SERMON: LESS IS MORE (MAKING CHANGE SERMON SERIES)

[Sermon Series based on similar series from Craig Groeschel, Life Church]

19 February 2017

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in your Bibles to Ecclesiastes 4:6 [read Ecclesiastes 4:6]

            -- tonight we are beginning a new sermon series called “Making Change” -- it’s a series on personal finance and on making changes in our financial lives to reflect biblical principles of finances and to help us focus on what is truly important in life

            -- in this series we will learn four things to remember when we’re getting our finances on track: Less is More, Stress is Bad, Giving is Good, and Tomorrow Matters.

            -- this week, we’re focusing on “Less is More” -- living below our means -- learning to be content with what we need and focusing our time and energy on what is truly important in life rather than spending our lives chasing after possessions that have no eternal value

            -- our society has a problem with stuff -- we spend our time working to make money to buy more stuff -- our time and our energy goes into purchasing things -- our focus is on newer and better and more -- and we’re suffering as a result -- it’s impacting our marriages and our relationships with family and friends -- it’s affecting our relationship with God -- and it’s causing unprecedented emotional and physical stress in our lives, resulting in increased health problems and decreased quality of life -- the business of stuff has become an epidemic in the U.S.

            -- in fact, we’ve accumulated so much stuff, that we don’t even have room to store it in our homes any longer -- did you know that the United States now has 2.3 billion square feet of self-storage space -- that’s more than seven square feet of space for every man, woman and child in this country -- to put it into a different perspective, it is now physically possible for every American to stand -- all at the same time -- under the canopy of self-storage roofing

            -- one out of every 10 households in the country rents storage space at a self-storage facility, while many more have storage sheds in their back yards -- as of 2009, there were 51,000 storage facilities in the U.S., more than seven times the number of Starbucks

            -- why is this? -- as one person explained, it comes down to our “great American propensity toward accumulating stuff” -- as our real disposable income per capita has risen over the last few decades, our spending has also increased -- we are simply buying more and more stuff, a lot of which we never really needed in the first place

            -- just as an example, between 1998 and 2005, the number of vacuum cleaners coming into the country every year more than doubled -- the number of toasters, ovens and coffeemakers tripled -- and I can attest to that -- we have three coffeemakers sitting on our counter at home, along with an electric tea kettle, and a couple more French Press machines in the cabinet

            -- as the 2006 UCLA study stated, middle-class families in this country are “battling a nearly universal overaccumulation of goods”¹

            -- so if we’re going to make a change in our lives, one of the first things we are going to have to do is fight this tendency to buy more and more stuff -- we have to remember the key:  Less is More

II.  Scripture Lesson -- Ecclesiastes 4:6

            -- this evening, we’re going to look at one verse from the Book of Ecclesiastes as we dig deeper into the theme of Less is More

            -- before we do that, let me give you a little background and context about the Book of Ecclesiastes -- Ecclesiastes is King Solomon’s record of searching for significance -- it records his thoughts on what is truly important in life -- his quest for contentment and his pursuit of purpose

            -- Solomon was, without a doubt, the richest and wisest ruler ever -- before he had taken the throne from his father David, Solomon was granted a request by God -- God would give him whatever he desired -- whatever Solomon felt was most needed to successfully govern God’s chosen people

            -- Solomon didn’t ask for wealth or for victory over his enemies -- instead he asked for wisdom -- and God granted his request, and blessed him with even more because of the unselfishness of his desire -- God made Solomon the richest and wisest ruler to have ever lived -- He gave Solomon and the nation of Israel a period of peace never known before nor since

            -- but Solomon apparently fell into the same trap his father David did when he sinned with Bathsheba -- Solomon became bored -- he became complacent -- life became a quest to see just how much he could possess -- in knowledge, in wisdom, in wealth, in power, in relationships with women -- and despite what he had -- despite what he had amassed -- it was never enough -- he was always seeking just a little more

            -- but here, at the end of his life, Solomon pauses to reflect in the Book of Ecclesiastes on what he had to show for his life -- how others would remember him -- what legacy he would be leaving behind -- and there is deep pain and wisdom in this personal reflection

            -- Solomon looks at all he has gathered -- at all that he has accumulated over a lifetime of striving -- and concludes that all is vanity -- “vanity of vanity,” he writes

            -- now, vanity has two different meanings, both of which we see expressed in this book -- the first, most common, definition of vanity is excessive pride in oneself -- admiration of one’s achievements or appearance -- and I think it was this type of vanity that drove Solomon’s hunger for more throughout his life

            -- but it is the other type of vanity that Solomon expresses when he says in this book, “Vanity, vanity -- all is vanity” -- this type of vanity is the quality of being worthless or futile -- and here, at the end of his life, Solomon is looking around and realizing that all that he has gathered and possesses -- his wealth -- the material things -- the stuff -- his wives and concubines -- his many palaces and all the other items that he had accumulated over a lifetime -- all of these were worthless and of no value in eternity -- as the old saying goes, “You never see a hearse pulling a U-haul” -- and Solomon is realizing that right now

            -- Solomon laments in this book his vanity in spending a lifetime looking for more while accumulating that which was worthless, rather than storing up treasure in heaven for eternity -- he expounds in this book on the vanity of doing -- the vanity of being -- and the vanity of having -- and the worthlessness of striving after that which has no eternal value

            -- look back with me at Ecclesiastes 4:6

Ecclesiastes 4:6  

“Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.”

            -- some translations quote this as “two handfuls with toil grasping after the wind” -- which gives us a picture of someone constantly grabbing for more and more but never being satisfied with what they have

            -- Solomon makes the point in this verse that peace and contentment -- that tranquility --comes when you are satisfied with only one handful of stuff -- that it is far better to have one hand full than two -- that with less you actually have more

            -- why is that? -- because the person who is not satisfied with one handful of stuff is never going to be satisfied even when both hands are full -- they will be constantly striving and toiling for more -- their hearts will never be at rest -- they will always be longing for what they don’t have

            -- as William Barrick points out in his commentary on this book, “contentment can exist where the individual actually possesses fewer material goods, but finds satisfying rest”² -- this is something that Solomon is just realizing

            -- his whole life he had been striving and pushing for more -- he had been doing all he could to accumulate more and more things in his life, but nothing he had gathered gave him peace or tranquility -- his heart was not at rest, because it belonged to things rather than to God and family and friends

            -- why does Solomon say that one handful is better than two? -- isn’t having more always better? -- no, because having more can keep you from enjoying life and from helping those around you

            -- if you have one hand free, you can reach down to help someone else in need -- if someone needs a hand up, you can give them one -- if someone needs comfort, you can comfort them -- living contented and satisfied with your needs, frees you to experience life -- it frees you to minister to others -- to help others -- it frees you from the rat-race and the seeking of more, more, more

            -- while others race around trying to accumulate that which they cannot spend -- to get so much stuff they have to rent storage shelters to keep it all in -- you can rest in the presence of God and family and friends and actually enjoy life

            -- having less allows you to focus on what is truly important

            -- take a moment and just think about that -- what is important in your life? -- what is it that truly defines you and makes you whole and complete?

            -- what if this week you went to the doctor and he told you that you only have three months to live? -- where would you spend your time and focus for the next three months? -- what would be the most important thing to you?

            -- this question has been asked multiple times over the years, and the answers are always similar -- God, family, children, relationships, being with those we love

            -- you know what’s not on that list? -- getting more money, buying stuff, getting the newest iPhone -- a bigger TV or a bigger house or more things -- working longer hours

            -- the thing is that we’ve all heard this before -- we all know this -- but yet we still spend so much of our lives pursuing the things that aren’t even on the list -- things that take all our time and our energy and our focus while we ignore what is truly important

            -- as Jesus said in Luke 12:15, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” -- that’s exactly what Solomon is saying here

            -- we need to define what is important and strive for that rather than continue on in the way we have been living -- remember, less is more -- having less material things doesn’t make us poorer -- it makes us richer

            -- wealth is less about what we own than the lives we live and the experiences we share

            -- Brian Bell asks a great question: “How much of the permanent are you sacrificing to get the temporary?”³

III.  Living the Less is More Lifestyle

            -- so how do we begin living a “Less is More” lifestyle? -- how do we live a better, more fulfilling life than that which Solomon realized?

            1.  We cut back -- we curb our wants and begin focusing on what is truly important in life -- do you really need that new phone or that new car or that new whatever? -- do you really need another pair of shoes or another shirt to gather dust in the closet?

            -- That's why we have to remember what Solomon is saying here -- Less is More -- get that in your head -- Less is More -- Less is More -- Better is one handful with tranquility then a bunch of stuff and the toil and the work that goes in getting that stuff that won’t last anyway

            -- I really want to encourage you to consider cutting back on your consumption -- to make a conscious effort to think before you buy

            -- I have been trying to do that in my own life -- for the last couple of years, when people asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told them I wanted experiences -- I didn’t want more stuff -- I wanted more time with friends and family -- more times where we’re sharing our lives and doing things that change us from the inside out -- experiences that will stick with us for years

            -- consider this -- this is 2017 -- can anyone tell me what they got for Christmas in 2010? -- or, how about this, can anyone tell me about any purchase they made or any specific gift they got that year? -- probably not -- but I guarantee you that if you think about it, you can probably remember an event that occurred that year -- a time when you were on vacation or at a friend’s house or doing something with your family

            -- 2010 was the year our whole family went on a cruise -- it was the first time Mama and Daddy had been on a cruise -- and I still have memories of that trip -- every now and then, something will trigger a memory and I’ll think about that cruise and remember going on it and the good times we had -- I can’t tell you a single thing we bought on that trip or what I spent money on, but I can tell you about the experiences we had and the memories I took home

            -- like taking a van ride around Cozumel and going on a boat ride up the river in Belize to see Mayan ruins -- these are the type of things that are important -- not the possessions we gather that end up gathering dust in our homes

            -- so the first thing we need to do to live a Less is More lifestyle is to cut back -- to realign our needs and to remember the difference between a need and a want

            -- remember this:  Less Stuff—More Friends. -- Less stuff—More time with family. --Less stuff—More experiences.

            2.  the second thing we’re going to do to begin living a Less is More lifestyle is to clear out -- to get rid of some of the stuff that we’ve accumulated and that we don’t really need or use

            -- how many of you have stuff stored somewhere? -- a storage shed, the attic, a garage, a back bedroom -- now how many of you know what you have stored? -- very few of us, I suspect

            -- this is something I’m trying to work on in my life -- and I know it’s hard -- but in order to keep the stuff from owning us and taking our focus away from the important things in life, we are going to have to clear out the stuff that we don’t really need -- the stuff that is just draining time and energy and money and focus from us -- the stuff that is getting in between us and God and family and friends

            --  Now, I want to acknowledge for a moment why this is so difficult for so many people, and it really, really is.  -- a lot of people grew up without much stuff, so when they became adults, they just began accumulating things, “just in case” -- a lot of people look at their things as a safety net -- as a preparation for the future -- something we might need one day -- we see this a lot with people who came out the depression or who were raised in poor environments -- there’s a real fear of getting rid of something because you might need it one day

            -- then we run into the whole trap of not getting rid of things because of sentimental value -- pictures and gifts that others gave us and that we just hold on to -- I acknowledge that -- it’s a real concern -- but remember, your life doesn’t consist in the abundance of stuff

            -- better is one handful with tranquility than two with toil and a chasing after the wind -- often we keep things simply because we feel like we should -- and we end up with items that are just symbols of people or experiences and that are taking up space in our lives when the real value is our memories

            -- we need to ask ourselves what is more important:  the item or the memory -- and then preserve what is important -- perhaps we can clear out sentimental items by taking a photo of it or by getting rid of all but a couple knick-knack reminders or by scanning cards or other similar means

            -- as Lauren Piro advises, “Remind yourself that you're not casting memories and heirlooms to the side — you're creating breathing room in your current life, freeing yourself of extra weight, and recognizing that what's most important is happening right now — not in a box in your attic.”⁴

            -- one way to start decluttering and clearing it out is to make a rule that if you get something, you have to give up something -- that if you get a new shirt, you take an old shirt and donate it -- if you get a new book, then do the same

            -- another good rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used something in one year, get rid of it -- if you haven’t used it over the last year, the odds of you using it in the future is very slim, and it’s just taking up space in your life

            -- clearing out can be the hardest part of adopting a Less is More lifestyle, but after you have released yourself from a lot of stuff in your life, you’ll realize a freedom that you’ve never known before

            3.  the final step is to pay it off -- to focus on getting out of debt -- remember, Less is More, Stress is Bad, Giving is Good, and Tomorrow Matters. -- with debt comes stress, there is no question about it

            -- no one likes to be in debt, whether that’s to a credit card company or to a car company or to just a friend -- debt is not a good place to be -- it’s a weight that hangs over your head -- and it’s a weight that is causing a lot of emotional stress between spouses and families and friends

            -- we’ll talk more about debt and the reasons to get out of debt next time -- but just remember, debt is a symptom of accumulating stuff -- and if you have less stuff and less need for stuff, then you won’t be experiencing the stress that comes from debt and from paying for things you probably really didn’t need in the first place -- but more on that in two weeks

IV.  CLOSING

            -- let me close by sharing with you the story about a father of a wealthy family who took his son on a trip to the country to show his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from the trip, the father asked his son what he thought about the trip

            "It was great, Dad."

            "Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.

            "Oh yeah," said the son.

            "So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

            The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden, and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden, and they have stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon.

            "We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that go beyond sight. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, but they have their friends to protect them."

            With this, the boy's father was speechless.

            -- Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."⁵

            -- true wealth does not come from owning things or possessing power -- as Solomon learned, true wealth and  true contentment comes from the Lord and from harmonious and lovign relationships with others

            -- as Proverbs 15:16-17 says, “Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil -- Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred”

            -- Proverbs 16:8 is similar -- “Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice”

            -- So as you leave here today, remember this thought:  Less is More -- and focus on cutting back, clearing out, and paying off so you will make room in your life for what is truly important

            -- let us pray

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1  [The Self Storage by Jon Mooallem, New York Times, September 6th, 2009; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/magazine/06self-storage-t.html]

2 [William D. Barrick, Ecclesiastes: The Philippians of the Old Testament, http://drbarrick.org/files//studynotes/Ecclesiastes/Ecclesiastes04PBC.pdf]

3 [Brian Bell, Sermon Notes on Ecclesiastes, Calvary Chapel Murrieta]

4 [Lauren Piro, Eight Rules for Ditching Sentimental Clutter, http://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/organizing-tips/tips/a3278/getting-rid-of-sentimental-clutter-good-housekeeping/]

5 Ron Blue, Faith-based Family Finances (Tyndale, 2008), pp. 29-30