Part II – The Outward Disciplines
The Discipline of Simplicity
Simple Gifts
Matt 6:19-34 October 20, 2002
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. [20] But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
[22] "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. [23] But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
[24] "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
[25] "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? [26] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? [27] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
[28] "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. [29] Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [30] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' [32] For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [33] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Intro: For the last month we have been studying the classic disciplines of the Christian life. These first 4 disciplines, Meditation, Prayer, Fasting and Study are called inward disciplines. They are the practices of the Christian that offer avenues for personal examination and growth. The next set of disciplines we will look at are called outward disciplines. These are the practices that can and will make the world a better place. The third group of disciplines we will look at are called corporate disciplines. These are practices that bring us nearer to one another and to God.
The practice of these disciplines can free us from slavery to ingrained habits of sin. Often we try to deal with these habits through a front-on assault. We determine to change and so set our wills to learn develop new habits. However, when dealing with these ingrained habits, Richard Foster, in Celebration of Discipline, writes, “Willpower will never succeed in dealing with ingrained habits of sin. As soon as you resist mentally any undesirable or unwanted circumstance, you thereby endow it with more power – power which it will use against you, and you will have depleted your own resources to that exact extent.” In other words, the attention you give to sin in directly trying to overcome it with your willpower, ends up strengthening the temptation. The self-willed frontal assault on habitual sin, leads to defeat.
The disciplines of the Christian life are the path to new habits. They will lead us to inner transformation and healing. We need to remember the path does not heal us, rather it leads us to healing, it places us where healing can occur.
One of the greatest dangers that arises when we discuss the disciplines of the Christian life, is the temptation to turn the disciplines into laws. There is nothing that will suck the life out of a discipline faster than making it a rule. My son Steve loves to play the guitar. He will practice for an hour and not even realize the time has passed. He learns from friends and by listening to experts. However, he has avoided taking lessons for credit at school because he knows that if he has to practice for a grade, the joy will be gone. If the discipline becomes a rule, he will naturally rebel.
The same thing is true of the spiritual disciplines. If we turn them into rules, we are lost. When the disciplines become laws, we use them to manipulate and control others. Leo Tolstoy wrote, “Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself.” As we learn of these disciplines, let us be numbered among those who believe change begins in our own lives.
Intro to sermon: Ecc. 7:30 says, “God made man simple; man’s complex problems are of his own devising.” The old shaker hymn says,
“‘Tis the gift to be simple,
‘Tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
“When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be or delight
‘Till be turning, turning we come round right.”
When I first heard that old hymn, I thought, how lovely, what a wonderful thought. It’s just a shame we live in a world where simplicity is not possible anymore. This week though, I have been reminded that God made us simple; our complex problems are our own design.
Take for instance this advertisement:
“When your investment pays off in ths world and the one to come, it’s a pretty good feeling.” Come live in Hawaii. Come to Life. You can help shape the destiny of nations while being a good steward of your family’s future. When you buy at Hualalai Village, your purchase supports _______ . . . Your investment will expand God’s Kingdom, not some developer’s bank account, and your beautiful 1, 2, 3, or 4 bedroom home comes with a spectacular ocean view with prices starting at $160,500. Come live in Hawaii, come to life.
That sounds pretty good, but listen to what Jesus told some who wanted to invest in His kingdom, to someone eager to follow him he said, “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” That is a very different picture than Hualalai Village.
The discipline of simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle change. To believe we can know the joy on inward simplicity and not have it effect our lifestyle is to deceive ourselves. Our culture lacks both the inner attitude and the outer lifestyle of simplicity. We find ourselves trapped in a world of competing attachments. Our society is psychotic. One moment we make decisions based on sound reason, and the next out of fear of what others will think. We crave things we neither enjoy or need. Andre Guide said, “We buy things we do not want to impress people we do not like.” It is time for us to realize, as Foster has written, “conformity to a sick society is to be sick.” As long as we fall in tow with the hawkers of materialism, we will continue to be slaves.
The Bible is clear about economic issues. First, throughout the Bible, we are reminded time after time, that we are not the owners of our goods. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” We have no absolute right to property. The year of Jubilee was designed to restore equality among the people of the nation. Covetousness is not to be tolerated, it is the 10th commandment. Proverbs 11:28 says, “he who trusts in his riches will wither.” In the passage we read this morning, Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and Money.” “Where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This is a simple fact, wherever you find the treasure, you will find the heart.
When Jesus encountered a prudent farmer who wanted to build more barns to hold his goods, he called him a fool. Jesus spoke to issues of economics and simplicity more than any other issue. Give to those who ask, store treasures in heaven, don’t even take an extra coat with you, your Father knows what you need, so don’t worry about it.
Paul continues the theme declaring that the desire to be rich is a temptation that leads to ruin (I Tim 6:9). Greed is listed with adultery and robbery as sins that will keep us from the kingdom. James says, “You desire, you do not have, and so you kill.”
What God has created is to be enjoyed, but it must not control us. The great danger of this discipline is the temptation to turn it into a law. The passage we read this morning is Jesus’ primary teaching on simplicity. “Consider the lilies, God provides for them. Don’t be anxious, your Heavenly Father knows what you need. But seek first his Kingdom and His righteousness and these things will be yours as well.”
To be free from the slavery of greed and possessions, we must make the focus of our life the kingdom of God. The central point of the discipline of simplicity is the focus on the Kingdom of God. Nothing must come before the kingdom, not even the desire for a simple life. Kierkegaard says purity of heart is to will one thing, When we pursue the kingdom of God with single purpose, the inward reality of simplicity is birthed. It is characterized by three convictions. First, What we have is a gift from God. We are dependant upon him for everything in our lives. Second, God will take care of what we have. God can and will protect his own, we use common sense we lock the doors, but we must always remember that it is God’s business to take care of our what we possess, whether goods, or reputation, or business or relationships. And third, our goods are available to others. When we cling to our possessions, they control us.
These attitudes are what Jesus means by “do not be anxious.” Remember the source, remember the protector and open your hands.
So how is this freedom from anxiety lived out? What does the outward simple lifestyle look like? We must not lay down laws, but Foster suggests some principles that can be used as a screen for our decision making.
First, avoid possessions for the sake of status. Kids are being killed for sneakers today, as believers, we are free to be free from status symbols. Is there anyone here who really needs more stuff? And how much of that stuff do we have for the sake of status? Avoid possessions for the sake of status.
Second, reject anything that produces an addition in you. Not just physical, but emotional additions, recreational addictions, anything that has a grip on your heart lay it aside for the kingdom.
Third, develop a habit of giving. Learn to live with open hands. Experience joy in giving away things that mean a lot to you. The more things we possess the more complicated our lives become. Develop a habit of giving.
Fourth, and this one hurts, it is an area I struggle with. Refuse to be propagandized by those who are hawking gadgets. Time saving gadgets, don’t. Do I really need a new depthfinder for my boat that will control my motor so I will always be in 6.3 feet of water? Corporations want to convince us that we need the latest of everything. Have you seen the commercials for “the new purple pill, Nexium”? It is being offered as an alternative to prilosec by the company who makes prilosec. Why? Because the old purple pill is about to become a generic drug. Our longing for gadgetry convinces us we need the latest. Are the first 50,000 miles on a car really better than the second? A devise like a computer can quickly become a slave master. On Friday I was up all night trying to fix a problem with the machine in my home. Give simplicity a chance, Refuse to be propagandized by those who are hawking gadgets.
Fifth, develop a deeper appreciation for the creation. Walk when you can, listen to the birds, enjoy the breeze, discover once again that “the earth is the Lord’s and all it contains.”
Sixth, don’t be afraid to deny yourself. Everyone wants to offer you instant gratification. Whether it is fast food, buy now pay in a year, or accept this new credit card, don’t be afraid to deny yourself. Use caution before incurring debt, avoid slavery.
Seventh, when we seek God’s kingdom, we should reject anything that breeds oppression in others. This is very difficult. In a world of limited resources, does our lust for more mean poverty for others? Does our consumption lead to war? Should we, for example, pursue a casino in town when we know that we will be creating slaves to gambling? To live simply, is understand that we are part of the whole.
And finally, shun anything that distracts from seeking first the kingdom. It is easy to let good things gain our focus. Job, family, position, status, recreation and friends can all too quickly become the center of our attention. When this happens, the still small voice of God gets overpowered by the racket of the world.
We live a world that is enslaved by materialism and greed. Jesus offers us freedom if we will come to him and permit Him to have the first place in our lives. Do you want to be free from anxiety and fear? Then seek first his Kingdom and His righteousness and all the other things we need will be provided.
We can not do that on our own. We can not simply determine with our will that we will seek first His kingdom, Only when our wills have been changed and made new by the Spirit of God can this happen. Jesus said, “Unless a man is born again he can not see the kingdom of god.” If it is your desire to seek that kingdom, then I would invite you to Jesus so that he can give you a new birth, a new direction, a new purpose and a new focus.
