What Lies Beneath

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One of the main reasons many people decide to approach God is out of need or desire. They see few other ways to get what they want, and God can become the last resort. There is nothing wrong with going to God in our need, yet Jesus shows that God will ask us, in turn, to look deeper into what we desire and why we want it. Our own requests and prayers to God should help us achieve a more eternal point of view.

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Menti.com 78 44 56

The Rich Fool
By Jeff Strite
Welcome and thank you for joining us today. I’m Hans Rasmussen, It’s great to have you with us today. I wanted to extend a special welcome to everyone watching online! It’s great to have you with us. Don’t forget to get on the chat and say hi to everyone else watching with you.
If you are here in person or watching online, It would be great if you would participate with us, we are going to make a word cloud. It’s totally anonymous, just go to menti.com and put in the code 78 33 56. Then in a word or 2 put down, how you want to be described by others when you are dead and gone. We will come back to it later in the sermon.
We are in week 3 of our series called slant. Jesus had this gift of telling the truth but telling it slant to his hearers. He often spoke in parables and stories, it made people think and wonder and ask some questions. He often points people to the bigger picture, the most important things.
We are in week 3 of our series called slant. Jesus had this gift of telling the truth but telling it slant to his hearers. He often spoke in parables and stories, it made people think and wonder and ask some questions. He often points people to the bigger picture, the most important things.
There is no doubt about it—the Bible is a big-picture book that calls us to big-picture living.
It stretches the elasticity of your mind as it calls you to think about things before the world began and thousands of years into eternity.
The Bible simply does not permit you to live for the moment.
It doesn’t give you room to shrink your thoughts, desires, words, and actions down to whatever spontaneous thought, emotion, or need grips you at any given time.
In a moment, your thoughts can seem more important than they actually are.
In a moment, your emotions can seem more reliable than they really are.
In a moment, your needs can seem more essential than they truly are.
We are meant to live lives that are connected to beginnings and to endings. And we are meant to live this way because all that we do is meant to have connection to the God of beginnings and endings, by whom and for whom we were created.
“It’s hard to live with eternity in view. Life does shrink to the moment again and again. There are moments when it seems that the most important thing in life is getting through this traffic, winning this argument, or satisfying this sexual desire. There are moments when our happiness and contentment shrink to getting those new shoes or to the steak that is just ten minutes away. There are moments when who we are, who God is, and where this whole thing is going shrink into the background of the thoughts, emotions, and needs of the moment. There are moments when we get lost in the middle of God’s story. We lose our minds, we lose our sense of direction, and we lose our remembrance of him.”
It’s hard to live with eternity in view.
Life does shrink to the moment again and again.
There are moments when it seems that the most important thing in life is getting through this traffic, winning this argument, or satisfying this sexual desire.
There are moments when our happiness and contentment shrink to getting those new shoes or to the steak that is just ten minutes away.
There are moments when who we are, who God is, and where this whole thing is going shrink into the background of the thoughts, emotions, and needs of the moment.
There are moments when we get lost in the middle of God’s story. We lose our minds, we lose our sense of direction, and we lose our remembrance of him.
So it is in the story we are going to look at today.
Let’s read it together.
luke 12:
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
//
Luke 12:13–21 NIV
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’
//
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”” (, NIV)
//
This guys comes to Jesus to help settle this dispute, the ask for the divided inheritance might be referring to the the double portion alloted to the first born in Duet 21.
Luke
This guys comes to Jesus to help settle this dispute, the ask for the divided inheritance might be referring to the the double portion alloted to the first born in Duet 21.
“It’s hard to live with eternity in view. Life does shrink to the moment again and again. There are moments when it seems that the most important thing in life is getting through this traffic, winning this argument, or satisfying this sexual desire. There are moments when our happiness and contentment shrink to getting those new shoes or to the steak that is just ten minutes away. There are moments when who we are, who God is, and where this whole thing is going shrink into the background of the thoughts, emotions, and needs of the moment. There are moments when we get lost in the middle of God’s story. We lose our minds, we lose our sense of direction, and we lose our remembrance of him.”
Now, this was normal back then. William Barclay notes, “It was not uncommon for people in Palestine to take their unsettled disputes to respected Rabbis; but Jesus refused to be mixed up in anyone’s disputes about money.”
But now why wouldn’t Jesus do that? Why wouldn’t he get mixed in this argument between these 2 brothers? Well because… the problem (as with many disputes over inheritance) had to do with greed.
ILLUS: I’ve known brothers and sisters who hate each other and have never talked to each other because they didn’t get what they wanted when daddy died. I’ve even heard of a family where brothers cheated their sisters out of land… and it created a conflict they NEVER resolved. And they were all “Christians.”
You see, an inheritance often brings out the worst in people, because there are people who love their riches more than they love their relatives, or God. So Jesus rightly turns down this greedy family member and launches into a lesson about greed: vs. 15 he says
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.””
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.””
Luke 12:15 NIV
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
luke 12
this wealthy man had been blessed with a bumper crop. So he decided to tear down his old barns and build new barns to hold all the excess. Now, is there anything wrong with a farmer having a good harvest? (NOPE) And was there anything wrong with building bigger barns? (NOT REALLY) So what was wrong with what this guy was doing?
To illustrate His point, Jesus tells them a parable about a wealthy man who had been blessed with a bumper crop. So he decided to tear down his old barns and build new barns to hold all the excess. Now, is there anything wrong with a farmer having a good harvest? (NOPE) And was there anything wrong with building bigger barns? (NOT REALLY) So what was wrong with what this guy was doing?
To illustrate His point, Jesus tells them a parable about a wealthy man who had been blessed with a bumper crop. So he decided to tear down his old barns and build new barns to hold all the excess. Now, is there anything wrong with a farmer having a good harvest? (NOPE) And was there anything wrong with building bigger barns? (NOT REALLY) So what was wrong with what this guy was doing?
Well, Jesus said the wealthy man said:
I’ll say to myself.
“I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But 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 toward God.”
Luke 12:19–21 NIV
And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
What was wrong? Well, the man’s - FIRST thoughts - were about HIMSELF.
What was wrong? Well, the man’s - FIRST thoughts - were about HIMSELF. “I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ It was all about him! In fact, if you went through this parable you would find of the 54 words in the parable in the original Greek, fully 18 of them are first-person words like “I,” “me,” and “my.” (observation by Dan Doriani).
It was all about him! In fact, if you went through this parable you would find of the 54 words in the parable in the original Greek, fully 18 of them are first-person words like “I,” “me,” and “my.” (observation by Dan Doriani).
What was wrong? Well, the man’s - FIRST thoughts - were about HIMSELF. “I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ It was all about him! In fact, if you went through this parable you would find of the 54 words in the parable in the original Greek, fully 18 of them are first-person words like “I,” “me,” and “my.” (observation by Dan Doriani).
God - and what God wanted of him - wasn’t even on this guy’s radar.
God - and what God wanted of him - wasn’t even on this guy’s radar.
Not rich toward God?
What could that mean?
It meant that wealthy people tend to cut God out of the picture.
They can be rich enough to pay all their bills, buy a car right off the lot, purchase a home just by writing a check. Anything they want, they can get. So if they can supply all their own needs why do they need Him?
“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”
The writer of proverbs said it this way:
Proverbs 30:8–9 NIV
Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
You see, Jesus isn’t condemning wealthy people per se.
said it this way: “give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”
You see, Jesus isn’t condemning wealthy people per se.
• Abraham was a wealthy man with flocks of sheep and herds of cattle
• Jacob had a multitude of sheep and cattle and camels.
• David was a wealthy King. All you need to do read how much money he set aside for the building of the Temple.
• But even David couldn’t match the wealth of his son. says that Solomon was even richer than he was. “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.”
These wealthy people were not condemned.
Why? Because they were rich toward God.
Beneath it all they put more trust in HIM than they did in their fortunes and possessions.
You see, Jesus didn’t condemn people for being wealthy.
He condemned them for being greedy.
Someone asked a wealthy man what it would take to make him happy and he replied: “Just one more dollar.”
Greed is the belief that if I can only get enough money, I can be safe and secure.
And Greed is created when we allow worry to run our lives.
,
Luke 12:22 NIV
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.
Luke 12:25–26 NIV
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”
But we do worry.
luke 12:25-26
Too often.
And if we let our worry run our lives, we can end up like so worldly people: running after money and possessions. We can even end up arguing over the amount of money we get in an inheritance.
And Greed isn’t just a problem for wealthy people.
Anybody can be greedy.
In fact, we’re taught to be greedy as children.
Have you ever played “The Game of Life.” That’s the one with the big spinner in the middle and the roads that represent the decisions folks make every day for themselves and their families.
Do you know how you win the game? You would assume its the person that crosses the finishline first.
But if you read the instructions they literally say:
But then Greg read the instructions and the rules literally say
“At the end of the game, the winner is the person with the greatest net worth.”
• Not the person who crosses the finish line first.
• Not the person who helped the most people.
• Not the person who gave the most away.
The winner is the person who accumulates the most wealth!
It’s another way of saying – the guy who dies with the most toys… wins.
We teach greed all through life.
Greed is a disease. It makes us “unclean”. It makes us behave like the godless and wicked of this world do. In fact – Greed is idolatry.
Greed makes us block God out of our lives. It makes us focus on the power of money rather than the faithfulness of God.
Greed is caused by worry. This isn’t to say that ALL people who worry are greedy. But if we allow worry to control our lives, we will become dominated by the desire to have security at any price.
That means – if I have to cheat a little, or lie a little, or fudge a little to get more money… I’ll do it. Because it’s all about ME supplying for MY needs.
That’s why so many families go to war about their inheritance.
And so Jesus identifies a problem that all of us can be tempted by.
Something called Greed.
And then He prescribes the solution – Faith.
The cure to Greed is for us to realize it’s all about GOD supplying for all my needs.
Jesus said
Luke 12:27–28 NIV
“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!
And then He said
And then He said
Luke 12:31–32 NIV
But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
Jesus is saying to us:
Jesus is saying to us:
Are you tempted by worry?
Are you tempted by greed?
Luke 12:33–34 NIV
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 12:
If money controls you… give it away.
Then “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.”
If money controls you… give it away.
You see, the main problem with greed is that it makes us worship our possessions.
ILLUS: Dr. Karl Menninger once asked a very wealthy patient, "What on earth are you going to do with all of your money?"
The patient replied, a bit reluctantly, "Just worry about it, I suppose."
Well, Menninger went on, "Do you get that much pleasure out of worrying about it?"
"No," replied the patient, "but I get such terror when I think of giving some of it to somebody else."
Notice the power money had over this wealthy man.
He had more money than he knew what to do with.
But what did he do with it? (He worried)
And his major terror was the idea that someone else might get what he has.
GIVE IT AWAY! says Jesus.
Of course, we’re trained by God to set aside a portion of giving to the church. We understand the importance of giving a tithe to God – a 10th of our income – but God teaches us to also learn to give it away to people in need.
One of the most intriguing passages in Ephesians is the advice God gives to a new Christian who’d been a thief. God says:
“He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.”
Ephesians 4:28 NIV
Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
Don’t JUST stop stealing.
Get a job.
And then give money away to the poor.
That way, money doesn’t control you… and greed can’t dominate you.
I realize money isn’t everything, but as one guy said:
If I’m a thief, I’ll come up to ________ here and I’ll get him distracted by pointing to the Good Year Blimp (or something) and then lift his wallet.
Now, why would a thief do that?
Because the thief views YOUR money as being HIS. You’ve got it, he can steal it, and that’s the way life should be.
But now, this thief has become a Christian and he not only needs to stop stealing (a thief who stops stealing is merely a thief who’s out of work). He needs to get a job. But even that’s not enough, because God wants the ex-thief to enter therapy. He wants the thief to learn that his money doesn’t belong to himself… it now belongs to God and is God’s tool to help the poor.
This is a repeated theme in Scripture. Paul wrote to Timothy: “… those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”
And Job said “If I have made gold my trust or called fine gold my confidence, if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant or because my hand had found much… I would have been false to God above.” & 28
So you see, the problem is not wealth. The problem is when wealth takes control of people and causes them to forget God. tells us “… the one, greedy for gain, curses and renounces the LORD.”
Now, that’s not to say that being rich is a bad thing. Throughout the Old Testament, God blessed many who loved Him with wealth. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Solomon and others - they were all wealthy men.
In fact, God implied that if Israel obeyed Him… they would be a wealthy nation.
Deuteronomy 8:11–14 NIV
Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
So you see, the problem is not wealth. The problem is when wealth takes control of people and causes them to forget God. tells us “… the one, greedy for gain, curses and renounces the LORD.”
In fact, God implied that if Israel obeyed Him… they would be a wealthy nation. “Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
So you see, the problem is not wealth. The problem is when wealth takes control of people and causes them to forget God. tells us “… the one, greedy for gain, curses and renounces the LORD.”
We all realize money isn’t everything, but as one guy said:
I realize money isn’t everything, but as one guy said:
Now, that was normal back then. William Barclay notes, “It was not uncommon for people in Palestine to take their unsettled disputes to respected Rabbis; but Jesus refused to be mixed up in anyone’s disputes about money.”
But now why wouldn’t Jesus do that? Why wouldn’t he get mixed in this argument between these 2 brothers? Well because… the problem (as with many disputes over inheritance) had to do with greed/covetousness.
ILLUS: I’ve known brothers and sisters who hate each other and have never talked to each other because they didn’t get what they wanted when daddy died. I’ve even heard of a family where brothers cheated their sisters out of the farm… and it created a conflict they NEVER resolved. And they were all “Christians.”
You see, an inheritance often brings out the worst in people, because there are people who love their riches more than they love their relatives. So Jesus rightly turns down this greedy family member and launches into a lesson about covetousness: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness.”
“All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy." (Spike Milligan)
To illustrate His point, Jesus tells them a parable about a wealthy man who had been blessed with a bumper crop. So he decided to tear down his old barns and build new barns to hold all the excess. Now, is there anything wrong with a farmer having a good harvest? (NOPE) And was there anything wrong with building bigger barns? (NOT REALLY) So what was wrong with what this guy was doing?
Well, Jesus said the wealthy man said: “I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But 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 toward God.”
What was wrong? Well, the man’s - FIRST thoughts - were about HIMSELF. “I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ It was all about him! In fact, if you went through this parable you would find of the 54 words in the parable in the original Greek, fully 18 of them are first-person words like “I,” “me,” and “my.” (observation by Dan Doriani).
God - and what God wanted of him - wasn’t even on this guy’s radar.
I was intrigued by the answers people gave. They wrote about how they’d pay off their debts, or go on a cruise or a special vacation. How they’d buy a better house or better car, or maybe get a take care of their parents or set aside a trust fund for their kids. And that was all good stuff.
But what I found interesting was that nobody seemed to mention… God. Nobody talked about how they’d spend any part of this vast amount of money for missions or helping the poor, or giving to the church. None of that came up. God, and what He would want from them, wasn’t even on their radar.
Now… it didn’t really matter. The money wasn’t real! None of those folks had ever received $50 million… nor were they likely to. It was all a game! (PAUSE) But in that game, they revealed their priorities. When they let their imaginations run wild, God didn’t even show up in their thoughts.
I mean it not like they had any of this money anyway. They could have given it ALL $50 million to God and they wouldn’t have been out a dime - because there was no money!!! It was all imaginary. But their first thoughts were all about themselves. I – ME – MINE – MYSELF… just like the rich fool.
Even without the presence of millions of dollars in their bank accounts, God doesn’t show up in a lot of people’s financial thinking. I ran across a cute little poem a few years back:
So, what was the goal of the rich fool? He wanted to relax. He wanted to enjoy the “good life.”

So, what was the goal of the rich fool? He wanted to relax. He wanted to enjoy the “good life.” And that’s what often happens when people who cling to money - they’re driven to enjoy the GOOD LIFE… but not the “God” life. So they end up trusting in their money, their possessions, and their 401 K’s.
The rich fool forgot that. He didn’t honor God with the first fruits, because all he could think about was himself (not God). But why? Why would the Rich Fool forget God? Well, the rest of Jesus’ teaching tells us why:
“Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!”
Luke 12:22–24 NIV
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
You see, the Rich Fool wasn’t rich toward God because… He was afraid!
You see, the Rich Fool wasn’t rich toward God because… He was afraid!
Luke 12:19 NIV
And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’
And that’s the reason a lot of Christians don’t honor God with finances. They are afraid. They are afraid that God isn’t going to take care of them. And so, they get anxious. They worry about they’re going to eat. They worry about how they’re going to have clothing. Where they’re going to live.
And that’s the reason a lot of Christians don’t honor God with finances. They are afraid. They are afraid that God isn’t going to take care of them. And so, they get anxious. They worry about they’re going to eat. They worry about how they’re going to have clothing. Where they’re going to live.
Money is the one place where many of us Christians struggle with our faith. We’re not sure we can trust God enough to really take care of our needs. Money is the barometer of our faith and it often reflected by much we put in the offering plate, or how much we help the poor, or give to missions.
Luke
Money is the one place where many of us Christians struggle with our faith. We’re not sure we can trust God enough to really take care of our needs. Money is the barometer of our faith and it often reflected by much we put in the offering plate, or how much we help the poor, or give to missions.
Now, oddly enough, the one group that struggles the most on this… are the rich.
Now, oddly enough, the one group that struggles the most on this… are the rich.
And that’s what often happens when people who cling to money - they’re driven to enjoy the GOOD LIFE… but not the “God” life. So they end up trusting in their money, their possessions, and their 401 K’s.
ILLUS: I have a friend who is a preacher and he tells of a relative of his who belongs to church he serves. The relative is fairly wealthy and often brags about the fact that he gives a great deal to the church. By my friend tells me he’s watched this relative put money in the plate and he knows this wealthy older man usually only puts in $10 or $20.
There’s an unusual prayer in Proverbs: “give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”
The rich tend to trust their money, their possessions, their 401 K’s. And too often they’re the ones who put $5 or $10 or even $20 in the plate (that’s if they feel generous). They have lots of money… but they just don’t give it to God.
The rich tend to trust their money, their possessions, their 401 K’s. And too often they’re the ones who put $5 or $10 or even $20 in the plate (that’s if they feel generous). They have lots of money… but they just don’t give it to God.
But (now wait a minute) don’t the rich have more money than the poor? Of course they do. That’s part of the definition of being rich! But they have different priorities about how they spend it.
But (now wait a minute) don’t the rich have more money than the poor? Of course they do. That’s part of the definition of being rich! But they have different priorities about how they spend it.
And that’s what often happens when people who cling to money - they’re driven to enjoy the GOOD LIFE… but not the “God” life. So they end up trusting in their money, their possessions, and their 401 K’s.
Jesus gives us those priorities when He quotes the Rich Fool’s in
“No,” he replied. “We would much rather do business in Logansport.”
I was surprised and asked him why. He responded that even though people tended to make more money in that larger city, they had their problems. They’d often buy homes in rich subdivisions. Then they’d notice that the car in their neighbor’s driveway was better than theirs… so they’d go and buy a similar or better vehicle. They’d see a boat a neighbor had and decide they needed one too. And on and on it would go until they were so far in debt that they had to work overtime to make the payments on their loans. Oftentimes certain debts would go unpaid. Debts like the one to their company. They much preferred to do business in Logansport. People here paid their bills.
Jesus gives us those priorities when He quotes the Rich Fool’s in
Luke 12:19 NIV
And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’
“I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’
So, what was the goal of the rich fool? He wanted to relax. He wanted to enjoy the “good life.” And that’s what often happens when people who cling to money - they’re driven to enjoy the GOOD LIFE… but not the “God” life. So they end up trusting in their money, their possessions, and their 401 K’s.
So, what was the goal of the rich fool? He wanted to relax. He wanted to enjoy the “good life.” And that’s what often happens when people who cling to money - they’re driven to enjoy the GOOD LIFE… but not the “God” life. So they end up trusting in their money, their possessions, and their 401 K’s.
I think maybe the rich fool went to “church” – I’m sure he attended the Temple and the synagogue. But he didn’t trust God. Why? Well (pull some bills from my wallet) I can see THIS.
I think maybe the rich fool went to “church” – I’m sure he attended the Temple and the synagogue. But he didn’t trust God. Why? Well (pulling some bills from my wallet) I can see THIS. I can count this. I can tally up the amount of money I have in savings and checking and other accounts… but I can’t see God. I can’t see God, but I can see and touch my money… and so it is easier to trust that which I can see.
I can count this.
I can tally up the amount of money
I have in savings and checking and other accounts… but I can’t see God.
I can’t see God, but I can see and touch my money… and so it is easier to trust that which I can see.
And that’s what happens with too many church-goers. They can’t see God, so He’s not quite “real” to them.
And that’s what happens with too many church-goers. They can’t see God, so He’s not quite “real” to them. I mean, they’ll go through the motions of church – singing, praying, communion, the sermon – but it’s all a matter of doing “church.” They’ve done their religious duty, but they don’t think much about God because He’s just “not there.” And thus (because He’s not quite real) they don’t really believe God will be there for them. And they end up worshipping their money. But they ultimately pay a terrible price.
I mean, they’ll go through the motions of church – singing, praying, communion, the sermon – but it’s all a matter of doing “church.”
They’ve done their religious duty, but they don’t think much about God because He’s just “not there.”
And thus (because He’s not quite real) they don’t really believe God will be there for them. And they end up worshipping their money. But they ultimately pay a terrible price.
There’s a book called “Money Madness” that observed:
There’s a book called “Money Madness” that observed: “… (for) those who devote themselves to money… money seems to eat them away, inside out. Inside they lose their joy and spontaneity and generosity of impulse. Outside, they seem to wither, to become pale and drawn and fragile looking. It is difficult, of course, to decide how much of the aging process. But certainly not all old men look as ravaged as Howard Hughes or as desiccated as Rockefeller or Mellon or J. Paul Getty. These men all complained of fatigue, sleepless nights and digestive ailments. They all appeared wispy and mummified.”
“… (for) those who devote themselves to money… money seems to eat them away, inside out. Inside they lose their joy and spontaneity and generosity of impulse. Outside, they seem to wither, to become pale and drawn and fragile looking. It is difficult, of course, to decide how much of the aging process. //
But certainly not all old men look as ravaged as Howard Hughes or as desiccated as Rockefeller or Mellon or J. Paul Getty. These men all complained of fatigue, sleepless nights and digestive ailments. They all appeared wispy and mummified.”
(Herb Goldberg & Robert Lewis – “Money Madness” William Morrow & Co.)
(Herb Goldberg & Robert Lewis – “Money Madness” William Morrow & Co.)
A famous millionaire named Andrew Carnegie (his name is on almost all public libraries) noted that "Millionaires who laugh are rare."
ILLUS: There’s a story told of a businessman was granted one wish by an angel. He said he wanted to see the stock prices for one day in the future. He figured that if he knew what the stocks would be like ahead of time he could invest accordingly and thus he could make a killing on the market. So, the angel gave him a future NY Times. As the businessman poured over the stock quotes he began to gloat over his potential riches, but then he leafed through the rest of the paper and stopped on the obituary page. Guess whose name he read there? That’s right – his own. All his great wealth would do him no good… because he’d be dead.
In Jesus’ parable -
.
Luke 12:20 NIV
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
Let’s look at the word cloud we made earlier when you texted in. Let’s look at some of the biggest words. What do we see?
In Jesus’ parable - God says to wealthy man ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
Here’s what I don’t see. Rich, wealthy, financially secure, vested, comfortably retired.
We were at the HOPE worldwide Global Summit for 2 days this last week, it was inspiring to hear and see what God is doing through people around the world.
One of the speakers talking about eternity and how we will be remembered, said this.
We will all hit room temperature. After they put us in the ground, our families will go home and eat potato salads. What will they remember of you?
CLOSE: And so Jesus says
CLOSE: And so Jesus says
“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”
Luke 12:15 NIV
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Don’t let money become your God! Let GOD be God… and trust HIM to supply all your needs.
Don’t let money become your God! Let GOD be God… and trust HIM to supply all your needs.
God reminds us that this is not all there is, that we were created and re-created in Christ Jesus for eternity.
He reminds us not to live for the treasures of the moment:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (
Matthew 6:19–20 NIV
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
).
Think about this: if God has already granted you a place in eternity, then he has also granted you all the grace you need along the way, or you’d never get there. There is grace for our fickle and easily distracted hearts. There is rescue for our self-absorption and lack of focus. The God of eternity grants you his eternal grace so that you can live with eternity in view.
There is grace for our fickle and easily distracted hearts.
“Think about this: if God has already granted you a place in eternity, then he has also granted you all the grace you need along the way, or you’d never get there. There is grace for our fickle and easily distracted hearts. There is rescue for our self-absorption and lack of focus. The God of eternity grants you his eternal grace so that you can live with eternity in view.” Paul David Tripp
There is rescue for our self-absorption and lack of focus. The God of eternity grants you his eternal grace so that you can live with eternity in view.
Now, here’s the deal – this sermon isn’t meant to shame anyone. We all struggle with our faith at one time or another. But it is worth noting that we often spend money on things that we want. The more we want something, the more we’re willing to pay. So the question this morning is this: how much is God worth to you? How rich do you think you should be toward your God?
One of the most famous Christians of all time was the apostle Paul. He wrote about half your New Testament and started a number of churches throughout Asia, Greece and Rome. And this great Christian wrote this to the church at Philippi: “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
But then Paul gives us this astounding promise in “my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
Now, here’s the deal – this sermon isn’t meant to shame anyone. We all struggle with our faith at one time or another. But it is worth noting that we often spend money on things that we want. The more we want something, the more we’re willing to pay. So the question this morning is this: how much is God worth to you? How rich do you think you should be toward your God?
INVITATION
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