1 Luke 12:13-21 Ecclesiastes 4:6--Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. Hey, a warm welcome to all of you today. I ve got to tell you that I m super excited to begin a brand-new four-part series today called Making Change (x2). I just want to say, with all sincerity, that I really believe that for so many of you--what God could do in your heart in the next four weeks through this message series, and through adult Sunday school and a couple budgeting workshops, could change your life and the lives of your children because that is what God does. I believe with all my heart this message series has the potential to bring about that kind of change. 1
2 At the same time, I believe that for many of you this will be one of the easiest message series to dismiss, to say, "You know what, Aw I don't need that. I don't want that. This isn't for me." I want to beg you to resist that temptation and make a commitment to be here all four weeks to have your heart open to what God might want to do and to believe that God has something better for you. Let me cover just the basics of what we're going to cover over the next four weeks. Here's what we're going to talk about. 1) Today, week one, we're going to talk about Less is More. Everybody say, "Less is More. 2) Then we re going to talk about Stress is Bad. Everybody say, Stress is Bad. 3) Then week three we re going to talk about Giving is Good. Everybody say, Giving is good. 4) Then week four we re going to talk about Tomorrow Matters. Everybody say, Tomorrow Matters. 2
3 Less is More, Stress is Bad, Giving is Good, and Tomorrow Matters x2. Before we get going I want to first thank Pastor Craig Groeschel and Lifechurch.tv for allowing churches like ours to use their materials for this series. We could reinvent the wheel, but sometimes it s good and okay to borrow someone else s blood, sweat, and tears. So thank you to them! Okay, let s dive right in. Let s talk about today s theme: Less is More. Less is really more. However, if you're like me, I've been programmed to believe that more is usually better. For my whole life I always thought if one is good, then two is better. If one dollar is good, two dollars would be better. If one car is good, two is better. If one kid is good, six would be better, well for some of 3
4 you crazy people J. But, in general if one is good, then more is better. However, any of you take your kids or grandkids trick-or-treating last week? I know that between Oktoberfest s trunk-or-treat, the school parade, and actual trick-or-treating on Monday night that my kids got a TON of candy. And like most kids they re tempted to eat too much. Parents, what s the problem if kids eat too much candy? First they go crazy from all the candy, bouncing off the walls. Then they get sick and can throw up. More is not always better. I want to talk today about the theme that sometimes Less is More. The author of Ecclesiastes says these words of wisdom: Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 4:6). Let s all read this 4
5 together: Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. Better is one handful with tranquility, peace, calm, serenity, etc, than to have two handfuls with toil. Get it? It s better to have one hand free of stuff than to have the toil of two FULL hands including stress, fear, anxiety, panic, marital difficulties, financial worry, and so on. And also, if I have one hand and someone needs a hand up what can I do? I can give them a hand up. If I have one hand full and someone needs something, I can do what? I can offer something to someone who is in need. If I have one hand full and someone needs comfort I can offer them comfort. Less is more. 5
6 So, I really want you to focus on this theme of Less is More this morning. How do we do that? By asking ourselves the question: "What really matters?" Take a moment to really think about what matters in your life. What s really, really important? Let me tell you what no one is going to write or say. Nobody will write or say how much money they have in the bank. Nobody will write or say their leather sofa, or their granite counter tops, or their car, the number of shoes they have or their walk-in closet, or how many friends they have on Facebook. None of these things really matter. When you define what matters you will see how much of your life is spent pursuing things that really don't matter. We tend to think 6
7 whatever I don't have is what I need, because more is better, more is better. Today we're learning a different principle: that Less is More. Less IS more. Better is one handful with tranquility then two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. What I want to do is I want to keep this really, really simple. I want to give you three thoughts about how we can live under the principle of Less is More. Are you ready? 1) The first thing is we're going to learn is to cut back. Cut back. We're going to cut back. Think of this example. When Meredith and I were first married we lived in an 800 square-foot apartment. We had two small closets. Somehow we managed to fit everything we needed into that place. Fast forward 10 years now we have a 2100 square-foot home with many closets and we regularly stress over not having 7
8 enough space for this and that, for company to visit, for all the junk we ve accumulated. Some of you, you've got so much stuff in your closet that you put some of it in the garage. Some of you have so much stuff in your garage that there s no room for your car. Some of you, all the normal storage places are filled up so you pack things into your attic. And some of you have so much stuff that you actually pay money to rent storage for your stuff that you just have to keep. And you re not alone! Did you know that the public storage industry is one of the THE fastest growing industries in the country?? You pay somebody to store stuff that you don't even use! Can you see how crazy that is?! That's why every now and then we have to remember, Less is More. Less is More. Less is More. Better is one handful with 8
9 tranquility then a bunch of stuff and toil with it. We need to understand the principle that Jesus taught us. In today s Gospel reading Jesus told a parable about a guy intent on building up treasure, and at the end of it Jesus said, "Your life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions." We know that up here (point to head), but we often don't live it here (hold out hands). Your life does not consist of the abundance of stuff. The most meaningful things at the end of your life will never be stuff, and yet we tend to accumulate, accumulate, and accumulate. That's why I really want to encourage you to consider cutting back on your consumption (and your time commitments). When we cut back the burdens are lifted and we have more time to enjoy what really matters in life: God, family, friends, and fulfilling God s purpose for us in the world. Cutting back on the unimportant things make a more abundant life possible. Cut back. 9
10 So, the first thought is Cut back. 2) The second thought is we're going to clear out. We're going to clear out. Someone once said, "You need to clear out as if your life depends on it because it does. Now, that may seem dramatic, but it s true. If you re going to be the better husband or wife you need to clear out clutter. If you re going to be the better parent you need to clear out clutter. If you re going to be the better worker you need to clear out clutter. If you re really going to live your life like it eternally matters then you need to clear out the clutter. We need to clear out so we can be everything that we re supposed to be. Here s what you find out when you do: when you de-clutter, as you cut back, as you clear out, what happens is there is room in your soul that wasn't there before. This happens for me. When I come into the house and it's neatly organized and everything's in 10
11 the proper place there's not a drag on my heart, and I'm able to enjoy time with Meredith and the kids. Now, I want to acknowledge for a moment why clearing out is so difficult for so many people, and it really, really is. For some of you your story's a little bit like mine. You didn't grow up with much and so everything has value and you want to conserve it. Why? Because we don't want to waste, and we might need something one day. I acknowledge that. My grandma, who grew up in the depression, saved every last Styrofoam take-out clamshell. There s also another reason people struggle with clearing out: things can become sentimental--gifts from special people, souvenirs from fond family vacations, etc. I acknowledge those things, but at the same time your life does not consist in the abundance of stuff. Your life does not consist in the abundance of 11
12 stuff. Better is one handful with tranquility then two with toil and chasing after the wind. One of the reasons that we can walk into our closet and have so many clothes and say, "There's nothing to wear," is because we're overwhelmed with choices. We literally have so many things. Think about Netflix; it s really hard to pick one show. There are so many. From television, to closets, to grocery stores (especially the ice cream isle), to restaurant menus there are so many choices! And you d think choices would bring you freedom, but the truth is they just hold you captive to make a decision. What we need to learn is that when you cut back, when you clear out, it brings freedom for your soul. Suddenly it becomes easier to choose, and there's not a drag on your life. You're able to connect so much better. 12
13 A couple years ago I looked around my office and realized that I was a book hoarder. In seminary I was insecure; I felt I didn t know enough to be a pastor. So, to counteract that insecurity I collected and bought as many books as I could. If a book looked mildly helpful or interesting I bought it so that one day when I needed it I could find the answer. Now I know it s not like that. Over time God has given me wisdom through people and experiences. I don t need to study a book for every issue that arises. So, two years ago I brought in some big plastic bins and started tossing books off my shelf into the bins to get rid of them. It felt SOOOOO good. I still remember the day. I was giddy. What if you did this in your closet? What if you did this in your garage? What if you did this in your attic? What if you did this in your kids rooms? What if you did this with your SCHEDULE?! Can you imagine how good it would feel to de-clutter, to have less 13
14 stuff you have to manage, find place for, tend to, be at, manage, clean?? Clear out. Now, to number three, pay off. Everybody say, Pay off. We know that Less is More and Stress is Bad. How many of you would agree that financial stress is absolutely and completely no fun at all? I have never, ever heard a single person say, "Pastor, my debt helps me feel so much better and at peace. I am so thankful for high interest rate credit cards. I feel so close to God every time I see how much I'm paying in interest. My debt brings me joy." What I have heard over, and over, and over again is, "Pastor, it makes me feel really stressed out. I worry about it all the time. We can t keep up. We have fights about money. This isn't helping us. I'd give anything to be able to go back and not be in debt like I am right now." 14
15 That's why we're going to pay off. We're going to talk really specifically next week about the heart behind doing this, so we'll be motivated to honor God in paying things off. What's fun is being debt free. You may say, "Yeah right, I could never get all the way there." But, you can take one step at a time. I ll tell you what, when you pay off your first credit card you re going to say: "Whoo-hoo! It feels good. Then one day you ll pay off a car and you ll say, "Double woohoo! Then you'll have your momentum and one day no more student loan payment, and then like years later you're like some crazy people who don't even have a house payment. Could you even imagine the freedom of going around every day without a house payment? I'll tell you what, that is fun. Stress from debit and money is bad. Eliminating is incredibly freeing. Better is one handful with tranquility then two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. 15
16 We're going to cut back, we're going to clear out, and we're going to pay off, because less is more. Less is more. Less is more. Less is really, really more. Listen folks, you have one chance to get this right. You have one ridiculously short life. What are you? You are a breath that appears for a little while. You're a mist that vanishes away, okay. You blink and your kids are going to be grown. You blink again and you ll be going, "Where did my life go?" Life passes. Please understand that your life is too valuable, your calling too great, and your God too good to waste your life on meaningless things. Let me say it again. When you understand that you serve a good God who has given you breath, and gifts, and a purpose. Your calling is special. You were not put on this Earth, during this time, 16
17 to accumulate stuff for yourself. You were put here to make a difference in the lives of other people. When you recognize that Jesus loves you, that he has redeemed you, you realize that your calling is too great, your God is too good, life is really, really short, then you refuse to waste your life on things that do not matter. Why? Because Less is More, Stress is Bad, Giving is Good, and Tomorrow Matters. Better is one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. Thanks be to God! Amen 17