Sermon Cloud

Instead of talking about something close to my heart I'm going to talk about something that is distant yet very necessary. I'm going to talk about giving money to the Church, a topic which makes non-Christians, pastors, and even Christians very uncomfortable. We're going to look at two stories in Luke that are not usually associated. I have preached on both narratives before but never together. You have to remember that the Bible wasn't written with chapters and verse divisions, it was meant to be read all at once. These stories are separated by a mere 12 verses, in the flow of Luke's gospel they are placed in proximity not only for chronological reasons but for theological ones. In it we find God's purpose for wealth and giving, why we fail to meet it, and how only if you get the Gospel can you be freed for generosity. Luke doesn't give us a story of a rich man and a poor man (though Jesus does that, too) but contrasting stories of an extremely rich man (who has built his wealth by moral means) and a rich man (who has built his wealth by immoral but legal means). Both seek the Savior, both have an encounter with the Son of God, yet one walks away from that encounter sad while the other is transformed by the Gospel which sends him on mission to be a city of God within the city of man.

Our Text
Luke 18:18-23: "And a ruler asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' 19 And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: "Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother."' 21 And he said, ‘All these I have kept from my youth.' 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich."
Luke 19:1-10: "He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.' 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.' 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.' 9 And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.'"

Kaleo is blessed to have an inordinate number of non-Christians check out our service. When money is brought up in church it often feeds the biases non-Christians had against coming into a church in the first place, that perhaps money is our true interest. In light of the many examples of abuse, some may feel its part of what is wrong with religion in the world. Most pastors hate bringing up money in the church, even when they have to. Tim Keller, Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian, the largest church in Manhattan and the top church planting church in America, admittedly avoids it. Whenever he does preach on it he quotes a large portion of an old Scottish pastor's sermon (Robert Murray M'Cheyne) admitting his reason, "I just don't have the guts to say it to you myself." It's hard to talk about because we don't want to reinforce stereotypes (pastors wearing white suites, wives with big hair, and gold furniture), some may feel its self serving, and most importantly we don't want to get off focus/the Gospel. Lastly, Christians hate hearing about money either because they don't think it's a problem for them in light of the other struggles they face (dating, sex, purity, raising their families, etc.) or because it is such a sensitive subject. In San Diego, one of the most inflated housing markets in America, many left too early (sold their house) and are no longer able to afford a house, or got in too late and are facing double digit depreciation, short sales, or even foreclosure. Most San Diegans have bought too much house, one requiring two incomes to sustain it. If one of you loses your job or gets pregnant, you may find yourself with pending foreclosure. The number of foreclosures and short sales is already at an all time high and expected to double in the next few years as families reach the end of their interest only loans (the most popular mortgage loan scam in the last decade). Many Christians may want to donate generously to the Church but are simply unable to because they are struggling just to keep their heads above water.

I. Why We Need to Hear This?
Despite our discomfort discussing money, there are many reasons why we need to. Non-Christians need to hear Christians speak honestly about abuses in the Church, for there have been abuses historically and still are today. If you appreciate art and architecture like I do, you can't help but be impressed by the massive cathedrals in Europe, their extravagant frescos and beautiful artwork. But if you study what was going on in the general public during that time you realize many were built during times of great poverty. Playing upon the guilt and sympathy of a people separated from the Word of God, the Catholic Church would often take the last farthing or shilling from worshipers paying indulgences (an unbiblical doctrine) so that Uncle Francis wouldn't have to suffer in purgatory for 1,000 years. During the late 80's Jim and Tammy Fay Baker led the PTL club, whose Christian theme park "Heritage USA" at one point was the highest grossing park in the world next to Disney World and Disney Land, grossing $126 million. During the fallout of an adulterous affair, it was revealed that Jim & Tammy had oversold timeshares of a 501 room hotel on the park property for $1,000 a piece to retirees, many of which were too old to enjoy the park. With such gross public abuses of money, you would hope the Church would have corrected their wrongs. If anything it has gotten worse. Most of you know the name Joel Osteen. He is the smiling pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, author of the best selling book Your Best Life Now. Multimillionaire pastors like him are the subject of a website called Pulpitpimps.com, dedicated to uncovering the abuses going on in our churches today. As bad as Osteen is, the one that really gets my blood boiling is one by the name of Benny Hinn. He's the ambiguously Euro-middle-eastern healer in the white suite who slaps little girls and grandmas on the head sending them flying across the room to have convulsions on the stage of stadiums. I was riveted to an exposé back in 2002 on Dateline, not only because of my morbid curiosity but also because a former Professor of mine, Dr. Michael Horton, author of The Agony of Deceit, was scheduled to speak. I was horrified by what they found. Dateline compiled receipts and expense accounts of his ministry including $112,000 renting (not buying) a private jet per month! They also showed his house in Dana Point, a 7,000 sq. ft. 7 room/8 bath/5 car garage mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean. His organization calls this a parsonage. While on tour his hotel bill averages $3000 - $10,000 a night renting Presidential and Royal Suites at five star hotels all over the world. He manages to do this because he grosses more a year than Heritage USA did at its peak (which also employed 2,000 people), while enjoying non-regulated tax free exemption. What Non-Christians need to hear most is that their biases were right, the abuse of Christians with money IS part of what's truly wrong with the world. Yet Jesus was not oblivious to those abuses then or now. Jesus never treated tax collectors, prostitutes, or non-Christians as if they were mainly to blame because the world is broken and they are part of that brokenness. It was always the religious leaders, those who were to be a city of God within the city of man, who claimed to know and have a relationship with God that he attacked most vehemently for contributing to what was wrong with the world instead of helping it.
The reason why pastors need to address money is because they should at least be as concerned about it as Jesus was. The Bible speaks of money over 800 times. As we look to the gospels we find for every one time Jesus spoke about sex he spoke about the issue of money 15-20 times. If we are to believe Luke, it is also one of the main signs of a Transformissional life (Acts 4:32-37). Even if Christians don't think it's a problem for them, if the problem is that prevalent and if Jesus focused that much attention on it, we need to at least be open to the possibility that it's true of us.

II. What is God's Purpose for Your Wealth & Giving? (Why We Fall Short)
The contrast between differing amount and means of gaining wealth is important. Only Luke puts these two stories together because only Luke's gospel mentions this tax collector. In the movie "Stranger than Fiction," Will Farrell plays a tax collector. In our day, unless you're going through an audit this does not carry anything of the cultural distain the office held. I think we can get the same impact when we look at the moral and immoral means of acquiring wealth. Growing up in Detroit I used to drive downtown on weekends and every weekend I would see the smoldering remains of fires in neighborhoods along the freeway. In the late 80's crack houses went up faster than the police could investigate and shut them down. The fires were set deliberately by communities sick of the crack problem, because while it took the police time to find them, their presence in the communities were immediately felt. Everyone knew where they were, as addicts went in and out at all hours of the day. Crack dealers were a blight on the community, preying upon their own ethnicity, even children. Crack dealers are modern examples of ethnic minorities from the ghetto who gained wealth by immoral means, yet there are examples of those who rise from the same environments by moral means. One of the best examples of this is Oprah Winfrey, who grew up in extreme poverty, to become the first black woman to become a billionaire in 2003. She would be like the "extremely rich" by moral means vs. the merely "rich" by immoral means.

Reason #2: To Make the World a Better Place
I'll start with the second reason first, one so obvious that even celebrities like Madonna and Jessica Simpson get it. Its #2, To make the world a better place. Time Magazine called 2005 "the year of Charitainment." This is a word like Transformissional; it's made of two words that anyone can recognize, Charity and Entertainment. In the past, very few celebrity's names were synonymous with charity, yet recently great attention has been drawn to people like Madonna, Clooney, Brangelina, and Oprah in Africa, all throwing enormous amounts of money to try and make the world a better place. Yet, what we learn from this passage is that to truly do so entails more than the amount (how much) of money given or the end result (who gets it). These two passages give us different amounts; in Lk 18:22 Jesus tells the extremely rich man he needs to give 100%, yet in Lk 19:8 he gives no amount, when the tax collector volunteers 50% he does not correct him. If the amount given really mattered we would expect Jesus to tell the tax collector, "I'm sorry Zacchaeus that's just not enough, you have to give 100%," as he did just a dozen verses earlier. The first clue to this is to ask, "Who gave more money to Church prior to their encounter?" We all know the Old Testament commanded Israelites to give 10%. Zacchaeus, having the reputation of a stingy man who cheated his community out of money, would not likely have given the entire tithe. The Rich Young ruler claimed to have kept all the law since he was a child, yet this was much more than 10%. If you add up all the ceremonial gifts and thank offerings for all the yearly feasts, along with regular giving to the poor, your average Jew donated 24-25%. If he was already giving 25%, it is likely that totaled more than the Tax Collector's 50%. Jesus was not being cruel to the one and loving towards the other. In Mark 10 we are told that when Jesus looked at the young ruler He "loved him." Then if Jesus wasn't interested in how much was given what's behind the differing amounts? In v.20 when asked what laws he must keep, notice Jesus only mentions laws 5 - 9 of the 10 commandments, to which the ruler is able to say "All these I have kept from my youth." The ones Jesus skipped were laws 1-4 which deal with our duties to God, and law 10 which is "thou shall not covet." Why? It was Martin Luther who led the way to understanding. In his commentary on the Moral law, he tells us that laws 2-10 are really just different ways of breaking the very first law, "you shall have no other gods before me." Why do we commit adultery, murder, steal, lie, and dishonor our parents? We do this because we have some functional savior, something we look to in the place of God to find our love, security, our rest, our contentment, our sense of importance. Jonathan Edwards was the one who told us why Jesus skipped #10, because "do not covet" is really a re-utterance of commandment #1. Jesus asked him to give 100% not because He was after more money for the poor but to expose the idolatry of his heart that he was blind to. Its not just the irreligious who use good works to distance themselves from God, the religious do it as well. For both it's a way to say, "see what I've done? Now I don't owe you or the world anymore of my time or money."
To fulfill the second purpose for wealth and giving is more than just the end result (who gets help). Notice in both passages it is the poor which are the objects of generosity, not church! We're not necessarily talking about tithe or church giving; we're talking about anyone who gives money to the poor. In the last seven years, Bill Gates has given more of his own private money than any single individual in history. Annually he and his wife donate $1 billion of their own money to charities like the United Negro College fund and viral research. He has donated $26 billion total since the year 2000. These are all just causes, yet it's more than just about who gets help. As a part of Amada, I've learned that part of the reason why we have more strip joints per capita than a majority of the U.S. is because of the brokenness of San Diego. Single mothers (many of whom are either abandoned or unmarried) are simply not able to hold a regular job since they have to pay additionally for childcare to work, coupled with the high cost of living in San Diego having very few options. If simply getting help to the right people was all it took to make the world a better place, the immoral rich can give copious amounts to the needy. Strip joint owners and their patrons help single mothers, crack dealers create jobs giving needy kids a $1000 to just stand on a corner and exchange bags, yet we know this doesn't help the world. What about what about the moral rich you say? Since the 2005 TIME article on Charitainment there have been many similar articles, one by Nina Shea a conservative Christian for the National Review was entitled "Clooney Does Darfur - If only our politicians were as wise, discerning, and benevolent as George." Both articles questioned the efforts of the rich and famous to right wrongs in the world by simply throwing money at just causes. Their conclusion is that often rather then helping, they make things worse. Clooney's harsh anti-Bush rhetoric actually upset the delicate balance of the Inter-religious Coalition which had been helping to fight genocide in that country.

Reason#1: To Give God Glory - (Motivation)
One fundamental reason our efforts fail to make the world a better place is the issue of who gets the glory. In Matthew 6:2 Jesus says, "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues (in other words the religious) and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward." All giving outside the Church fails to achieve the main reason for our wealth and giving, this is to give glory to God.
Oprah (though warned by politicians, experts, and churches that her extravagant school for girls was not helping the country) when asked why she made the school she replied, "They've never been told they are pretty or have wonderful dimples. I wanted to hear those things as a child." Behind Charitainment is a self-centered cultural elitism that believes America is not just a country that is better off economically, we actually think we're better! Though Bill Gates will donate more in one year than our church will in a lifetime, where does the glory go? Non-Christian generosity fails both purposes.
This brings us to the current deficit which has averaged 20% under budget per month. There are things in the budget we cannot touch and things that we will not touch; things that we cannot touch like the 26% used for renting the facilities (paying late means we're on the street!), things we will not touch are the 47% dedicated to Primary payroll (people employed by the church for whom this is their primary income) and the 10% dedicated to Church Planting. If you add up the remainder (Sunday services, Elementary and childcare, weekly operations, Pastoral Resources, Health Insurance, Mercy Ministries) you'll notice it does not equal 20%. What often happens is people paid partially, who dedicate a majority of their time to the church, are paid late or not at all. The church does not pay me or two of the four elders. Only one elder is given full time pay while the other is only paid half, he earns the rest. When the church is forced to cut back due to insufficient giving, the mission (to be a city of God that transforms the city of man and makes the world a better place) may not be stopped, but it is definitely hindered. If I stopped the sermon here all you'd be left with is guilt. Despite our needs if you happened to be a non-Christian here today I'd like to ask you not to give at all, you are our guest. Jesus did not foot the burden upon those who didn't know Him, but upon the religious who claimed to know Him. However we're not looking for Christians who will give out of mere guilt. If that were the case I could bring up some tiny children with really big eyes until the deficit is gone. If that doesn't work for you, I'm Asian and have two kids; I could bring up tiny children with small eyes. Jesus didn't use emotional manipulation, which is all it would be. The problem with mere emotional manipulation is that it might work this week, but gradually it will lose effectiveness. We might get rid of the deficit but it wouldn't change the world, San Diego, or your neighborhood.

III. How Only if You Get the Gospel Can You be Set Free For Generosity
I don't believe these two stories are randomly placed. While it's true Luke cares more about chronological order (what we value today as historians) more than any other gospel writer (that's why he wrote the history of the Church in Acts), he was also a theologian choosing certain words and ways to express a story, what to include and what not to include. Sandwiched between the two is a reflection in Luke 18:31-34, Christ's third reflection on His coming crucifixion. Why is it there? Jesus was transformed and sent on mission, but unlike Zacchaeus, Christ who was creator of the universe was transformed into the image of human frailty and brokenness, so that He might be sent on mission. Luke 18:31-33: "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise." He was sent on mission to make the world a better place to the glory of God, Luke reminds us of this between the two stories. This is what Jesus was after, not how much money we could give or who we'd give it to, that would be mere moral reformation. We said early that both rich men sought Jesus, both had an encounter with the Son of God, but only one was changed forever. What transformed Zacchaeus, enabling him to change from being part of what was wrong with his community into a man on mission to better it?
1. The first man sought a place in the Kingdom (what must I do to inherit eternal life?)
2. The second was sought by the King.
How do I know this? What was the Rich Young Ruler's name? Although his story is in every synoptic gospel we don't know, we're never told. What was the tax collector's name? This was no random event, Jesus reminds us He was on the way to fulfill His mission. Jerusalem lay just ahead, yet He chose to pass through Jericho, and what happens? Does he look up and say, "Hey you, ugly-Joe-Pesci-lookin-short-guy, come down I'm going to your house today," or did he say, "are there any tax collectors here? I want to go to their house today...hey, why are you up a tree?" No, he comes into town and says "Zacchaeus! Come down, for I must stay at your house today!" This was the blight of the community, who had sold out his own ethnicity for immoral gain, yet Jesus passes all the religious in their beautiful robes and calls him by name. Jesus showed not only personal love but such radical generosity that everyone knew he didn't deserve it. It's not enough to seek Him, it's not even enough to have an encounter, you need to understand the Gospel is about the King who transformed on mission who sought you.

How can you know you get it?
Yes there is a deficit, and yes we need money so that we can continue our mission to plant 15-20 churches in seven years, but we don't want your money if you don't get the Gospel. I'm sure all of you are here today are here because you're seeking Jesus, even if you're a non-Christian. Maybe you've encountered the living God today as well, but how can you know that you get the Gospel? There is one last parallel in the passage and it's one that is contrasted with true Transformissional generosity. There is a parallel between the Young Ruler and the religious crowd in Luke 19:7: "And when they saw it, they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.'" The test is how you use the word "sinner?" You'll know you really get the Gospel when you will not water down sin (the evil of it) yet at the same time you're unable to look down your nose on anyone. Lately the most eye-catching Charitainment is celebrity adoptions. We've learned that when a celebrity adopts it's really a form of economic elitism. They provide orphans all the comforts and privileges they have either enjoyed or wished they had growing up. Behind it all is the idea that America or status, or wealth can provide you happiness. If we just throw enough money at truly needy people, AMERICA can cure the worlds ills. It's all just a way to look down our nose at someone else. Last week we saw a heart warming video of the Vega family (who mind you are not millionaires), who already have five children but next month are welcoming three Ethiopians children into our church family. When someone who is transformed by the Gospel adopts a child there is no elitism, there is a humility that the world with all its money cannot duplicate. Why? Because you KNOW you were once an orphan, undeserving, helpless, but you were adopted by the King. Who gets the glory? Charitainment is a way of looking down on a country, just look at their lack of possessions! Zacchaeus had money and saw the emptiness! Though all of his life he had used money for significance, he found true significance in radical love of the King. That we would have our blind eyes opened to see the radical generosity of Jesus! Zacchaeus immediately was sent on Mission to be a City within the City. In v.8a Zacchaeus says, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor!" The Greek here has a childlike crudeness, similar to when a child says, "Look at me Dad! Look what I made you!" My son makes me drawings, he doesn't stay in the lines well and if there is no picture he's coloring it's a modern art mess, but he doesn't make them to get my approval, he already knows he has my approval. Jesus utters no command to give, yet in joy Zacchaeus volunteers half, this is way past 10%. In v.8b he promises if he has cheated anyone he will restore it four fold. In Numbers and Leviticus the requirement is to return the amount you've cheated plus 20% of what you've cheated. Instead he offers 400%! You may think you know the Gospel but when you really get it you are freed for the first time to use money and things to love the world, San Diego, and your block through generosity.

Closing
If you're not a Christian, I urge you not to come up for communion or give us any money. Instead use it as a time to meditate on the love of Christ for you, that the Lord Jesus Christ, though he was rich, yet for YOUR SAKE he became poor, so that you by HIS poverty might become rich." Pray for repentance for even repentance is a gift. If God grants you repentance today for the first time, come and receive communion. If you're new but not yet involved, I'd invite you to come be a part of a missional community where you can get gospeled throughout the week.
If you're Christian and can give but find it so hard to even tithe 10% yet so easy to either spend or save money on yourself, stop giving even your 10%. You're just still just worshipping an idol which can't satisfy. If you get the Gospel and you'd like to give but due to circumstance you aren't able, talk to someone you know today so that you can be held accountable to become a good steward so that you can soon. The Gospel frees us to give in eye-popping proportions because no matter how much we give it doesn't compare to how much we have already received in Christ.