Focal Point

Dave Drewy: Today on Focal Point with Pastor Mike Fabarez.

Now you're worried about your retirement. You're worried about having that kid and can we afford college? You're worried about, can I afford the next set of tires on my car?

Pastor Mike Fabarez: Here's the deal. God loves you, and He is not going to leave you when your tires go bald. He's not going to leave you when you're too old to work. God is going to walk with you through all of that. And He puts it this way in Deuteronomy 31, "I will never leave you, and I will never forsake you."

Dave Drewy: Jesus warned against the deceitfulness of riches. And yet, with as expensive as life is, it's easy to get swept up in the pursuit of wealth. Today on Focal Point, Pastor Mike Fabarez shares key truths from Hebrews chapter 13 to give us God's perspective on money.

Before we begin, if you're new to Focal Point, reach out and say hello online, and we'll send you a free copy of Pastor Mike's new booklet called Battling Sin. Go to focalpointradio.org. Well, now here's Pastor Mike with his message, Contentment instead of Materialism.

Pastor Mike Fabarez: The problem with money is you can't trust it. Some of us can stand up, testify to that, come to the microphone, and tell your story. How many of us know the riches-to-rags stories of people that had it made and then it got unmade?

First Timothy chapter six says money is uncertain. And that's the great principle. By the way, I'm quoting verse number 17. First Timothy 6:17 says don't put your hope there, put your hope in God. Not only in the span of your life will you take nothing with you, as it says in First Timothy 6, but within the journey of our life, it's here and then it's gone.

We think we're doing great. Look at the investment of our home and it's going through the roof and now not so good. Actually, I'm upside down. I've got the repo man around the corner. What's with this money thing? You can't trust it. It's not a constant.

Let me give you a passage that you can do your homework on later. First Corinthians chapter seven, verse 31. It is a statement again, a restatement of the fact that we're going to live in the real world. You're going to have to buy a present, you're going to have to buy a new phone, you have to buy a new car. You're going to have to deal with the things of this world.

Paul makes this distinction in First Corinthians 7. He says if you buy stuff, it's as though it's not yours to keep. If you use the things of this world, he says, as though not engrossed in them, which is a good English word for that word. It's an interesting word. Don't be engrossed in them. That's the principle.

The better stuff is better than the not-so-good stuff. I mean, I'd rather have the iPhone than that cruddy little Ericsson flip phone. That would be better. I'd rather drive that midnight blue Porsche Carrera than my Tahoe, my used Tahoe. I would rather do that. There's more appeal to that. It's a more attractive car. It's a sexy car.

Because those things, the better things in life, the 7,000-square-foot house on an acre overlooking the Pacific Ocean is a better house than the condo. It's more attractive. There's more appeal to that.

If you want to guard your heart against the anxiety of materialism, you have to admit that the material things of this world are attractive in increasing measure and you have to create a dispassionate buffer around your heart to guard you against the attraction of material things.

This will be balanced as the message unfolds because our passage is going to give us more to work with. But I need to be able to say, I can appreciate the fact that the iPhone's better than my Ericsson phone, but I'm not going to be, here is how Paul put it, engrossed in it.

What does that mean? I'm not going to allow my heart to go, "Gotta have, gotta have," which we've all been tempted to do. Don't do that. Have a dispassionate buffer. There are attractive things in this world that you can't be engrossed in. Are you catching the analogy now?

You have to put a dispassionate buffer. It doesn't mean that the things of the world aren't attractive. It doesn't mean the material issues of the world can't engross you. They can, but don't let it happen. Put a dispassionate layer. It's kind of like, "Whatever. Yeah, that's better. I'm not going to be a fool and I'm not going to deny reality. I'm just going to have that dispassionate buffer around my heart. I'm going to protect my heart."

Yeah, that's great, but whatever. It is great. It's better. But I'm not going to be engrossed in that. It's a layer of self-protection, that dispassionate layer of self-protection. That one was a little wordy. This one's simpler.

Second thing, the way I can fight the anxiety is the principle from Philippians chapter four, verse number six. Remember that? Here is how I put it: Replace anxiety with prayer. Is that simple? Replace anxiety with prayer. It's really easy.

But when you feel the anxiety, what if? What's going to happen? Are we going to have enough? What about this? We really need that, and our kids, when they're grown, we need a bigger house. When you feel the anxiety, replace it with prayer.

The Bible says, not just about the general issues of life but about financial issues as well, "Be anxious for," what does Philippians 4:6 say? "Only the big things." Is that what it says? "Be anxious for nothing." That's pretty all-inclusive.

But in everything, with prayer and petition with thanksgiving, that's an interesting line, let your requests be made known to God. So take the energy of anxiety, because we're all going to be tempted to feel it, and transition that into a purpose to pray. I'm going to pray.

Are you concerned about your retirement fund? Are you concerned that you put all your marbles in your house and now your house isn't worth what it was worth? Here's the deal. Take the anxiety that that may produce and turn that into prayer. "God, here is my request. I don't want to be living under a freeway underpass when we retire. So God, please don't let that happen." Take your concern and turn it into prayer. That's very practical.

Dispassionate layer toward the lure of the material things. When I feel the anxiety coming on, I'm going to turn it into a prayer request and make that prayer request clear to God, which often has a purifying effect on your motives because sometimes we realize what I'm worried about, sometimes it's stuff that we really shouldn't even be wanting. That's another sermon.

We need to restate the principle of this passage and that is: I don't trust in stuff, I trust in God. We need to state that and restate it. I don't trust in stuff, I trust in God. It needs to come out of your mouth. I don't trust in stuff. My ultimate confidence is in what God does, not in or how much money I have. I don't have confidence in money. That needs to be stated and restate.

Because if you don't state the truth of that, the feelings of the lure and attraction that says, "Come on, trust me," of money is going to take over. State and restate your ultimate confidence in God and your lack of confidence in stuff.

Proverbs 11:4 is a great statement. It's the ultimate statement of it, but money ultimately is very limited in what it can do. And we need to recognize that. Fight the anxiety of materialism. Keep your lives free from the love of money. That's another way to say it.

How do I know if I have it? We've looked at that. How do I remedy it? A couple of simple things, but here comes the real antidote to the problem. It's found here in the middle of verse number five.

There are two things here for us in the bottom of verse five. If I want to be free from that kind of engrossment in material things, that love of money as the Bible calls it, that covetousness of the Old Testament, that materialism that we often talk about, then you need to do two things: be content with what you have and you need to affirm this statement, "I know that God will never leave me and never forsake me."

There are two things here. There is some kind of focus on the things that I have, a contentment in what I have, and a focus on who I have. I have God, and He's never leaving me. Let's jot it down this way, number two, and then we'll unpack it. You and I, we need to celebrate. That might be a big word. I'll try to justify it here in a minute. Celebrate what and who you have.

Because you have some stuff and you have someone that should change everything about the fears of "What if?" and "I don't know if we'll have enough." You have some stuff and you have someone that is the antidote to the problem and the temptation to be anxious about stuff.

Let's start with the first one, which unfortunately is going to jar all you spiritual masochists, and you know who you are. You like the dark side of Christianity. You like to feel bad. Here's a point that's going to make you feel good. I'm sorry, but this is a positive statement.

Notice what it doesn't say. I know a lot of people read this passage and they read the wrong thing. They think it says be content with what you don't have. Be content that you don't have something. Be satisfied that you don't have the 7,000-square-foot house on an acre overlooking the ocean. Just be satisfied that you don't have that.

Is that what it says? It's not a statement about doing something with what I don't have. It's a statement about doing something with what I do have. Be content with what you have. That's an interesting part of this. Part of the solution to materialism is a biblical focus, and it's called contentment on what I have.

To up that word from satisfaction to something else that I've justified as celebration, let me take you to First Timothy chapter six. I've already quoted it, but let's look at that passage in context and see if we can't justify the word celebrate. And I know it's a big word, but you and I need to have some kind of attitude toward the things you do have, not a focus on the things you don't have.

That's important because materialism is all about getting you to think about what you don't have. Isn't that what the commercials are all about? "Hey, you don't have one of these, but you need one." And they want to get your focus on the stuff you don't have. God is trying to get your focus back on the stuff that you do have. And that is the incessant battle that takes place in our heart.

First Timothy six, look at verse number 17. I quoted it earlier. You wrote down the reference perhaps. But let's read the whole verse. Command those who are rich in this present world, and before you roll your eyes and go, "Well, that ain't me," remember the context. First-century church in Ephesus. Now they're not all poor and begging, but you probably got a lot more than they do.

We got plenty of stuff. So let's at least let this passage speak to us. If we got more stuff than we need, that's what rich means. Those who are rich in this present world, stop being rich and at least not enjoy it if you are. Is that what it says? Doesn't say anything about that. It does warn us against arrogance and it warns us against what we've already dealt with, putting our hope in wealth. It's uncertain. Don't trust in that. Put your hope in God. Have we not dealt with that?

That's the first thing. It's an attitude of my heart. Then it says this: God, who I'm trusting in, richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Enjoyment? God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Only two times you'll find this Greek word in the New Testament, enjoyment. You'll find that English word, but the word that translates enjoyment here, only twice. Now you're wondering where the other place is. We just read it not long ago.

Keep your finger here because we're going to come back to the end of First Timothy. But turn to Hebrews 11 and I want to show you a startling contrast of the use of the New Testament vocabulary. In this passage, we're told that God has provided stuff for our enjoyment. The stuff that we have, if we have more than we need, God has provided that that we might enjoy it.

Now, that word, I don't want you to think is some kind of weird spiritual word that really doesn't mean what it sounds like it means. Let me show you the only other use of this word in the New Testament. It's Hebrews chapter 11. It's in the discussion about Moses. Drop down to verse 25.

And Moses is discussed in verse 25 as choosing, it says he chose to be mistreated along with the people of God, that's the Israelites that he was supposed to deliver, rather than, now bracket this phrase, "to enjoy the pleasures," bracket that, there's the word. It's the only other place we'll find it in the New Testament. Enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.

That's why we don't like this word, because it's usually attached in our minds to bad things. We're picturing Moses. Now he's got all the advantages, the nicest camels to drive, they got all the nice stuff in Egypt, and he's going to step out and say, "I'm not going to take that. I'm going to lead the people out of Egypt."

We say, "See there?" Number one, it would have been sin for Moses to lay back on a cushy life in Egypt when God had called him to lead the people of Israel out. Secondly, we can assume there's a layer of enjoyment and pleasure in Egypt that was not godly. It was carousing and sin and drunkenness and all this other stuff, immorality. We can assume that was a part of it.

But the feeling that you get when you read the phrase "enjoy the pleasures of," recognize that that's the word that Paul uses over here in First Timothy chapter six by saying God has provided stuff in your life that is for your enjoyment.

Now again, that's taking contentment to another level. But it's the concept of be content with what you have. Let's add another biblical layer. Let's enjoy what we have. Let's celebrate what we have. Because the focus of the world says, "Look at what you don't have."

All I'm saying is great, you don't have the best stuff. I understand it. I don't either. But I got some stuff and that's the first thing in trying to solve the problem of having to have more. Recognize what you have. I have an old used Tahoe. I would certainly enjoy driving home a brand new Porsche. That would be better. But my heart has a dispassionate layer against those things. It's all right that I don't have that. It's cool.

But what I do have should not be tarnished by what I don't have. What I want to do is I want to sit in my Tahoe because here's the great thing: it's not like my first car when I had to crank it to get the window down. What's really cool about my used Tahoe is I got a button and down comes the window. It makes a little noise, but it comes down and that's cool and that's worth celebrating and I enjoy that.

I don't have an iPhone. It's easy to be attracted to the sexy allure of the iPhone. You don't have the iPhone, but you got that old Ericsson phone and it still works. So call somebody and enjoy your phone. You don't got the latest and greatest? That's okay. And if you do have the iPhone, enjoy it and we won't feel the attraction to it. We'll try to maintain ourselves.

The point is you don't have the best stuff. I get it. Materialism is the focus on what you don't have as opposed to the focus on what you do have. And the temptation, as soon as we look at what we have, well, "It would be a whole lot better if I just had a new stereo in the old Tahoe." Just try and focus on the things you have. Stop seeing the things you have as just an advertisement for something else that you don't have. Focus on what you do have and enjoy that because it's been given to you for your enjoyment.

One more passage. I said we'd go back to the end of First Timothy. Go to First Timothy chapter four. And I jokingly talked about you spiritual pessimists, but you do understand it is a sin. Not only is it a sin, it is a doctrine of demons according to this passage. Look at the context here. There are false teachers out there basically saying God wants you kind of unhappy and, in this case, deprived of the pleasures of life. And Paul wants to point that out, that's big-time sin.

Verse one: The Spirit, Holy Spirit, capital S, clearly says that in latter times some will abandon the faith and they'll follow deceiving spirits. Does that sound good or bad? Sounds bad. Things taught by demons. That's really bad. Such teachings, by the way, come through hypocritical liars. They don't do what they say they're preaching. And their consciences are seared as with a hot iron. These are bad guys.

Well, what do they teach? Teachings taught by demons. Well, here it is: They forbid people to marry. We dealt with this in First Corinthians seven, a lot of people go, "Well, I don't know, God wouldn't want us to do that." Here's the deal: That to deprive someone of that and to say, "Well, that's not godly," that's wrong.

And then he says, and they order people to abstain from certain foods, usually the good foods. Because here's the truth: God has created them to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. That is such a great passage. I love that passage.

That means that prime rib was created for us. Did you get that? When you walk into Ruth's Chris and you see somebody eating your steak, you say, "It really wasn't created for you, sir. It's not created for non-Christians. The good stuff is created for us, those of us who believe and know the truth."

That's just a great statement because I know that God creates and gives good things to His children and He'd like us to enjoy them. When you give a good gift to your kid at Christmas, do you want them to go, "No, I don't want that. I don't want to enjoy any of that." You love your kids, right? You like to give them something they enjoy. God is the same way and He'd love for you to enjoy the things He gives.

And the Bible makes it clear: The things that God has created, verse number four, are good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with, here is a good word, thanksgiving because it is consecrated, set apart, by the Word of God and by prayer. God wants you to have the right attitude toward the stuff that He gives you.

You might want to put in the margin Deuteronomy chapter eight because the fear is when He gives you good stuff, you'll start focusing on the gift and not the Giver. The fear of Deuteronomy eight is that when you get all the good stuff, you'll forget about God. That's the temptation.

But when He gives you a good gift and you can see the tension in God's heart. He doesn't want you to love the stuff, but He loves you. And when He gives you something, it may not be the best, but what He gives you He'd like you to enjoy. And that is one of the best prescriptions for keeping your heart from focusing on all the things you don't have.

Celebrate what you have because God has given you a lot and He'd like you to enjoy it. But more importantly, and most profoundly, back to Hebrews 13:5, you need to celebrate who you have. And I don't care, like David said, if your mother and father forsake you, here is what you've got if you're a child of God, and I'm talking to Christians now: you have God Himself.

And God has promised to walk with you through this life and He puts it this way in Deuteronomy 31, "I will never leave you and I will never forsake you." Now you're worried about your retirement. You're worried about having that kid and can we afford college? You're worried about, "Can I afford the next set of tires on my car?"

Here's the deal. God loves you, and He is not going to leave you when your tires go bald. He's not going to leave you when you're too old to work. He's not going to leave you when your kids are in college. God is going to walk with you through all of that.

And that's who you have. And if you have God, you have the one who owns, Psalm 50, the cattle on a thousand hills. The point is, God owns everything. I made the mistake not too long ago; we were at Disneyland. And I handed my kid a five-dollar bill. You can see how foolish this was because he said, "Dad, I really want a corn dog and I'm hungry and my stomach hurts and I want a corn dog and I'm going to go over here and get a corn dog and a Coke. Can I do that?"

And I said, "Fine, but we're over here and we're busy right now." And it was like 200 yards away and I handed him a five-dollar bill and I said, "Yeah, go." And of course, he didn't know any better. He went with his five-dollar bill, runs through the crowd. He's gone for a while and I'm sitting here dealing with the rest of the family.

And here comes my fourth grader back with big tears in his eyes and a five-dollar bill. I said, "Where have you been?" "I got in line, I got in line, it wasn't enough." You know, they went 19.25 please, or whatever a corn dog and a Coke cost at Disneyland.

And here's the deal. Had I been standing in line with Junior and he gets to the front and hands him the five-dollar bill and the guy says, "No, sorry, 19.25." He may not have it in his hand, but Dad who's standing behind him, he's got a pocketful of plastic. Dad does. And they take that at Disneyland, by the way. Do you think my son's going to get a meal? He's going to eat. He's going to be taken care of if he just sticks with his Dad.

And if you are thinking, "I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough to retire, we may have to live under the freeway overpass." Are you going to retire with God in your life? Do you think God is going to go, "Sorry, sorry." God is going to take care of you. God will walk you through the rest of your life and He'll take your hand in His. I know that's poetic and it's a little Hallmark for you, but it's biblical.

Let me give you a passage. Psalm 37, take a look at this text. Stick with God. He owns the planet. You're afraid about your future? Don't be. Look at verse 23 of Psalm 37. If Yahweh delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm. Look at verse 24. Though he stumble—now this isn't the prosperity gospel, you understand that. I'm not saying this is not about prosperity.

You will, there're going to be seasons of financial trouble. I guarantee it, we'll all have those. That's going to happen. But here's the deal: you're not going to fall. You may have some things crash and your house may not be worth anything, you may have to move into a condo, I don't know what your life's like, but you're not going to fall.

Why? Here it is, underline it. Yahweh upholds him with His hand. Do you see that? And now David testifies, "I was young, and now I'm old, yet I've never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." Never seen it. God doesn't do that.

Matter of fact, invertedly, verse 26, here's what I find as a pattern: "They always are generous and they lend freely and their children will be blessed." Not the prosperity gospel, but it's the principle of Jesus. Seek first the kingdom of God, Matthew 6:33, and all these things will be added to you.

Don't focus on the stuff. Focus on the relationship. Hold His hand. Focus on that relationship. Know that He's going to walk with you through your kid's college education, through your next pair of tires, through your retirement and say, "I'm going to trust God and let all the other stuff work itself out. I'm not going to be sitting there counting my money every night. I'm not going to be looking over my portfolio every week." I don't have to do that. I'm not worried about that.

God will never leave you and forsake you. David says, "I've never seen God's people forsaken by God. They're not living under the freeway overpass." God takes care of them. You've got to believe that, right? You've got to know that's the truth of the Bible. So, what are you worried about? Why are you worried about stuff?

Dave Drewy: We're wrestling with the challenges of money in today's message called Contentment instead of Materialism. You're listening to Focal Point with Pastor Mike Fabarez and a series called Counter-Cultural Christians.

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What actually happens to your body the moment you die? And do Malachi's promises about tithing still apply today? To hear the answers, join Pastor Mike as he fields new questions tomorrow in another edition of Ask Pastor Mike Live. I'm Dave Drewy and we'll see you again Friday here on Focal Point.

Pastor Mike Fabarez: Hi, Pastor Mike here. God's Word promises it'll never return void. So I wonder, how is God's Word moving in your heart right now? Drop us a line, let us know. We'd love to hear from you. We'd love to be praying for you here. Just go to focalpointradio.org. And then be sure to join us again tomorrow right here as we continue to explore the depths of Scripture. We'll see you then.

Dave Drewy: Today's program was produced and sponsored by Focal Point Ministries.