Miami 1st Church of the Brethren - Atlantic Southeast District Karen Sutton Sermon for Sunday, July 14, 1996, Ephesians 3, Timothy 6 "THE LIFE THAT IS TRULY LIFE" Almost anyone who watches television knows what is happening on August 15--the Publishers Clearing House prize patrol will be coming around the U.S. to award one million dollars to lucky winners who sent in their entries, properly filled out of course. Millions of Americans punched out and licked and applied their little stickers and signed their forms and chose the color of car they wanted to win, and most, if not all of them will be disappointed come Aug. 15. And we all know that millions of Floridians went out last night to purchase a lottery ticket in the hopes that they will hit it big, but we are told that those ticket holder's odds of being hit by lightening are greater than their odds of winning the lottery. We can all laugh about this because most of us have taken a chance at winning some lottery or door-prize drawing or raffle or publisher's clearing house contest and most of us know that we probably won't win; we just enjoy hoping we'll wake up and discovering that we're rich! More tragically some people will do far more unsavory things in the hope of being rich, try to curry favor with a rich relative in the hope of receiving an inheritance, do unscrupulous things to get ahead at work, cheat on their taxes, even shoplift, deal drugs, or steal from others. In our society we put a great deal of value on success and one of our surest measures of success is wealth. If you have a nice car, a big house in a good neighborhood, fancy clothes, some gold jewelry, you must be successful. This messed up notion of what success is, is responsible for a lot of ruined lives. Any sports fan who has been following the news lately has heard about what's been happening to the University of Miami football team. These young men were given scholarships to an extremely expensive university, an opportunity for an education, and perhaps if they worked hard and were lucky, a chance for an extremely overpaid pro football career down the road. But these young men got confused-- they thought that since someone was writing them a hefty check every semester, and since pro scouts were showing interest they were on their way to success. They evidently thought that this success rendered them immune from the normal rules that other students and citizens in general have to follow. A group of them assaulted a fellow student who they felt had insulted them. Some assaulted their girlfriends. One punched a pregnant girlfriend. Some used drugs, probably more than we have heard about. And the result is that they've been suspended from their team. Whether or not they will ever play again remains to be seen, but the bottom line is that these men failed to realize that having easy money doesn't make them successful human beings. You see they confused money with riches. Most of us realize that easy money is not in the picture for us. Oh we may buy a lotto ticket or enter a contest, but we know that in reality our best hope of success lies in working hard, day in and day out. A wise man once said "I am a great believer in luck, and I find that the harder I work, the more I have of it." But even if we work hard, most of us will never be wealthy. Some of us will struggle our entire lives, working day in and day out, and never rise beyond just getting by. The hardest working person, may find out as some of our members recently have, that no job today is absolutely secure. Unexpected unemployment, downsizing, changing technologies, budget cuts, may leave any of us suddenly in a financial downturn in spite of our best efforts and dedication. And those of us who do find better paying jobs still will most likely never experience financial wealth. I know the tricks the insurance salesmen do, showing you how much you'll make over a life time, in order to encourage you to buy a sizable life insurace policy. But believe me, if I make 500,000 dollars over my life time, it's sure to cost 550,00 dollars to feed, clothe, house and educate my kids. So sudden riches are highly unlikely, even if we all say our prayers before bed on Aug. 14. And working hard doesn't guarantee wealth-- Well then, what are we to do? Well I have a sure way to share with you that will guarantee wealth and riches beyond measure. And no, I'm not selling Amway. :-) The answer is that we must redefine wealth. You see the Bible tells us a lot about riches, abundant riches given by God to his children, but it says little about these riches being money. A few years ago it was quite popular in many churches and on television evangelism shows to tell people that God wanted his children to be rich, and that if we only lived right and believed, it would happen. Well, I want to see any scripture that promises monetary wealth. What the Bible does promise us is the riches of God's boundless grace. In Ephesians 2:7-8 we read of "the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves-- it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast." Verse ten says We are "God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works Which God prepared in advance for us to do." Now there is wealth-- God's grace, undeserved but available as a gift, and then the promise of meaningful work, prepared for us by God. We don't even have to worry about how to thank God, because he has a task ready for us. And in Romans, chapter 9, Paul talks about the riches of God's glory, evident in the fact that God calls not just Jews but Gentiles as well, to be as Paul says it: " the objects of his mercy." Our wealth lies not in money or the world's idea of success but in God's mercy to us. In 1 Timothy Chapter 6, we are warned not to put our "hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to hope in God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." We are told instead to be "rich in good deeds, and generous and willing to share." In this way, we are told, we will "lay up a treasure as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that we may take hold of the life that is truly life." THE LIFE THAT IS TRULY LIFE. And That is really the heart of this discussion. We are told in so many ways, the television, films, magazine photos, friends and acquaintances, ad campaigns, even billboards, that life consists of acquiring things. The more we have the happier we will be- the more successful, the more wealthy... The surest guarantee of happiness and of a full and rewarding life is to have plenty of money in the bank, plenty of toys, plenty of everything. Yet the Bible tells us that it is harder for a rich man to enter heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Money has a way of grabbing people-- Having far too little can destroy lives and it is our responsibility in the church to see that no one has too little, ie: not enough to feed their children or clothe their children-- But having far too much seems to be even more destructive. We all have a story to tell of a rich person who is cheap, stingy, and the line we inevitably hear if we tell someone about this person's cheapness is: "Well how do you think he got so rich?" We all want to believe that we'd be different. We'd use our money for good, help our friends, etc., and that is absolutely possible. But just as possible is that we'll be riding on the proverbial camel's back, peeking through the needle's eye but not quite able to get through. Because until we really accept the fact that money will not buy us happiness, will not solve all our problems, may in fact cause us more problems, we are liable to be corrupted by its abundant presence in our lives. Now that doesn't mean that I believe that all rich people are evil and incapable of using their money wisely-- I sure don't-- and I want to believe that I'd use money for good if I had it. That I would share as the Bible commands. But I also know that my best chance of truly living the "life that is really life" lies not in how much I have in my bank account, but in how much I have done out of love for God and my brothers and sisters. Real living has more to do with what I do than with what I have. Rather than wishing for something, or someone to give me money, to make me rich, to help me out, I need to focus on what I can give to others, what I can do for others. God has given us incredible riches, and all he asks of us is to share them with those around us. The riches of God's grace, His abiding presence, His salvation, and His love are immeasurable. Everyone in this room is rich!! No one pulled up to your door with TV cameras rolling and balloons and a giant check to announce that you've won, but you have!! Once you have asked Jesus into your heart, the heavenly prize patrol arrives, quietly, on the spot, and your award is given, _tax free_ and everything. So there is no excuse for sitting around feeling sorry for yourself on Aug. 16 when you realize that someone else will appear on those silly commercials saying "Yee-haw! I'm rich!" Because you have already won the real jackpot, the one that provides everlasting peace, overflowing love, a full and varied family, and life that lasts forever. They are the treasures the Bible tells us to store up, those that won't be destroyed by moth or rust. The treasures of love, of good works, of grace, of joy. No job layoff, no downsizing, no budget ax can take these treasures away. In fact these treasures are good savings to have for hard times that may come, for they will sustain us through difficulties and tribulation. Money may come and go, but God's love and grace endure forever. The Bible tells us that where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also. What we value, we give our heart to. So if the prize patrol visits one of you next month, I'll rejoice for you as I'm sure you would for me. Just remember, that's not what belongs in your treasure chest. Your heart belongs with your real treasure, our loving, and graceful God who has given you all he has and has made you a truly wealthy human being.