Worshiping Wealth Luke 12:13-21

Welcome to all you Saints Believe it or not, right? The Lord has said that those who know him are

Saints. So welcome to everyone that's here today Today is

Thanksgiving week. I hope you have a blessed time where You have a time of Thanksgiving with the family or friends.

We look forward to that time I know we always have a house full and always eat too much

But we thankful that the Lord provides us much For announcements unless if you have your bulletins

As you look at your bulletin the next Bible study meets this Wednesday, November the 22nd at 530 and they're going through the book of Ruth and everyone is welcome and The biblical counseling course that we have is

There is none for the month of November the next one starts

Will be December the 9th at 9 in the morning And then if you look at that and think about that then just following that at 10 o 'clock on Saturday the 9th we have the lady's

Christmas tea on the 9th of December so you put that in your calendars and Ladies I know you'll enjoy your time

So, let's go to the Lord in prayer Heavenly Father we come to you this morning thanking you for the privilege that we have to come together and to hear your word and To praise you in song.

We pray that it might be a blessed time of refreshing for each one of us We would pray that you would be with pastor as it brings your word right that you would speak through him the things you've laid on his heart and We would thank you for that Lord We would do pray for the

Han family as they grieve this week and think of Jimmy and we thank you Lord even it in old age he came to know you

Lord and we thank you for that and We thank you that we can have a time of refreshing and blessing even as we think of his he is with you at this time

Now we pray these things in Jesus name Amen Stand together with me if you would as we think of Thanksgiving and count your blessings

Morning everyone again I'm reading from Revelation Chapter 3 verses 14 through 18

I'll be reading out of the new and international version To the church in Laodicea To the angel of the church in Laodicea write

These are the words of the amen the faithful and true witness the ruler of God's Creation I know your deeds that you are neither cold nor hot.

I wish you were either one of the other So because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold

I'm about to spit you out of my mouth You say I am rich. I have acquired wealth and Do not need a thing

But you do not realize that you are wretched pitiful poor blind and naked

I Counsel you to buy from me the gold refined in the fire so you can become rich and white clothes to wear

So you can cover your shameless nakedness and salve to put on your eyes so you can see

May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of these words Please turn with me to Luke chapter 12

Luke chapter 12 verses 13 through 21

Luke chapter 12 verses 13 through 21 Then one from the crowd said to him teacher

Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me but he said to him man who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you and He said to them take heed and beware of covetousness

For one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses Then he spoke a parable to them saying

The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully and he thought within himself saying what shall

I do? Since I have no room to store my crops So he said I will do this. I will pull down my barns and build greater

And there I will store all my crops and my goods and I will say to my soul soul

You have many goods laid out for many years Take your ease eat drink and be merry

But God said to him fool this night. Your soul will be required of you

Then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God This is the word of the

Lord Let us pray Father we are thankful that you are the true source of all riches and blessing

And we're thankful that the most precious treasure is not even physical That it is your son whom you have given for our lives

Thank you that he is our treasure Who is in heaven? Father we pray

That you would remove every Competing false gods

Treasures in our lives that are preventing us from truly valuing and enjoying

Christ In Jesus name Amen Now when we took take a look at Luke chapter 12 a huge Chunk of Luke chapter 12 consists of Jesus instructing his disciples how they ought to live how

How do the disciples of Christ need to live in? this world while the previous passage in Luke Warned his disciples of the persecution

That's coming and exhorted them to trust God through it

Here Jesus warns them of an excessive attachment to wealth

This is because when life gets hard when life becomes difficult for Christians It is tempting to find security in materials instead of God Life gets hard people are persecuting you life gets hard family abandons you because you're a

Christian But you cannot find material security in the things you own

Now first this text is not against wealth Right after all if God So chooses to bless a

Christian family with wealth That is his choice Many faithful and faithful men and women have been blessed with a lot of wealth and power in history and remained

Godly holy and faithful right Abraham Joseph and David are a few of the examples

Now the warning in this passage is not against wealth. It's rather warning against the devotion to wealth warning against the love of money warning against the worship of money

Which is driven by covetousness and greed and this message is particularly important in our culture

Because our culture has a subtle way of allowing for greed

Now when people think about greed they think of the wealthy billionaires and millionaires and oh

They don't seem to be sharing. They're always on their private jets and yachts however, we we do have to discern

Where else is there greed let's think about what politicians and media say

They pit the have -nots against the haves The 1 % versus the 99 %

The wealthy versus the poor the middle class versus the upper class It does not matter that the poorest in our country are better off than the richest in history

It does not matter that many can afford luxuries that kings of last century dreamt of the focus is

That your neighbor has something more than you. That's the key

You may have more than what you had in the past But it doesn't matter if your neighbor has more than you

Greed is what robs us of the joy That God brings in our lives

God's blessings greed and covetousness Say it's never enough

You're never satisfied and ultimately this overt focus on what you lack

Compared to your neighbor leads to the acceptance of satanic ideologies like communism and socialism

No wonder why these ideas are so popular in our country

They stem from and are driven by covetousness The message is that the wealthy gained their wealth wrongfully so that The workers need to seize the means of production

Right. That's the very source of wealth the workers need to get that and often through violent means fueled by envy

Right. He has something that I want and it belongs to me. I deserve it in Essence communism is government said sanction stealing and at the core of it all is covetousness

Someone else someone else has more than you and that is unjust

It is no longer God who blesses his people with wealth but the government who decides

Who the blessed are at the cost of the few who will lose all they have and for Christians We must remember that any ideology that promises blessing justice or paradise on earth without Jesus Christ is

Ultimately from Satan himself Sadly this entitled view has seeped into the church pastors and teachers preach for socialist programs

The poor deserve more the wealthy need to give more This deserve language is loaded with entitlement and envy.

I'm not saying the wealthy Do not need to give more But it is from the generosity of their heart if they so choose to give more

I'm not saying the church does not care for the poor. I know this church does

But it is never forced nor coerced and Nor is it driven by envy just because someone has more than the other and when these pastors and teachers promote these unjust wealth distribution programs in the guise of charity and generosity they don't quite show that These programs are forced and coerced their wealth distribution

Driven by envy and covetousness and for Christians, we must stand firm

Even against popular ideologies If they're driven by sin, not

God the main point of our message

Is that we do not devote our lives to pursuing possessions Because it prevents us from devoting our lives to God We do not devote our lives to pursuing possessions because it prevents us from devoting our lives to God first as disciples of Jesus our primary devotion is not the pursuit of possessions as Disciples of Jesus our primary devotion is not the pursuit of possessions

Similar to the previous interactions Luke does not give us much detail in which this interaction occurs with this unknown man then one from the crowd said to him and Heard this certain man during a certain time at an unknown location

This lack of information shows us that The important matter the truly important matter in this passage is the lesson itself

It's what Jesus will say The unknown man brings up a problem for Jesus to solve teacher.

Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me this man wants

Jesus to handle an inheritance case This may be odd because we live in a secular culture in which legal experts

Are the ones answering these questions, right? However, this was not unique in ancient

Israel This is because the law the first five books of the

Old Testament Had regulations on inheritance, right after all

God was the one who brought the Israelites to the promised land, which is God's land and he was the one who divided the land among the tribes and the families and In the end the goal was not to just possess the land but to pass it on to the next generation

And then the generation after that and so on right the goal For God to bring the

Israelites back to the promised land was so that they would keep the land Faithfully and pass it on.

So the law the first five books of the Old Testament Have Regulations on inheritance who is going to inherit how much what if it's this case that case?

hence Inheritance was not a purely secular matter like it is today, but rather a theological matter

That's why it was common for rabbis like the teachers the religious teachers To get involved it shows that this man believed that Jesus was trustworthy

He knew the law well So he brings the case to Jesus Ironically Jesus Although the lawgiver of the

Old Testament himself Refuses to take the case But he said to a man who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you

Now this is not to say that Jesus does not involve himself in personal matters, right?

Jesus is a personal being whom you can go to with anything you're going through rather Jesus earthly mission is not to settle personal disputes but to reconcile the world to God through his death and resurrection

Jesus ministry Had a greater goal Now because Luke does not comment on the case we do not know who's at fault

What was what was the problem instead of opening the case?

Jesus reprimands the man's focus on the inheritance itself Take heed and beware of covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses some translations

Render it as greed some have covetousness and the common thread is that both covetousness and greed are passionate

Desires for something that does not rightfully belong to you Right covetousness and greed are passionate desires for something that do not rightfully

Belong to you. It is never enough to satisfy the greedy

It is an entitled belief that what you have Is not what you have is not sufficient and that you are

Owed more you're entitled to more or in another way what

God has given you is not enough This is why

Paul warns against covetousness in Colossians 3 verse 5 therefore put to death your members which are on the earth fornication uncleanness passion and evil desire and Covetousness Which is idolatry?

To passionately desire something that God has not given you yet believe that you're entitled to it is

None other than idolatry You're worshiping a false God and this is because what you're saying is

God made an error and I could have done better ultimately, whatever you're lusting after which you do not have is

God's fault and at this point you are bowing down to a different God a

Different God who can provide what you think you deserve The point here is this man was so focused on the potential inheritance

That he actually neglected more important parts of life for one

He was focusing on the inheritance Rather than his relationship with his own brother

The potential for wealth came before the love for his own brother

Instead of a ruling Jesus gives him a lesson on the danger of focusing on possessions

Life's purpose is not about having the greatest number of things or the most expensive items

At the end first if you think that covetousness and greed

Do not apply to you because you don't have much You'd be wrong

The wealthy do not have monopoly over the sin of greed and covetousness The poor can be just as greedy and just as covetous

We have to look at the heart Whatever that constantly fills your mind when you are idle

Whatever you're fantasizing about that you don't have That's covetousness

It may be your dream house. Oh What I would do with that backyard

The type of garden I would have We decorate the living room this way

Now I'm not against good planning But when that becomes an obsession

When that becomes something that you believe you deserve to have one day

That's covetousness In fact, it doesn't have to be a house doesn't have to be even physical.

It could be if I get promoted to this job or attain a certain status at At the church if my retirement reaches to this level if my dividend rate can

Sustain my monthly spending only if I have a spouse

If I have that one friend who can truly understand I'd be satisfied only if I have this

I Would be secure it is to look at a creative thing and deifying it as its creator

To look at the creation and say That will satisfy me to the uttermost

That's idolatry That's covetousness Now as I've said greed is not good planning greed

Also, it's just not any desire you may want a new car you may want a new house

It is when this intense longing for something or someone Completely occupies your heart and becomes the primary motivation for your life.

Oh If I had this I would be set. I Wouldn't need anything more and when that becomes the reason why you get out of your bed

This is the reason why I go to work This is the reason why I why

I do what I do if The reason is not primarily God You're worshiping something else now

Why is it dangerous to primarily pursue possessions our? Devotion to material security is an absolute obstacle to our devotion to God Our devotion to material security is an absolute obstacle to our devotion to God To illustrate his lesson on possessions.

Ah, Jesus tells a parable the ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully it starts with the background an

Unknown rich man is blessed by a fruitful harvest season Notice the subject of the verse here one may think it's the rich man.

No, no. No, it's the ground in Verse 16. The ground is the one That's been blessed where the harvest was plentiful

I Remember in Israel the land is the inheritance from God Whenever the yield is plentiful it is considered a blessing from God in The end the source of blessing is ultimately

God And what's important here is in verse 16?

The man doesn't look that bad. The man didn't cheat to get the wealth He didn't defraud anyone.

He didn't take anyone's land. It was the land that he was stewarded with The wealth came to him

Now the dilemma here is that because of the exceeding harvest, which he couldn't have predicted

He has to reconfigure everything And he thought within himself saying what shall

I do since I have no room to store my crops Up to this point.

The man is not doing anything wrong he has been blessed by God and He did not do anything wrong to come into this wealth

And his main problem is that there's so much. What do you do about that? Right.

There's nothing wrong here up to this point You can't say this man's greedy.

He's just been really tremendously blessed And he just wasn't expecting it. That's why there's no room

However, the next two verses show us his true devotion Sometimes what they say in their heart

Gives us away what they're worshiping. It's the very words you say in your mind

That gives us a clue who you're truly devoted to So he said

I Will do this. I will pull down my barns and build greater and there

I will store all my Crops and my goods and I will say to my soul

Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years Take your ease eat drink and be merry his speech

Flows from his true priority in his heart Notice all the first person pronouns here.

I will I will do this I will build my barns my crops my goods and my soul

At least eight times directly referring to himself and even more when he talks to his own soul all of a sudden a clear blessing from God that we have established in the previous two verses are centered around the rich man and Himself notice it is all about my crops and my goods

The reader knows Luke knows Jesus knows it was not his crops nor his goods this man found material security in his possessions his soul found the uttermost

Satisfaction and comfort in the things that God had graciously given him just previously

This man worshipped the gifts of God while neglecting the giver

This man's highest devotion was to things rather than God His main source of comfort was stored in his barns not enthroned in heaven

He worshipped the creation rather than the Creator now, how does

God respond to this man? But God said to him fool this night.

Your soul will be required of you Then whose will those things be which you have provided?

What an ironic answer to all the mice God refers to you the word fool here does

Does not note does not denote our ignorance that's important foolishness in the

Bible is Not the lack of knowledge

It's not ignorance rather Fools in ancient

Israel were those who lacked wisdom and did not have anything to do with God Wisdom is not knowledge, right?

Someone who can just give you facts May not be really wise Wisdom is

Knowing and living According to how God would have you live

Wisdom is being able to discern and delighting in and choosing

God's best for you and also all of humanity

Wisdom requires God in your life wisdom always considers

God and his plan and his views and his will first and foremost

Hence when we when we do look at our foolishness in the Bible It actually shows moral corruption

Rather than just stupidity For example Psalm 14 1 the fool says in his heart.

There is no God They're corrupt and do abominable deeds Right. It's it's it's not like I can't quite see the evidence for God.

No, no, no, that's not it It's that I'm going to live as if there's no God. I'm gonna live.

However, I want Right it that's moral corruption Despite the abundant blessing from God This rich man took all the credit and found his satisfaction and comfort elsewhere

The ironic end to this parable is that the years of comfort that this man looked forward to Ends that night

His heart could plan all that he desired But God has the last say

God has the prerogative to call any soul back at any time Nothing in this rich man's barns could have redeemed his soul which did not even belong to him in the first place

God did not want any of his wealth No, I'm gonna no amount of wealth could buy back even a day from God The last irony of God's intervention is of course the first dilemma that this rich man had

Regarding his wealth is still up in the air as He will not enjoy any of it

That question of what will I do with all this wealth The parable doesn't say we don't know

That question that problem which led him to build and plan for bigger barns to find more comfort

That's that's unresolved and he won't even know who will get it

And verse 21 ends with the punchline of the parable So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God?

There's a contrast here regarding how you can approach your wealth It is stored up as treasure for yourself

Or is it toward God This is not to say that God is some needy person who needs your wealth, right?

He's begging for it on the street That's not true. He doesn't need you. He owns everything

But it's about the relationship Do you consider him?

When you spend Do you consider his plan his will

Do you consider his people the parable is not against those who plan out his wealth the parable is against those who have received tremendous blessings from God and Have total disregard for God for those who find their utmost security in their wealth

They will find no eternal security in God The zealous pursuit of material security is an absolute obstruction to eternal security

What that means is when you depend on your wealth You can't depend on God Why would you depend on God?

When you depend on yourself, but that's that's kind of like where our heart lies

We want to depend on ourselves Before we depend on God We want to rule our lives

Before we submit to the rule of God the question however is

Now that we know that that's our Tendency as human humans sinners we want to depend on ourselves for security comfort

How do we avoid that? How do we avoid treasuring of things instead of devoting to God?

the answer of course is that you must view

Jesus truly as he is You must see

Jesus as the most valuable treasure in your life

You must daily remind yourself what you have because of Christ is not what you have because of yourself

Because of Christ's death for you on the cross You have forgiveness of sin a complete pardon

No lingering punishment No leftover wrath not only that in Christ You're declared righteous.

This is more than just a pardon You're clothed with the righteousness of Christ That you didn't earn yourself.

It's not your righteousness. It's someone else's that's credited to you. Not only that Your identity changes

You're not some random righteous guy on the street Clothed in Christ's righteousness

You're adopted into his family. Your identity is no longer dependent on you and what you do what you say how you say it

So many things to consider if your identity depends on what you do and what you say

But it's dependent on what God has done You're his beloved child that is your primary identity

You may be a mom you may be a dad you may be a student you may be retired

You may be a veteran You may be still working But your primary identity is a beloved child of God That can't be taken away from you

Talk about security there Not only that When you believe in Christ, you're given the

Holy Spirit who is the guarantor and the seal of your salvation He stays with you until the very end

In the end when you trust Christ instead of yourself or your wealth Really the ultimate treasure is you get

Christ you get Jesus Instead of all the things that you might want in the created realm

You trust Jesus you get the Creator himself He is your most precious treasure

Gaining the whole world is nothing compared to what you have in Christ and Christ himself

Only when you know this Greed is not a problem You can have the world

I'm Perfectly satisfied with my Savior. That's what you can tell your soul when you're tempted

To covet You Can have that car I Don't need that car.

I don't need that job. I don't need that relationship. I Get Christ you don't fight greed by lying to yourself.

That's not actually good a New car is good a new house sounds good to me you fight

Covetousness By looking at what you already have that is infinitely better Your highest treasure stored up in heaven

Jesus himself That eternal security. I will end with this second verse of the hymn as a as the deer

Which illustrates this so well, I want you more than gold or silver

Only you can satisfy You alone are the real joy giver and The apple of my eye, let us pray father

Help us to daily remind ourselves The true value the true value of the treasure that is

Jesus and everything that comes with Jesus Help us do not

Lust over Envy What we don't have but help us to focus on what we do have

Who is so much better than Everything that we don't have help us to treasure

Jesus every day Help us to look forward to him Help us to long to spend time with him in Scripture and prayer in Jesus name.