SEVEN DEADLY SINS
DR. JIM DIXON
GREED
LUKE 12: 13-34
FEBRUARY 25, 1990
On June 14th, 1968, there was a picture of David Kennedy and Life Magazine. It was a picture of him as a little boy, perhaps five or six years old. He was sitting on the White House lawn looking out over the White House property. The picture had been taken a few years earlier by Jacqueline Kennedy, David’s aunt. The picture was signed by John Kennedy and David’s uncle, and the inscription read, “A future president examines his property.”
But of course, David Kennedy did not become president of the United States. He had the Kennedy name, status, and wealth, everything that money could buy; and yet, he pulled the plug in 1984. At the age of 28, he took his own life by suicide.
The Bible tells us money, no matter how much you have, can never satisfy. The Bible tells us that money can never give you fulfillment, true purpose in life, and never bring you happiness. History proves the Bible is true. And yet incredibly throughout history, men and women have given their lives in the pursuit of money. Even today, men and women are consumed with the pursuit of money. The consuming desire for money and more of it, the Bible calls greed.
There are two Greek words in the Bible that are translated greed. First the word philaragaros which literally means the love of money and then the word playanexia which means to want more. Greed is the love of money and means to always want more of it. The Bible says greed is indeed a deadly sin. It’s deadly for three reasons. First of all, greed can destroy your life.
The Bible tells us that the love of money is a snare. The Bible says greed is a trap. Perhaps you’ve read somewhere how raccoons are trapped. Raccoons love tinfoil, maybe because it’s shiny. Many times, trappers use tinfoil to ensnare raccoons. Trappers build a box and attach the box to the ground in the places of the woods where raccoons travel. They attach the box to the ground and on one end of the box they put bars just wide enough for a raccoon’s paw to barely fit between the bars. They put tinfoil visibly inside the box. As a raccoon comes along it sees the tinfoil and puts its little paw through the bars and grabs the tinfoil. And suddenly because the paw is holding the tinfoil, the paw is bigger and the raccoon cannot pull its paw back through the bars and becomes snared and trapped. The raccoon will stay there for hours, not letting go of the tin foil because it wants it. The trapper will come along and take away the raccoon’s freedom and perhaps life.
The Bible says the love of money is just like that tin foil, it’s a snare, a trap. The Bible says the love of money plunges men and women into ruin and destruction. Sometimes this destruction is physical.
I know you’ve all heard of the city of Pompeii. Twenty-one thousand years ago in the Greek Roman world, Pompei was the city of the rich and famous. The rich and famous built their second, third and fourth homes on the coast of Italy overlooking the Mediterranean. They stayed in Pompei over the summertime. In 79 BC, Vesuvius erupted and the great volcano sent a sea of volcanic ash and cinder all over the city of Pompeii, annihilating and burying the city. To this day, Pompei has never been rebuilt.
Two hundred years ago, archeologists began to dig down through the cinder and ash and have unearthed the ancient city of Pompei. They’ve discovered that twenty thousand people once lived there and that eighteen thousand of the twenty thousand escaped the devastation of Vesuvius. Two thousand people remained in Pompei and were buried in the ash. Why did they remain? Archeologists tell us that many of them remained simply because they didn’t want to leave. They had time to leave, they had warning, but they hoped that somehow the devastation would not approach them. They didn’t want to leave. Some of the bodies of those who died there have been perfectly preserved by the cinder in the ash. Some of those bodies are still gripping precious possessions of gold in their hands. Archeologists believe some of these people actually left the city and came back because they forgot something of material value. In the moment of death, they were reaching for something precious on a shelf. Greed can destroy your life.
Of course, most of you know it’s not likely that greed is going to destroy your life physically. Even if you love money and you live to acquire more money, it’s not likely that your greed is going to take your life physically. However, God wants you to understand that greed destroys life spiritually. God made us in such a way that when we live for money and possessions rather than for God, we lose spiritual life and vibrancy. Even as Christians having been given spiritual life through birth in the spirit; if we live for money and the acquisition of money, spiritual life is drained from us.
When the rich man came to Christ and he said, “What must I do to receive life, eternal life, spiritual life?” Jesus said, “Sell everything you have, give it to the poor and follow me.” Jesus knew this man’s problem was greed. This man would never find spiritual life as long as he lived for money. Mother Teresa once said, “You never know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.” Isn’t it true that sometimes we really don’t find spiritual life, or the joy of Christ until he takes things away from us? He doesn’t want to take away from us, but he will in order that we might find life. Greed destroys life.
Secondly, greed can destroy your neighbors. Greed not only is dangerous to us, it’s dangerous to the people around us. See, to the rich man, Jesus Christ said, “Sell everything you have and give it to the poor.” Our Lord Jesus Christ does not ask or require all of us to sell everything we have; but, he does ask and require all of us to remember the poor. And why does he ask us to remember the poor? Because without our giving, they would die. The reality is when rich people don’t give, the poor die. When we’re greedy, it kills people around us. One billion people are starving on the earth. One billion people will go to bed hungry tonight. They can’t go to the refrigerator and get their favorite snack or even something they don’t like. In fact, they don’t even have a refrigerator. Forty thousand people will starve to death today.
Now, perhaps that doesn’t move you. Perhaps that’s just a number to you, but if you could see these forty thousand people die today, you would be moved. God sees them and is moved. We live in an affluent nation that is richly blessed. We have forty-eight million dogs and twenty-eight million cats as pets in America. We spend five billion dollars buying pet food every year in America. Veterinarians tell us that eighty percent of our dogs and cats are obese in America. I want you to understand, I’m not against dogs and cats and household pets. We have two dogs. They’re well fed. I know that dogs and cats can be precious pets to many people. But I sometimes wonder what does God think when he looks down on this world and He sees a nation spending 5 billion on pet food so 80% of their dogs and cats can be obese when a billion people on the earth are starving to death. What does God think?
The Bible tells us that in this world there’s a great struggle between good and evil. The Bible tells us in the book of Revelation that at the consummation of the age, there will be a polarization. This struggle between good and evil will be heightened. In the Book of Revelation, there are many names used to describe the forces of evil on the earth. In Revelation chapter 17 and 18, the name used to describe the force of evil on the earth is Babylon. The Bible says that at the consummation, this evil power of Babylon will trade with all the nations of the earth and consume the material possessions and wealth of the earth in its greed. Babylon will corrupt the earth and lead the people of the earth into immorality.
In the 1930s and 40s, many Christians around the world viewed Nazi Germany as Babylon. Similarly, in the 50s, 60s and into the 70s, many Christians viewed the Soviet Union and the communist movement as the spiritual Babylon. Today, many evangelical Christians around the world view the United States as Babylon. If you talk to evangelicals in South America many of them view the United States as Babylon, the great whore. Certainly there is greed here. There is corporate greed, and worker greed expressed through labor unions.
The concept of Babylon the Great in the book of Revelation is very complex and cannot really be equated with any one nation. I love our country. At many times and at many places throughout the years, we have helped many people in other lands. God wants us to understand to whom much has been given, much is required. Greed destroys your neighbors. This is not only true internationally but is also true ecclesiastically. We want to be a giving church. That’s why we seek and we strive to support ministries like World Vision, that give food and clothing to the poor in the name of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have a food bank here at this church, where we seek to provide for the needs of the less fortunate every week. That’s why we have a yoked relationship with New Life in Christ church in the inner city. We don’t want to be greedy. Greed destroys our neighbors. If this is true internationally, and is true ecclesiastically, it is also true personally. If you’re greedy, it will not only destroy you, it’ll destroy people around you and the people you love most.
Midas was the king of Perugia and was a man of greed. He had great wealth, but he wanted more. He went to Dionysius, the Greek god and said, “Grant me a wish.” Dionysius said, “What do you want?” “I want whatever I touch, to be turned into gold,” said Midas. Dionysius responded, “That is not a blessing you seek. It’s a curse.” Midas said, “I want it.” Dionysius gave it, and Midas went forth. The story goes that he found a flower in the field. He touched it and it turned to gold. He held it in his hand and marveled, “I’m rich, I have wealth untold.”
Midas went home and sat down at the table to eat. When he touched his food, it turned to gold. He couldn’t eat. He grabbed his glass of wine, and the glass turned to gold. As the wine touched his tongue, it turned to gold. He couldn’t drink. And then a horrible moment happened. That horrible moment was when his little girl came running to him, with her arms out yelling, “Daddy, daddy!” And in horror, he held out his hands telling her to stop, but it was too late. She grabbed him and all life left her body as she was turned to gold. Sometimes greed destroys the ones you love most.
I think we live in a time and in a culture where many moms and dads have sacrificed their children on the altar of greed. A recent study at the University of Maryland shows that the average dad in the United States of America spends seven minutes a day nurturing his children and the average mom, twenty-seven minutes a day. What’s going on? Certainly part of the problem is greed. What are we living for? Everyone’s out pursuing their career. Everybody wants to make a buck and we don’t want to just make a few; we want to make a lot and we want more. We want more and our kids pay the price. What are you living for? If your motive is greed and the love of money, it’s going to destroy you and the people around you.
Finally, if your life is characterized by greed, it can destroy the church. Greediness can destroy your life, your neighbors and your church. When you think of greed destroying the church, what do you think about? Perhaps you think of the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages and the selling of indulgences that fattened the church treasuries, and sapped the church’s spirituality. Or you may think of Jim Baker or other televangelist that have sought to build empires for greed’s sake.
This morning I’d like to turn it around a little bit. Often times we think of greed and connection with the church clergy. I’d like us not to think of the greed of the clergy, but to think rather of the greed of the laity that characterizes the members of the church and the greed of congregations. Recent government studies tell us that the average Protestant in America only gives 2.7% after-tax income to charitable causes. The average Protestant in America gives less than 2% after-tax income to the church itself. Ten, twenty and thirty years ago, Protestants gave more. Now we give less. Why do we give less?
Well, perhaps people today don’t have as much faith in the local church. Perhaps that is true, although I must say it’s very rare to find an evangelical local church that is self-serving. Most evangelical churches are simply trying to serve Jesus Christ. I must say to you, I honestly believe with all my heart that the real problem is greed. I believe that nominal Christians, when they first come to Christ, they come with a false understanding of Christianity and motive.
Charlamagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in the year 800. Charlamagne has been called the greatest ruler of the Middle Ages from 400 AD to 1500 AD. There was not a greater ruler on the earth. Charlamagne ruled most of the civilized world. He conquered lands and peoples. He was brilliant militarily, politically, and he was committed to Christ. Although, he did not understand the heart or character of Christ.
It is a historical fact that Charlamagne drove defeated armies into the sea, lakes and rivers, forcing those defeated armies to receive Christian baptism thinking that he was serving Jesus Christ. He thought people were actually becoming Christians because they were forcibly receiving Christian baptism.
People began to rebel, particularly the Saxons. Though their armies were defeated and he had driven them into the lake, they refused to be baptized. Charlamagne knew he had a problem. So he thought, well, I’ll try something else, I’ll motivate them by greed. He promised all the soldiers in the defeated armies that if they would receive Christian baptism, they’d be given a new wardrobe of fine linen. Thousands of people suddenly willingly received Christian baptism to get a new wardrobe. They came for what they could get.
I want to suggest to you today that things haven’t changed very much. There’s a lot of nominal Christians in the world today who have come to Christ simply for what they can get. They’ve come because they want to get forgiveness, salvation, eternal life. They want to get heaven itself. They want a God who will protect and provide for them.
I want to say to you today, if that’s the only reason, you’ve come to Jesus Christ, you’re not a Christian. You’ve come with a false understanding, a false motive, a false purpose. Biblically, a Christian isn’t simply somebody that Christ has made a commitment to; rather a Christian is somebody who’s made a commitment to Christ. A Christian isn’t simply somebody that Christ has made promises to; A Christian is somebody who’s made promises to Christ.
If you’re a Christian today, you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. The moment You pledged yourself to him you were born anew. At the moment you first believed, you came to him and you said, you’re going to live for him and the furtherance of his kingdom, not your kingdom. A Christian is someone who lives for the service of the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ. So are you a Christian? What are you living for? Do you really live for the service of the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ?
You know, Thursday night, as Barb and I were coming back from Birmingham on the airplane, a man was sitting next to us and he was retired. When he found out we had just come from a mission’s conference, he volunteered some information. He said, “You know, I believe in God. Jesus Christ is my savior; however, I almost never go to church or give money to churches. I don’t believe in giving money to churches. Churches are always asking for money. I worked hard for my money.” I’m convinced this man was sincere. He had incredible passion in what he was saying but he was also misguided. He didn’t have a clue what it really meant to be a Christian. A Christian is someone who lives body, soul, and spirit for the church of Jesus Christ, and lives for the service of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
If you’re a citizen of the United States of America, you believe in this country, serve this country, pay taxes, and die for this country. If it really came down to it as John Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask rather what you can do for your country.” If that is true of an earthly kingdom, how much more is that true of the kingdom of Christ? If you’re a citizen of the kingdom of Christ, a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, you want to serve that kingdom. You want to live for that kingdom above all else, you’d serve it unto death.
The Bible says that, as Christians, we are required to tithe. It’s not a suggestion, it’s a commandment. We are required to tithe a minimum of ten percent of everything we make to the furtherance of the work of the kingdom of Jesus Christ in this world. God says, “Bring the full tithes into my storehouse. Put me to the test as the Lord God of hosts. See if I will not open up the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you and overflowing blessing.” I’ve had people come up to me and say, “Well, I don’t tithe. What shall I do? Should I volunteer more of my time to the service of the church? Should I begin to give a little bit more by increment, If I give 1% of my income now, maybe I should give 2% next year and maybe think about 3% the next year. What do you think?”
You know, I don’t want to offend you but the reality is, in all sincerity, if you are not tithing, what you need to do is repent. You need to repent and turn to Jesus Christ and begin to live for the furtherance of his eternal kingdom. This life is just a drop in the bucket. We’re only here a short time, like the grass of the field, like the flower of the grass we wither. The real world is the world to come. This life is just a classroom. As long as we’re in this world, we are called above all else to seek first the kingdom of Jesus Christ. You got to ask yourself today what are you living for.
The Briarwood Presbyterian church that we visited in Birmingham, Alabama is an amazing church. I’ve mentioned it before, fifty percent of their people give ten to twenty percent of their income before taxes to the church. That congregation gives 8.4 million to the ministry of Christ at Briarwood every year. They’re impacting the world and they’re impacting the city of Birmingham for Jesus Christ because they’re sold out and know what they’re living for. Here’s the incredible thing. On an average Sunday, they have a thousand five hundred people less than we do and yet they give 8.4 million a year and they are changing the earth. They’re a sold-out congregation.
We gave 3.1 million last year to the work of Christ. This year, our budget is 3.8 million and we’re not making it. In the bulletin today, you can see what’s going on. We’re already more than a hundred thousand dollars behind in our giving. The planning commission of Cherry Hills has just made a recommendation to the City Council of Cherry Hills Village that we be granted additional parking. As we make property improvements around the church, it’s going to cost money. We need to add staff. We have thirty some staff. Perhaps you’re sitting there and you’re thinking, well, we have too many staff. If you think that you don’t know what’s going on in churches. The average church our size, with four thousand people attending on a Sunday morning, has between thirty to two hundred full-time paid staff. We’re at the very extreme low end of national statistics, and we desperately need more staff and to train laity.
We’ve been given a vision from God. We want to impact Denver. We want to reach the unreached for Christ. That’s why this church was launched less than eight years ago. Evangelism is at the very heart of our purpose. We want to bring people to Christ in Denver and around the world. We want to bring them to Christ. We want to build him up in Christ. We want to send him out in Christ. We want to provide a place of worship. But it begins with bringing people to Christ. That’s what we’re all about. That’s what Christ has called us to. That’s what we’re committed to. If you don’t believe in bringing people to Jesus Christ, you do not share the vision of this church, and you do not understand our purpose and existence. If you do share our vision, if you believe in what we’re doing, help us. Not for our sake, for Christ’s sake, help us and, uh, I think we all need to ask ourself what we’re living for.
Do you believe in this church? Do you believe in any visible expression of the kingdom of Jesus Christ? Do you believe in any church? I mean, if you believe in any church, give to that church. But if you believe in this church, give here.
Now, Yogi Berra once said, “The problem with most people in this world is that they go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands.” That might be true of the world but as Christians, it can’t be true of us. We’re not called simply to receive, but we’re called to give. Christ wants all of us to go home today, talk to our families and our loved ones, and take a good look at our life. Ask yourselves what are we living for, reprioritize your life and ask yourselves, “Truly, what does God want us to do? Jesus said, “Seek first my kingdom. I’ll give you everything you need.” Greed can destroy you, the people around you and destroy the church. Let’s close with the word of prayer.