Sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Lance Moore on Sunday, April
6, 2008
1st Corinthians 2:4-7: “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.”
2nd Corinthians 9:6-8: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
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Proverbs 23:7, King James Version, states “For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Turns out, that is really a poor translation of the Hebrew. But the principle is consistent with what the Bible teaches, that our thoughts make us who we are. The Bible teaches that positive thoughts, coupled with an attitude of gratitude, can make us happier people. And that is the essence of the best-selling book, entitled The Secret, which I debunked in last week’s sermon. The problem with books on the power of positive thinking, like The Secret or Think and Grow Rich, and even The Prayer of Jabez, is they go too far in what psychologists call, “Magical Thinking.” God is real; magic is not. The truth is, you can be upbeat and grateful and think all the positive thoughts in the world, and your house may still get hit with a tornado. Along the Gulf Coast, we know that a hurricane is not selective, it strikes everyone in its path, and not even the best wizard or magician is going to stop it.
With that said, I still maintain that MOST people underestimate the power of the mind. To quote author Napoleon Hill, “TRULY, THOUGHTS ARE THINGS... powerful things... when they are mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a BURNING DESIRE for their translation into” action and reality. We also made the case last week that likewise, Scripture teaches us the power of the mind and thought. If you missed that sermon, and you tend to be plagued with pessimism, negative thinking or just plain bad luck, I really encourage you to go to our website and read the sermon.
Today we deal with the unfinished aspect of that sermon. The other problem with the positive-power books and philosophy is that they put way too much emphasis on money and wealth. They make it sound like getting rich is the purpose of life.
I will not stand here and claim that money is not important. I really like driving my BMW! It is 12 years old and has over a 100,000 miles on it, and it only cost me $7000. Not seventy, but seven. Nevertheless, I still am much happier driving it than when, in college, I rode around on a bicycle because I could not afford ANY kind of car. But beyond the basic necessities of life, money is vastly over-rated as a source of happiness. Surveys and polls show that people who have to worry every minute about how they will pay their bills are NOT as happy as those who are financially secure. But the same surveys also show that there is no real correlation between wealth and happiness beyond that basic fact of survival. Studies have repeatedly shown that many, many other factors affect one’s happiness far more than the size of a paycheck or the size of one’s house.
Personal observation proves this, too. In the United States, there are more suicides among the UPPER affluent half of the population than among the LOWER, poorer half! Someone even did a study of lottery winners, those people, usually blue collar working class folks, who won millions, and over half of those polled said their lives had not gotten significantly happier after winning the lottery... and some said their lives were WORSE.
There is a “secret” that you have been taught from the Word of God that few have ever fully grasped, few have applied the full implications of this “secret” to everyday life. This “open secret” is grossly neglected by most modern Christians is that God wants, expects, yes, even DEMANDS, that you be a steward. Unfortunately, whenever the word “stewardship” is even mentioned in church, you can almost feel the instantaneous effect it has on the congregation. First, the nerve that runs from your brain to your lower backside and connects to your WALLET begins to twitch. Second, your mind let’s out a silent sigh: “Dang, the preacher is talking about money again!” Honestly, now—have you ever had thoughts or feelings like that? Don’t raise your hand.
The average church member would rather hear a sermon on almost any other topic than one about giving! So this sermon is NOT really about giving. It is about your life, your happiness, your thoughts and priorities, and your purpose in life.
Okay, maybe money and giving is part of that. So, why do I visit this topic on regular basis? Well, at the risk of getting tarred and feathered, here’s why. And it is going to sound condescending and insulting, so brace yourself.
Have you ever watched children play over their toys? Have you noticed that almost daily, two children will discover the same toy at the same time and a fight will ensue. And how often does a parent or grandparent or teacher have to REPEAT their admonitions about sharing and caring being fair and loving?
You see, sharing is a concept that does NOT come automatically to children. Where did they get their selfishness? It’s human nature. Do I dare say sinful human nature? Most children are so strong-willed that it literally takes years of patient persistence by their parents to balance their selfish urges of “me and mine” with ideas of love and sharing.
And are adults really that much different when it comes to sharing and caring? You are not my children. Most of you are more mature than me. I need to hear these lessons just as much as you do. For if WE do not have constant encouragement to live the Christian life, we will most assuredly drift back to our fallen human nature. As our opening Scripture said, most of the people of this world who ignore God’s secret wisdom are, quote “coming to nothing.”
As I will prove in a moment, the purpose of life is to be a steward. The good steward of Bible times was usually a paid servant who had earned the respect and trust of the master of the house. This trust was so complete that the master would turn over the entire operation of his estate to this individual. In the best arrangements, the steward essentially assumed the power and influence of his master and lived much the same lifestyle. As long as the steward remained faithful, he was allowed to continue these special privileges and to enjoy life in the master’s household as if he were a family member. For example, read the Old Testament story of Joseph, who spent his life as a steward, and you’ll see what I mean.
As Christians, we are called to Master-Servant relationship with Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul often referred to himself as being a bond-slave of Christ. Now, if God were forcing us into an involuntary slavery, with whips and chains, we would be miserable. And in fact, the all-powerful Lord could have made life be that way. But instead he gave us freedom. It is the sins of this world, the physical addictions and petty emotions like greed and jealousy that truly enslave us. No, God invites us to this Master-Servant relationship. It is voluntary. And frankly, 80% of the human race rejects the invitation. Even professing Christians reject it. And then they wonder why their lives are miserable, empty and unfilled.
Amazingly, the Master-Servant relationship has only two rules: to love your neighbor as yourself, and to love God. Most of what God and the Bible asks us to do are about that first part: loving neighbor. The only specific commandment that we are asked to do just for God is to give a tithe. 10% of our wealth. That is why I say that 80% of the human race rejects the Master-Servant relationship, because 80% of the human race refuses to give 10% of their wealth. Don’t take comfort in saying, “Well, I’m just like everybody else.” You don’t want to be part of the group that is, as Paul said, “coming to nothing.”
Indeed, Paul states in 1 Corinthians 4:2 that it is “required of stewards that one should be found faithful—proving oneself worthy of trust.” From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible says much about God’s generosity, grace and love toward us, with the hope that out of gratitude, we will serve God. Now, do you think God asks us to be stewards and give of ourselves and our resources because God NEEDS us? Do you really think God needs anything? He can create anything He needs with a snap of his fingers... except for one thing: God cannot or will not create a human being who serves him voluntarily, lovingly, freely. He can only invite us to become such a wonderful thing.
We have to decide to become God’s stewards. So, if God doesn’t NEED us or our money or talents, WHY does God want us to be stewards?
Maybe, just maybe, it is because that is the only way we can be the happy and whole, blessed and beautiful, creatures He wants us to be! The Amplified Bible states, “...working diligently, we ought to assist the weak, being mindful of the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, “It is more blessed—makes one happier... —to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
I said last week that part of the great Secret of life is to maintain an attitude of gratitude. And now you know why. To be happy and whole, blessed and beautiful, you MUST become a generous steward and cheerful giver.
There is no other way. There is no shortcut. There is no exemption. And if you want me to preach the gospel without talking about stewardship, and love, and giving, and generosity, well, it is simply impossible. It is all tied together. I cannot do it, I will not do it. It would be unfaithful to Scripture as well as a disservice to you if I did not, more than once a year, stand here and proclaim: you will never succeed in God’s eyes until you learn how to be generous, caring and loving.
Did you hear our second Scripture from 2nd Corinthians? “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” The purpose of God’s grace is so that you might abound in good works—that is, to be a good and generous steward.
To conclude this sermon series, I must tell you yet one more secret: the purpose of life is not to be happy! That’s right. The purpose of life is to love, and to be fruitful. And guess what? Jesus defined both fruitfulness and love in terms of a willingness to serve others. Only ONE place in the entire Bible does Jesus talk about “happiness,” and that is in Matthew 25, the parable about the talents. And it is a parable about, guess what? Service and stewardship.
That’s right, Jesus taught the central purpose of life is to be a servant or steward.
If that is the total summary of what life is all about, then right now, everyone in this room should either be satisfied or dissatisfied with themselves based on how you answer the key question of life: “Have I been a good steward and servant?” Do you “abound in every good work?”
If your honest answer is, “No,” well, it is never too late to change. Think about it. Or as Paul said, “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
As you come for Holy Communion, I hope you will prayerfully contemplate the “secrets” I’ve challenged you with today.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Foley, Alabama