You Can Take It with You!
(How the Gospel Changes Everything)
March 18, 2023
Larry R Evans
Introduction
As we near the close of this quarter’s study about stewardship, it might be helpful to summarize three important foundational principles of biblical stewardship that explain why we bring our offerings to God. Three reasons for our practice of bringing offerings to God are:
1. God’s persistent activity to save us from sin.
No matter how bad we are, or what we have done, said, or thought, God works to save us and offers us more than we could ever expect. (John 3:16)
2. God’s faithfulness to His promises. The Lord is reliable and dependable.
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.-- (Lamentations 3:22-23)
3. God’s pattern of generosity sets an example for us.
The God who gave Himself for us also entered into a covenant relationship with us. This relationship is not only spiritual but includes everything we have. He is Lord, the Owner, which means that anything we have is a gift or a blessing from Him. We do not try to pay him back but we respond in character having been created in His image. (Gen. 1:26)
These three principles that shape our stewardship are important for they draw a sharp distinction between popular religion and the gospel.
Religion operates on the principle that I obey; therefore, I am accepted, and now God owes me. The gospel operates on the principle that I am accepted based on the infinite grace and sacrifice of Jesus and therefore I owe Him everything.
With that distinction in mind, most of us have heard stories of very wealthy individuals who died and left their riches behind. Often those who are envious of the wealth will say, “well, he can’t take it with him.”
The Egyptian Pharaohs, however, thought they could. With great care and thought, precious materials were placed in their tombs for their use and enjoyment in the future life. Robbers, however, stole much of these treasures. I’ve gone to the center of the Great Pyramid where a Pharaoh had been buried -- despite the gigantic effort to protect and honor the Pharaoh nothing remains today.
I know it is contrary to what many have said, but Jesus said a person could take his treasure with him, and He even told people how to do it! (Luke 12:32,33) But first He told them how not to do it! Luke 12:16-21,
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
The rich man was certainly logical. He was blessed so he planned to build bigger barns to hold even more blessings. Jesus, however, didn’t go along with his conventional wisdom. The man’s motto was “Eat, drink, and be merry.” He was completely self-absorbed. This becomes clear not only by the repetition of “I” and “my” (used 11 times in just three verses) but by the disclosure of his inner thoughts. He thought only about himself (v.17). He planned for his own future well-being (v.18) and even congratulated himself (v.19). In the end, none of that mattered because he neglected his eternal future (referenced 3 times in verses 19-20).
I remember a day in a class at the public junior high school that I was attending. The teacher asked if anyone knew a Bible verse about flowers. To this day I was surprised I raised my hand, but I did and then repeated,
Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these (Lk 12:27).
The passage goes on to expose the short-sightedness of being anxious over what to eat or drink. And then Jesus said,
But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:31-34)
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus rebuked the farmer because he wanted to build bigger barns for “himself.” His heart was in the wrong place. Jesus’ rebuke came from the man’s need to be more interested in becoming “rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). Jesus wasn’t condemning wealth or riches, but He was condemning an idolatrous attitude towards getting rich. Rich or poor, Jesus was directing all of us to that which is lasting. The write of Hebrews explained,
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Heb 11:1)
Rather than worrying about food and clothing or being afraid of the future, Jesus instructed his followers to sell what they had and give to those in need. After all, their treasure was in heaven, where their hearts were, and their future lies (Luke 12:33-34; 18:24).
The ministry of Jesus was often “counterculture” which means He sought a way of life that revealed He saw the meaning of life differently. His values and attitudes. Were often at variance with the conventional way of thinking.
Hebrews 12:1-3 expresses how the faithful described in chapter 11 lived.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Ellen White speaks of the danger of hoarding and so fearful they hold back from helping others.
I saw that many withhold from the cause while they live, quieting their consciences that they will be charitable at death; they hardly dare exercise faith and trust in God to give anything while living. But this deathbed charity is not what Christ requires of His followers; it cannot excuse the selfishness of the living. Those who hold fast their property till the last moment, surrender it to death rather than to the cause. Losses are occurring continually. Banks fail, and property is consumed in very many ways. Many purpose to do something, but they delay the matter, and Satan works to prevent the means from coming into the treasury at all. It is lost before it is returned to God, and Satan exults that it is so. (5T 154)
Job understood this. When all that he possessed was swept away, he could say with confidence, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). He recognized that everything he possessed belonged to God.
Mel Rees suggests there are at least three ways we reveal that we acknowledge God is the Owner of all that we have:
1. For personal and family support. God knows we have basic needs--food, clothing, and shelter. Jesus said, “All these things will come to you as a matter of course” (Matthew 6:33). The Father is love is dependable because He is faithful. He must always, however, be first in our thoughts, and be recognized as the Owner.
2. 2. A test.
We should never forget that we are placed on trial in this world, to determine our fitness for the future life. None can enter heaven whose characters are defiled by the foul blot of selfishness. Therefore, God tests us here. B committing to us temporal possessions, that our use of these may show whether we can be entrusted with eternal riches. -- Counsels on Stewardship, p.22
3. 3. As heaven’s agents.
When Christians are controlled by the principles of heaven, they will dispense with one hand, while the other gains. This is the only rational and healthy position a Christian can occupy while having and still making money.-- Testimonies to the Church, vol.2, p.240
Living a Spiritual Legacy
If God is the Owner and we are His managers, then we are also responsible for caring for the His properties prior to our death. Wills and trusts are important ways of doing this. Note the following counsel regarding the spiritual responsibility of being “our own executors. By thisshe means we can distribute or make arrangements for the distribution of our assets while living.
That which many propose to defer until they are about to die, if they were Christians indeed they would do while they have a strong hold on life. They would devote themselves and their property to God, and, while acting as His stewards, they would have the satisfaction of doing their duty. By becoming their own executors, they could meet the claims of God themselves, instead of shifting the responsibility upon others. (4T 480)
Remembering “the God’s work” . . .
In giving to the work of God, you are laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven. All that you lay up above is secure from disaster and loss, and is increasing to an eternal, an enduring substance. (CS 342)
QUESTIONS: Name some advantages to give now, while we live. Name some advantages for arranging for our remaining assets after we die. Why do you think this is difficult to make such arrangements?
Our Never-Ending Influence
You may have heard of the Moravian Brethren. They were responsible for some of the most inspiring and sacrificial stories in mission history. They were led by Count Zinzendorf.
Zinzendorf was born in 1700 into wealth and a noble family. He was raised by a dedicated grandmother and aunt. He studied law. His future was promising as a nobleman and success was almost certain had he served the state. He found no joy in the idea of spending his life as a follower of Jesus.
Then in 1719 Zinzendorf was powerfully impacted by a painting of Christ enduring the crown of thorns. An inscription below the painting read, “All this I did for you, what are you doing for me?” A new revelation of the claim of Jesus Christ came upon him. Flashing upon him was how the grace of Christ was available to everyone. Hour after hour passed as he sat intently gazing upon the face of the Suffering One This was a decisive moment in his life. It moved him to finally choose against the life of a nobleman. He entered Christian ministry.
Count Zinzendorf led a movement ordained by God. He led a movement that had tremendous influence. Ellen White lists him with other great reformers.
Such examples are not found in the Bible only. They abound in every record of human progress. The Vaudois and the Huguenots, Wycliffe and Huss, Jerome and Luther, Tyndale and Knox, and Wesley, with multitudes of others have witnessed to the power of God's word against human power and policy in support of evil. These are the world's true nobility. This is its royal line. In this line the youth of today are called to take their places. -- Conflict and Courage, p. 9.
He became a mighty voice for God. Who should be given credit for the development of this leader?
Was it his grandmother and aunt?
Was it the artist who painted the portrait of Jesus whom Zinzendorf had never personally met?
No doubt there were others too. Our legacy does not end with our life but continues long after we are gone. We must live today as Jesus would and plan for a spiritual legacy after we die as Jesus did.
We may not take gold and silver with us when we die, but we will take our spiritual legacy with us. We will learn about it at the feet of Jesus.
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