Seeing the Blind Spot

1. Seeing the Blind Spot Luke 16:13

2. The Material Gospel: ________

3. The Material Gospel: Mammon

4. The Material Gospel: Mammon • Gives us security. • Increases our power. • Offers happiness.

6. The Material Gospel: Mammon • Gives us security. • Increases our power. • Offers happiness. • Provides comfort. • Buys popularity.

8. Cadillac Ad - "You can have it all'

9. Luke 16:13 “No servant 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.”

10. The Visible Gospel • True wealth is found in Jesus. • We are blessed to bless others. “In the dawn of this new phase in the redemptive history, no teachers (including Jesus) in the New Testament ever promise material wealth as a reward for obedience.” --David Platt, Radical, page 117.

11. The Visible Gospel • True wealth is found in Jesus. • We are blessed to bless others. Luke 14:33 “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

12. The Visible Gospel • True wealth is found in Jesus. • We are blessed to bless others. • True love is displayed in actions.

13. James 2:15-16 “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?”

14. “Anyone wanting to proclaim the glory of Christ to the ends of the earth must consider not only how to declare the gospel verbally but also how to demonstrate the gospel visibly in a world where so many are urgently hungry. If I am going to address urgent spiritual need by sharing the gospel of Christ or building up the body of Christ around the world, then I cannot overlook dire physical need in the process.” --David Platt, Radical, page 109

15. Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

16. The Visible Gospel • True wealth is found in Jesus. • We are blessed to bless others. • True love is displayed in actions. • Use worldly wealth for eternal purposes.

17. “Yet, while caring for the poor is not the basis of our salvation, this does not mean that our use of wealth is totally disconnected from our salvation. Indeed, caring for the poor (among other things) is evidence of our salvation.” --David Platt, Radical, page 110

18. Luke 16:13-15 “No servant 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." 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.”

20. Luke 16:13-15 “No servant 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." 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.”

21. Luke 16:19-25 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.

22. Luke 16:19-25 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

23. Luke 16:19-25 25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.”

24. The Rich Man in Me

25. “The lesson I learned is that the war against materialism in our hearts is exactly that: a war. It is a constant battle to resist the temptation to have more luxuries, to acquire more stuff, and to live more comfortably. It requires strong and steady resolve to live out the gospel in the middle of an American dream that identifies success as moving up the ladder, getting the bigger house, purchasing the nicer car, buying the better clothes, eating the finer food, and acquiring more things.” --David Platt, Radical, page 136

26. The Rich Man in Me • Materialism is a spiritual disease.

28. The Rich Man in Me • Materialism is a spiritual disease. • Who do you identify with most? “I am much like the rich man, and the church I lead looks a lot like him too.” --(David Platt, Radical, page 115)

29. The Rich Man in Me • Materialism is a spiritual disease. • Who do you identify with most? • How will you reconcile your life?

30. “So what about you and me? Are we willing to ask God if he wants us to sell everything we have and give the money to the poor? Are we willing to ask and wait for an answer instead of providing one of our own or justifying our ideas of why he would never tell us to do this? This seems a bit radical, but isn’t it normal and expected when we follow a Master who said, “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple”? --David Platt, Radical, page 120

31. Challenge: We can’t do everything, but let’s do something. “Clearly , God does not command or expect us to meet every need. But the logic that says, “I can’t do everything, so I won’t do anything,” is straight from hell.” --David Platt, Radical, Page 130.

32. Challenge: We can’t do everything, but let’s do something. “Ultimately, I don’t want to miss eternal treasure because I settle for earthly trinkets.” --David Platt, Radical, Page 138.