Today we're going to talk about materialism. Materialism begins where your income ends. What is materialism anyway? It is a preoccupation with things. It is a condition of the heart that will take you out of God's zone. Where does it begin, and where does it end? If you make $30,000 a year, you don't think that other people who make $30,000 are materialistic. You think people who make $60,000 are materialistic. If you make $300,000 a year, you don't think other people who make $300,000 a year are materialistic. You think people who make a million dollars a year are materialistic.

Where is the ceiling? Where is the zone that causes someone to be materialistic? What size home, what kind of car, what vacation location, what designer clothes constitutes materialism? I don't know. Neither do you. How can I call you materialistic when I don't know your heart, and when I don't know the caliber of the relationship you have with God?

I know I've been guilty before (and probably you have been too) of saying about certain people, "They are materialistic. They're materialistic because they have more than I have, and I think I deserve what they have. I've worked as hard as they have, and I'm more educated than they are." When you get to the root of this kind of attitude you will find two culprits. Their names are envy and greed. Those two culprits empower materialism.

We're in week #4 in our sermon series called "In the Zone." Let me review briefly. The zone is defined as the sweet spot of God's success. It is the place where we position ourselves to be on the receiving end of God's favor, which includes both tangible and intangible blessings. God is the Blessor. We are the blessed. And because we are blessed, He wants us to become a blessing. How? By receiving His favor and then reflecting His nature and character in our daily lives.

To reflect His nature and character means that we understand He is the owner of everything we have; we are the managers. The way we demonstrate that we understand this truth is by bringing the tithe into the storehouse (the local church). We don't give the ten percent. We bring it because we cannot give what is not ours. Our money is God's. He is the one who gives you the ability to produce wealth.

But some people live in The Land of Ing. They are into own-ing, earn-ing, hous-ing, cloth-ing. The Land of Ing is located outside the zone. People in The Land of Ing walk around the edge of the zone and miss out on the favor of God. They think they own their stuff, they've earned it all, and they are in charge of their universe. That's not the place where God wants us to live.

It's interesting to watch people's reaction when I preach about money. You get nervous. It's the same kind of look I get when I preach about sex or pornography. You don't look around. You just have this stare like a deer in the headlights. Why? Because we're talking about something very personal. Money represents who we are.

Money is powerful stuff. God wants to leverage it for greatness. On the other hand, money can be used for some bad stuff. God knows that if we get this money issue right, then we will live in the sweet spot of His success. We will influence others, and we will build the greatest thing out there, the local church. And we will live a blessed life. Not a perfect life, not a life without problems, but a life that represents the way God wired us to live.

Money is a test. When someone else gets money and stuff, it is a test to see how we will treat them when they are blessed. Jesus said, "No one 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" (Matthew 6:24).

I've heard people say that money is the root of all evil. No, no, no. That's erroneous. The Bible says, "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). If I love money, it will lead me. If I lead money, it will serve me. How do I lead money? It goes back to living in the zone, recognizing that I am just a manager and not the owner.

Why do we struggle with money so much? Even people who live in the zone sometimes freak out over money issues. Why is that? It's the enemy. Satan knows that if he can get us bushwhacked and messed up about money, if he can get us to be materialistic, greedy, and envious, then he can take us out of the zone, out of God's sweet spot.

Don't you love road construction? Three things are always certain: death, taxes and road construction. Thankfully I-26 has been alright lately. But have you been to Five Points recently? Wow! What a mess! Or the dam construction across Lake Murray. That can be interesting. Satan is in the road construction business. Did you know that? Here's what he does. He comes right to the edge of the zone (he can't get into it) and he attacks us in regards to our money, our stuff. Then he constructs a couple of freeways which lead you right out of the zone into The Land of Ing.

The first freeway he constructs is the ride of pride. He says to us, "You're the man!" You did it!" "Girl, you're unbelievable." In the zone, we manage God's blessings, but, suddenly, management turns into ownership. We think it's ours. And we become prideful. We want people to think we paid more for our stuff than we actually did. "Hey, Ken. Nice shirt." "Thank you. It's Eddie Bauer. Or is it Hilfiger?" You pull up to a red light, and pride says, "Look at my car. And look at that piece of junk next to me." The ride of pride.

Pride will mess you up. As long as you're managing by enjoying your stuff, saving, and bringing the tithe, you'll stay in the zone. But watch out. Satan has built a freeway out of the zone called pride.

The other freeway he has built is the guilt trip. Pride wants others to think that you paid more for stuff. Guilt wants others to think you paid less. "Hey, Ken. Nice shirt." "Oh, this thing? I got it on clearance at Old Navy."

We feel guilty because God has blessed us. That's crazy, isn't it? Here we have a God who wants to bless us and has blessed us in so many ways. Yet often Christians will walk around as if they are embarrassed over the blessings of God. Guilt trip. "Oh, man, I'm just barely getting by. I'm not sure we can afford that." And we poor boy our way out of the zone.

When someone compliments you about something, whatever it is—your ability to lead, to speak, to sing, to counsel, your house, your car, your clothes—just say, "Thank you. God has really blessed my life." Why should you be ashamed about what God is doing? That's from the enemy.

John 12 tells the story of a woman Mary who anointed Jesus' feet with a priceless bottle of perfume. She did so out of a heart of generosity. But wherever you have a heart of generosity, you have a heart of selfishness and jealousy. Judas observed Mary's generosity and said, "Mary, what are you thinking? Why did you waste such expensive perfume? That stuff was worth a year's salary. You could have sold that perfume and given the money to the poor."

What a smokescreen! Do you think Judas was concerned about the poor? No, he was embezzling money from Jesus. He was skimming some of the money from the ministry box and putting it in his pocket. He wasn't concerned for the poor. He was filled with envy and greed.

Do you know we act in the same way sometimes? We drive by a beautiful home and say, "Wow, look at that house! Must be nice. If I had that kind of money, I would sell the house and give the money to Chapin Baptist Church and to the poor." No, you wouldn't. What a joke! That is envy and jealousy in spiritual packaging. You've got a heart like Judas.

You're not worried about the poor. You're worried about yourselves. You're thinking, "He doesn't deserve that house. She doesn't deserve that jewelry. They don't deserve that kind of car." It's envy and greed. It's materialism, a preoccupation with things. And if you're not careful, it will eat your lunch.

When God blesses other people, we should say, "Yeah, God!" If we're in the zone, we know it all comes from God anyway. "Good for you that you can lead. Good for you that you got the promotion. Good for you, you got the inheritance. Good for you, you're making a lot of money. Good for you. Yeah, God!"

The grip of greed, envy and materialism can escort you straight out of the zone into The Land of Ing. Do you think materialism is a problem in Chapin? Of course it is. How can we get out of its grip? Let me share a few things that I believe will help.

First, admire without the need to acquire. God has shown me that I need to develop the need to admire something without having to acquire or own it. "Man, that's a nice car. I'm proud of you." Then to yourself, say, "I'm glad I don't have those car payments and insurance premiums."

Listen to these words from the Apostle Paul. "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" (Philippians 4:11). Paul said he learned contentment. What happens when I'm not content with what I have? I go out and buy stuff with money I don't have. I become materialistic when I buy something to keep up or to one up on somebody.

Just be concerned about you and your relationship with God. There's only one person I am accountable to when it comes to money. God. We are spending and saving and bringing and giving before an audience of one. The Bible says, "For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice" (James 3:16). When you live in The Land of Ing, you've got confusion and all sorts of evil going on because you erroneously think you own it. Admire stuff without the need to acquire stuff.

Second, develop an attitude of gratitude. In other words, develop a "Yeah, God" mentality. Here is a great verse: "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12:15). We often turn it around, don't we? We want to weep with those who rejoice and rejoice with those who weep. Do a relational check. Don't hang with people who are on the guilt trip or ride of pride. Envy, jealousy and materialism are contagious diseases. Run from people like that.

Hang out with generous people. By the way, those with the highest net worth are not necessarily the most generous. Hang out with people who rejoice when you rejoice and weep when you weep. That's living in the sweet spot. An attitude of gratitude—because when we compare ourselves to God, we realize we have nothing to bring. Everything is about God. So we must emerge with a spirit of gratitude.

Third, learn the secret of generosity. The Bible says, "Just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving" (2 Corinthians 8:7). I'm not talking about tithing here. Tithing is not giving. Tithing is bringing. I'm talking about a lifestyle of generosity.

Basically, there are two types of getters. There is the Velcro getter. Stuff sticks to you like Velcro. You get to get. We should never get to get. Those who do live in The Land of Ing. We need to be Teflon givers—we get to give. Get, give. Get, give. It just slides off of us. That's a lifestyle of generosity. God always blesses when you give. But never give in order to get. No, you give, and God gives back so that you can give again and some more.

Let me close the message with one more verse. The Bible says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17). For God not to bless your life in the zone would be for Him to go against His very nature and character. Let's worship God and thank Him for His blessings—relationally, emotionally, financially, occupationally, whatever you can think. Let's thank God for it. Remember, materialism is a condition of the heart. There is no ceiling. There is no benchmark. It is a deal between you and God. And that is what it means to live in the zone.

Your life and mine are construction zones. God is building us. Don't let Satan take you out of the zone onto one of his freeways. He wants you in the Land of Ing. God wants you to be in the zone and stay there.