Sermon Notes | 2.19.23
The Parable of the Rich Fool
Luke 12:13–21
[13] Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” [14] But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” [15] And he 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.” [16] And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, [17] and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ [18] 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 my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ [20] But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ [21] So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (ESV)
THE RE-DIRECT
Luke 12:13-15
[15] And he 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.”
This is a remarkable statement. Think of another traditional sin that the Bible warns against – adultery. Jesus doesn’t say, “Be careful you aren’t committing adultery!” He doesn’t have to…Halfway through you don’t say, “Oh, wait a minute! I think this is adultery!” You know it is. Yet, even though the world is filled with greed and materialism, almost no one thinks it is true of them. They are in denial. –Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods
THE REBUKE
Luke 12:16-21
Are bigger barns really the issue?
He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. – Proverbs 10:5
THE ISSUES – Self & Security
Because we lack a divine Center our need for security has led us into an insane attachment to things. We really must understand that the lust for affluence in contemporary society is psychotic. It is psychotic because it has completely lost touch with reality. We crave things we neither need nor enjoy. “We buy things we do not want to impress people we do not like.” It is time we awaken to the fact that conformity to a sick society is to be sick. – Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. – Proverbs 11:28
Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven. – Proverbs 23:4-5
Wealth is a good gift, and a terrible god.
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But 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. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. – 1 Timothy 6:6-10
Another benefit of giving is freedom. It’s a matter of basic physics. The greater the mass, the greater the hold that mass exerts. The more things we own – the greater their total mass – the more they grip us, setting us in orbit around them. Finally, like a black hole, they suck us in. –Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle
THE REQUIREMENT
Luke 12:20-21
Are you rich toward God?
You’re the deliverer, not the destination.
REMEMBER the richness of Jesus.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. – 2 Corinthians 8:9
Only the cross can hold together both the world and heaven. Only the cross can rejoin our public and private worlds. It shows us the way to properly live in and enjoy creation. We are not to escape, and we are not to possess; we are to sacrifice. The slaves of Christ understand that the world is God’s. It is not to be possessed, rather it points back to Him. – Mark Sayers, Disappearing Church
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. – Proverbs 11:24-25
A Prayer for Salvation
“Heavenly Father, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed, but through your Son Jesus I can be more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you that he lived the life I should have lived and paid the debt and punishment I owed. Receive me now for his sake. I turn from my sins and receive him as Savior. Amen.”