You're listening to Mountain View Church Audio, Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City, Whitehorse, UConn. Here's this week's message. Make His face shine upon you. Be gracious to you. Lord, turn His face toward you. Lord, bless you and keep you. Make His face shine upon you. Be gracious to you. Lord, turn His face toward you.
For a time I lived in a childhood home that was built in the early 1900s. There wasn't a closet in my bedroom, so my parents gave me an antique wardrobe.
The clothing hung facing forward and held probably a third of what a modern closet would hold. Now, I remember cramming clothes in there and being frustrated if I wanted to access something that was at the back of the wardrobe. But the problem wasn't the wardrobe. It was the amount of clothing I had. If I think back to the time period of that home and maybe that wardrobe, a week's worth of clothing would have fit nicely and been quite accessible. You see, wardrobes were common at that time, and it was a single piece of furniture that held all of a person's clothing.
They were fine with it. It wasn't a problem. But a few decades later, homes were built with closets, which expanded the space and hanging double or triple what you'd fit in a wardrobe and sideways so you could get more in and it would be more accessible. instead of facing forward. Now, moving forward a few more decades, and the walk-in closet has become the status symbol for the master bedroom. From the perspective of someone from the early 1900s, it's kind of like we built a small bedroom just for our clothing, and we'd be embarrassed to tell them about the extra clothing we have boxed in the attic or the garage, or worse, the storage unit across town. They'd immediately ask what we're already thinking. Why do you have so much? Why? Why do you need so much?
Welcome to Mountain View Church. My name is Jeremy, and today we're beginning a four-week series titled Making Change, Choosing a Better Way to Live. Over the next four weeks, you'll discover that less is more, stress is bad, giving is good, and tomorrow matters. Today, we're pursuing the biblical principle of contentment, learning how to choose simplicity. Together, we're going to change the way we see our possessions and the amount of stuff that we pack into our already packed lives.
Someone in the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. But he said to him, Man who made me adjudge an arbitoire over you. And he said to them, Take care and be on your guard against all controversies, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. And he told them a parable saying, The land of a rich man produced plentiful. And he thought to himself, What shall I do? I have nowhere to store my crops.
And he said, I will do this. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones. And there I will store all my grain and all my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, be merry. But for God said to him, fool, this night your soul is required of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God.
We can go back 2,000 years to the first century when the average person had very few possessions, and yet the human condition was the same. The desire for more and the struggle for contentment have always been core problems. In chapter 12 of Luke's gospel, Jesus is teaching a crowd when a man interrupts him. Recognizing that Jesus was a rabbi and someone with authority, he wanted Jesus to settle an inheritance dispute. He says, teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.
Jesus sees through the man's request. You see, underneath the legal question was a discontented heart. So instead of settling the family dispute, Jesus addresses the heart issue behind the request and using it as a teaching opportunity since he was in front of a crowd. And so he, Jesus, said to them, take care and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. According to Jesus, life isn't defined by what we own.
Fast forward 2,000 years, and we need this teaching just as much as the man in the crowd. Our worth isn't measured by the size of our bank accounts, the square footage of our homes, or the size of our acreage, or the amount of stuff we accumulate into our storage units, our garages, our attics, our basements. You see, we live in a world overflowing with possessions, and the trend is that it's never enough. Just look at the self-storage industry, which has exploded over the past decade. In the United States, self-storage generates $39.5 billion each year, with more than 51,000 facilities. That's more than Starbucks, McDonald's, and Subway locations combined. This offers 2 billion square feet of rentable space, giving every American almost 6 square feet of storage. Now, Canada might have a smaller population, but it follows a similar trend. With about 3,000 facilities generating 6 billion annually, we have an average of 2 to 3 square feet of storage per person.
But here's the irony. Every added storage space brings an added complication to our lives. The more we own, the more space we think we need, and the more our lives feel crowded and restless. We have closets, garages, attics, and storage units packed full of stuff, but it hasn't made us any happier. We're convinced that more stuff will make life more enjoyable, but it doesn't, and the research proves it. Time Magazine published the research of Knox College psychology professor Tim Kayser.
showing through a series of experiments spanning from six months to 12 years that when people became more materialistic, their emotional well-being takes a dive. Even when materialism is defined in ways generally seen as positive in our society, the result of those goals is corrosive to our well-being. The evidence points us right back to Jesus' teaching that life doesn't consist in the abundance of possessions. So maybe it's time to make a change and maybe it's time to choose simplicity. What if we paused just long enough to take stock of our lives and made a list of what really matters most? And then we compare that list to the mountains of stuff we own and the busy schedules we pack full of more stuff. What if we began purging what we don't need and saying no to what doesn't truly matter?
Coming back to Luke 12, Jesus tells a parable about a man whose land produced a bumper crop. Notice how the story begins. The land of a rich man produced plentifully. According to the text, this man was already rich. And in that season, God had blessed him with an abundance of food, which in a first century commodity culture was as good as money in the bank. But instead of recognizing God's provision, the man turned inward.
He said, what shall I do? For I have nowhere to store my crops. Then he answers his own question right away. He says, I will tear down my barns and build larger ones. And there I will store all my grain and all my goods. Do you hear the word that keeps coming up? My crops, my barns, my grain, my goods. God had blessed him, but then God was excluded the moment the harvest came in. His solution was more of his space for more of his stuff.
Then, looking over all he had accumulated, he says to himself, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, be merry. This guy was convinced that all his stored up possessions would bring him a long and happy life. But God said to him, Fool, this night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? The tragedy is that...
As the man built bigger barns, his heart for God and other people shrank. Jesus ends the parable with a sobering warning. He says, so is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. That's the danger of chasing more. It blinds us to God's provision and binds us to our possessions. Eventually, we're spiritually and relationally bankrupt. The pursuit of simplicity and contentment, however, has life-changing benefits. And this is an ancient wisdom, by the way. A thousand years before Jesus ever taught about this concept, there was a man by the name of Solomon, who God had blessed with both great wisdom and wealth. In the wisdom writings of Ecclesiastes, Solomon said this, Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.
Solomon had it all. So he learned the hard way that it's better to live with one handful of contentment than with two handfuls of stuff and always striving for more. Think of it this way. When one hand is carrying just enough, you have a second hand free to love, serve, and give. But when two clenched fists are holding on to everything, you can't help anyone and you can't carry anything else. Which brings us back to Jesus' core principle. One's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.
As is the case for most of Jesus' teaching, he's pointing us to the bigger picture of the gospel and to eternity, the next life. The rich man thought his barns would guarantee his future, but Jesus reminds us that no amount of possessions can secure our lives. Tomorrow isn't promised. Only God holds the number of our days before we pass into the next life. And this is part of why God sent Jesus. You see, our restless striving and our endless chasing after more, they're symptoms of a deeper problem called sin. Sin separates us from God and leaves us clean to the things that don't last. But in love, Jesus went to the cross. He died for our sin and rose again to give us eternal life. Jesus offers us something far greater than barns full of grain or storage units full of possessions and even closets full of clothes. He offers us peace with God now and the promise of eternal life forever with him.
This moment could be a life-changing opportunity for you. Today, you could choose simplicity, turning away from storing up possessions and placing your trust in Jesus. You can lay down the burden of striving for more and receive the gift of God's grace. It starts with repenting of your sin, believing that Jesus died and rose again, providing a way back to God, then committing to follow Jesus as Lord and King of your life from this day forward. You can find the life Jesus was pointing to. You can live a life that isn't defined by what you own, but by who you belong to. You can live a life of contentment, of simplicity, and eternal security in Jesus. If you're ready to make that commitment, you can pray with me now. Dear God, I admit that I have sinned and too often put my trust in possessions and things that do not last. I believe that you sent your son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sin and raised him from the dead to give me new life.
Today, I turn away from my old ways of storing and hoarding, and I place my trust in you. Please forgive me, fill me with your Holy Spirit, and help me follow you as Lord and King from this day forward. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Now, leading up to this series, I promised that you would receive some practical help as well as the spiritual help that we just unpacked. So let's get practical. Let's get to work. For this next session, you're going to need a paper and pen, or you can use a notes app on your mobile device. And together, we're going to create a less is more action plan that you can put into practice this week. Now, this plan has five steps. After each step, there will be a prompt to pause the video or audio so you can take the time to do the work. Are we ready? Let's get started.
Step number one, identify what matters most. Write down your top five priorities in life. Think of these as the one handful that you'd never let go of. These are the things that matter most when everything else is stripped away. Go ahead and hit pause and go through step one. Moving on to step two, let go of one possession. Choose one item of significant value that you've been holding onto but haven't used.
Maybe it's a piece of equipment, a gadget, a collectible, or something sentimental. Don't sell it. Just donate it or give it away. The point is to release your grip on the perceived value that your heart has placed on that item. Go ahead and pause and work through step two. Step three, purge one space. Pick one room, workplace, closet, maybe a storage unit, and simplify it this week. Donate or throw away unused items. Don't plan on selling them. Get rid of them. Let them go. Pause now and work through step three.
Step number four, declutter one device. Go through the device you use the most often and delete unused apps, games, and subscriptions. In our modern era, we have as much digital clutter as we do physical clutter. Free up your digital space and notice the relief it'll bring the next time you open that device. Go ahead and work on step four now. Hit pause.
Lastly, step five, prepare for next week. Write down a few financial stresses that you can eliminate in the weeks ahead. Which subscriptions should you cancel? Which items should you sell? Then, with the saved and earned money, which debts do you need to tackle? This final step will set you up for next week's message, stress is bad. By creating margin in our finances, you can reduce the amount of anxiety in your life. Go ahead and finish up with step five. Hit pause and work on that now.
Okay, so this is your action plan for week one of making change. These are small steps, but they can have a big impact. So welcome to the less is more reality, and I hope you have a great week. But before you go, allow me to pray for you. As you tackle this action plan, I just want to pray over you now. Dear Father, thank you for everyone watching, everyone attending, everyone who has gone through these five steps.
They're going to be easier for some people than others. There's going to be one that's more difficult for each person. I pray that you give them the strength and wisdom and discernment to make those changes, to tackle what they need to. Help them let go of the stuff they've accumulated, the physical stuff and the digital stuff, all the clutter in their life. Let them let go of it. And the value and security that they're placing on those things, release them from it. Father, help us take Jesus' words seriously that all our possessions...
that's not what life consists of. The good life is the life of the gospel that leads to eternal life, that you have given us through grace, that gift of grace in Jesus. And it's in his name we pray. Amen. Thank you for watching or listening. We really appreciate you taking the time to join us today. If you'd like to stay connected, you can head over to mountainview.church slash connect or find us on social media at Mountain View Whitehorse. Also, if you found this content helpful, please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel and turning on those notifications so that next week's message will appear in your feed. Now, it's time for our weekly updates. Here we go. Morning, Mountain View. My name is Haley. And my name is Alex. And we're sharing about the Young Adult event for this month, which is for anyone ages 18 to 35.
Yeah, so we're going to be meeting at Sergeant Gregg's to play some mini golf. It'll be at 7.30 p.m. this coming Friday. And it looks like we might even get some ice cream afterwards, too. So be there or be square. And if you need a ride or anything, you can send me an email. But also appreciate an RSVP to help out with numbers. My email is hayley at mountainboob.church. And hope to see you on Friday.
For those who are new to the Mountain View community or for those who want to get more involved, plan on attending the Next Steps Discipleship Workshop next Sunday at 12.30 p.m. This is a chance to learn about our core theology, our church history, and how you can get more involved in our faith community. Lunch will be provided, so if possible, RSVP by sending us a direct message, or if you happen to be in-house, just drop by the welcome desk and sign up. Next, parents, don't forget that our Basecamp Children's Program has an online option as well. Video lessons and activities are available right now for download at mountainview.church.
And for students, our youth group meets every Sunday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. It's a great place to grow in your faith, build friendships, and have some fun. And lastly, please plan on returning next week. We'll continue our Making Change series with our second message, Stress is Bad. We'll talk about the weight of debt and why it creates anxiety and how God calls us to freedom. And practically, you'll learn how to create financial margin in your financial life. So, we'll see you then.
If you prayed to receive Jesus today or would like to connect with our church community, visit mountainview.church and click the connect link. If this podcast and radio ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider partnering with us or making a tax-deductible donation at mountainview.church. Thanks for listening to Mountain View Church Audio. Join us next week for more Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City of Whitehorse Seat Park.