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[568.28 --> 569.40] That's not what Jesus teaches.
[569.54 --> 571.20] It does lead to all sorts of evil,
[571.42 --> 572.64] but it itself is not evil.
[572.64 --> 576.00] God is a generous God who gives good gifts for us to enjoy.
[576.58 --> 579.46] But these gifts so quickly become our slave owners,
[580.08 --> 582.32] and we become enslaved to them.
[582.72 --> 584.24] And that's the real threat.
[585.04 --> 588.02] And I used to think that greed was an issue
[588.02 --> 589.30] for some people over there.
[589.60 --> 590.46] The older I get,
[590.52 --> 592.38] the more I realize that greed is an issue for all of us,
[592.44 --> 595.10] especially in a consumer society, right?
[595.36 --> 596.64] Where at any stage,
[596.70 --> 598.08] there's going to be things you want,
[598.18 --> 599.08] money you want,
[599.36 --> 600.22] things you want to buy,
[600.36 --> 601.40] housing you want to afford,
[601.40 --> 603.30] and you're always chasing for more.
[603.50 --> 605.92] And that hunger is deep within our sinful condition
[605.92 --> 607.50] to want more of stuff,
[607.86 --> 609.82] more money to fund a certain lifestyle,
[610.14 --> 612.00] more and more and more.
[612.80 --> 613.84] And Jesus invites us
[613.84 --> 616.80] into a totally different way of being.
[617.98 --> 619.30] And his way of saying it,
[619.66 --> 621.26] in contrast to storing up for ourselves
[621.26 --> 622.40] treasures on earth is,
[622.78 --> 624.68] to store up treasures for ourself in heaven.
[625.76 --> 626.54] And I don't know about you,
[626.62 --> 628.10] but that is a strange phrase.
[628.10 --> 630.10] Like when you think of that even,
[630.32 --> 632.46] how do you imagine doing that, right?
[632.62 --> 634.44] How do you store up for yourself
[634.44 --> 636.36] treasures in heaven?
[638.42 --> 640.08] Now, you won't be surprised maybe to hear
[640.08 --> 641.20] that there's different ways
[641.20 --> 642.68] that people interpret that phrase.
[643.42 --> 645.14] And I happen to like more than one of them.
[645.24 --> 646.76] One is to live in a way
[646.76 --> 648.20] that reflects eternity, right?
[648.28 --> 649.62] You live with character,
[649.82 --> 650.60] you develop relationships,
[650.74 --> 651.64] and you live in a way of,
[651.76 --> 653.36] you invest in the things that will last.
[653.90 --> 654.96] But I like this way,
[655.02 --> 656.80] this comes from a fellow named N.T. Wright.
[656.80 --> 658.98] He says, Jesus talks about heaven
[658.98 --> 660.78] as the kingdom of heaven.
[661.38 --> 663.20] In fact, that's a phrase he repeats a lot
[663.20 --> 664.16] in the Gospel of Matthew.
[664.66 --> 666.28] And for Jesus, the kingdom of heaven
[666.28 --> 667.86] is this coming rule
[667.86 --> 670.10] that will come when he returns in glory.
[670.42 --> 671.00] And it's his kingdom
[671.00 --> 672.60] that will fill the earth of peace,
[672.98 --> 675.04] of justice, of care for the poor.
[675.20 --> 676.60] There will be no more warfare,
[676.74 --> 678.58] no more division between the wealthy and the poor.
[679.00 --> 680.78] All the needs of the world will be met
[680.78 --> 681.96] when Jesus' kingdom comes.
[682.30 --> 683.76] And the church, then,
[684.32 --> 685.82] is the community that sees
[685.82 --> 687.50] and catches a glimpse of that future
[687.50 --> 689.56] because of what Jesus is doing in the church
[689.56 --> 691.46] and begins to live now
[691.46 --> 693.76] what will one day be normal for the whole earth.
[694.86 --> 696.38] Or my father-in-law,
[696.48 --> 697.52] who's written on the story of the Bible,
[697.60 --> 699.58] he says, the church is sort of the sneak preview
[699.58 --> 701.80] in a movie of the future.
[701.98 --> 703.66] You know, when you go to see sneak previews
[703.66 --> 704.48] at a movie theater,
[704.54 --> 705.84] it gives you a glimpse of what's coming.
[705.92 --> 707.18] The church is the glimpse
[707.18 --> 708.86] of the way the world is gonna be
[708.86 --> 710.20] when Jesus returns in glory.
[710.76 --> 712.12] And if you read the book of Acts
[712.12 --> 714.48] and you pay attention to how the church is living,
[714.58 --> 716.80] you'll see that they are caring for the poor
[716.80 --> 718.64] because they know that in God's future,
[718.70 --> 719.64] the poor will be cared for.
[719.98 --> 721.02] They are giving generously
[721.02 --> 721.92] because they know in the future
[721.92 --> 722.74] there will be generosity.
[723.28 --> 724.84] They are living in just ways
[724.84 --> 727.04] and caring in all sorts of amazing ways
[727.04 --> 728.94] because they know that day is coming
[728.94 --> 729.82] when Christ returns.
[730.52 --> 733.96] They are storing up treasures for heaven.
[735.66 --> 737.02] And for the rest of our time here,
[737.06 --> 738.10] I'm actually gonna focus on
[738.10 --> 739.96] how we do that practically.
[739.96 --> 742.52] And I'm trying to keep myself on time here
[742.52 --> 743.76] because we're gonna take a little more time
[743.76 --> 744.84] with communion this morning.
[745.56 --> 746.54] But I wanna open up,
[746.60 --> 748.10] what are the practical ways
[748.10 --> 750.36] that we store up for ourselves
[750.36 --> 751.54] treasures in heaven?
[752.24 --> 753.52] And here are the three things