryan. Ryan's three brothers have been killed in action, and the military has decided to send him home to his grieving mother to avoid having one family lose all of their sons.

Captain Miller's squad navigates through the war-torn countryside, facing moral dilemmas and the horrors of war, losing some of their own men along the way. When they finally find Private Ryan (played by Matt Damon), he is defending a strategically important bridge and initially refuses to abandon his post despite the orders. Eventually, he is convinced by Miller, but only after a fierce battle to hold the bridge against German forces, during which Miller (again, Tom Hank’s character) is mortally wounded.

In his final moments, Miller tells Ryan to "earn this," a plea for Ryan to live a good life that justifies the sacrifices made by Miller and his men. The film closes with an elderly Ryan visiting Miller's grave, tearfully asking his wife if he's been a good man, hoping he has lived a life worthy of their sacrifice. At the end of the film you see an old Francis Ryan grateful for his life. He is grateful for his loving wife, grateful for his children, grateful for his country. The movie is a subtle but powerful reminder of the importance of gratitude. 

Are you showing God daily your gratefulness, your thankfulness? Remember the Psalmist’s words…

Psalm 100:4-5 ESV

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! [5] For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Point Three: Cultivate Your Faith By Being…Wise

So, cultivate your faith by being content, by being thankful, and lastly by being a wise giver. 

[20] but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 

Jesus was an investor and an investigator. Jesus understood that if you want to investigate someone’s heart, see where they invest their money. One of my favorite stories in the entire Bible is the story of the widow’s mite. The story of the widow's mite is found in the Gospels of Mark (12:41-44) and Luke (21:1-4). It tells of an encounter Jesus has while observing people giving their offerings at the Temple in Jerusalem. Many rich people are seen making large donations. However, a poor widow approaches and puts in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

Jesus calls his disciples to him and points out that the widow, in her poverty, has put in more than all the others. He explains that while the rich gave out of their wealth, the widow gave everything she had to live on, all she had to her name. The widow's offering exemplifies selfless giving and sacrificial generosity, illustrating that the value of a gift is not measured by its size but by the spirit in which it is given.

For Jesus, the attitude with which we give matter just as much, maybe even more, than the actual gift. What good is it if we give alms to the poor or stroke a check to the church if we begrudge the gift? 

Still, giving is difficult not just for the Christian but for everyone. We grow attached to things, thinking that they belong to us, that we have earned it, or that we worked for it. We think that what we own actually belongs to us. Sadly, for most, what we own really owns us. Giving is considered a spiritual discipline because it does not come naturally. Giving, generosity, are byproducts of the Holy Spirit working in your life. 

Why is it so hard for Christians to give? Again we are just attached to our thing and we simply don’t want to give them up. In a world that often measures success by material wealth, letting go of financial security can be difficult. For some, it is hard to give because you look at your accounts and think, “boy I just don’t have very much to give”. In a world that often measures success by material wealth, letting go of financial security can be difficult. Some choose not to give because they don’t trust the church. They don’t trust the preacher, the finance committee, or just the system. There may be a lack of trust in how the church or organizations will use the funds, or a broader concern about financial transparency. There are literally hundreds of reasons not to give, not to be generous, but there is one really good reason to give. The number one reason the a Christian should give is because Jesus Himself was a giver. He gave to Caesar what belonged to Caesar. He paid His taxes. He paid the temple tax. He gave of His time, He gave of His resources, and He even gave financially. Giving is a command for the Christian. 

Our generous giving is a precursor to God’s generous promises. God promise that when we give, you are not really losing anything. God is actually storing it up for you in heaven. Did you know that your heavenly bank account is mentioned some 5 times in Scripture and if God mentions it 5 times in Scripture, He must really want you to get the message. Jesus repeated the command to store up for yourselves treasures in heaven because He wanted you and I to understand that the treasures in heaven are far greater and last far longer than the treasures here on earth. 

When you contribute to God's work or help someone in need, you are not experiencing a loss. In fact, your true wealth is growing! It's a divine principle that in heaven, you gain by giving.

While it's wise to prepare for the future, it's even wiser to consider your everlasting heavenly account, which is eternal.

How do you fund this eternal investment? How do you store up treasure in heaven? Jesus teaches us in Luke 16:9 to “use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.”

You cannot take it with you but you can send it on ahead. By generously sharing all you have to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you're banking rewards in heaven.

I love what Peter states in I Peter 4:10. 

1 Peter 4:10 ESV

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another…

Remember friends, grow your faith by deploying the spiritual discipline of contentment, thankfulness, and by being a wise generous giver. 

Grow Your Faith By Being Generous!