The Idolatry of Stuff

Luke 12:13-21 and the Warning Against Covetousness

Welcome to the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church. Kungsvinger is a beacon for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone.

And now here's a message from Pastor Chris Roseberg. The Holy Gospel according to.

St. Luke, the 12th chapter. Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. But he said to him, Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you? 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.

And he told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man produced plentifully. And he thought to himself, What shall I do? For 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 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 God said to him, Fool, this night your soul is required of you.

And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So it is with the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. This is the gospel of the Lord. In the name of Jesus. Pay close attention to those words from our epistle text today.

Covetousness as Idolatry and the First Commandment

Covetousness is idolatry. This is most certainly true. And idolatry is the breaking of the first commandment. And that's the one from which all the other sins kind of flow, if you would. So today, well, we know how this parable works, but let's work our way through our gospel text and note a few things here.

Someone in the crowd came to Jesus and said, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. Talk about the ultimate end run. Taking it all the way up to the Son of God. I mean, it doesn't get any higher than that, right?

And you'll note that in this life, God has established governments. He's established governments. And he's set up people within the office of judge, and people within those offices have God's backing behind them.

This is actually clearly taught in the Old Testament. And that being the case, Jesus is not in the office of judge or arbitrator in this life. You know, this side of his return in glory to judge the living and the dead.

So this fellow's asking the wrong fellow. But you're going to note here, the question itself tells us something about what's going on in this family. And we all know this scenario because scenarios like this exist to this day.

So there's a father and a mother, and they have a favorite child. We love you, favorite child. And then there's, well, we love you, favorite child, right? And so when it comes time to divvying up the inheritance, the will is written, and the favored child gets the lion's share, and maybe the unfavored child gets the dog or something.

Who knows, right? And it's an injustice, and when the will is read out, it's an uncomfortable moment. There may be angry words. Somebody storms and huffs out of the attorney's office, and next thing you know, we know what's going to happen next.

There's a knock on the door. You've been served. You're going to court. You're in a lawsuit. And everybody knows that once the lawsuit is filed, there will be no family meals at Christmas time anymore.

The relationship is shattered. It's utterly broken. And all I would say is, for what? What is the relationship shattered for? A few thousand dollars? A little bit more in the inheritance? And you're going to note then, the person who behaves in this way, they care more about the money than they do about their relationship with their family.

And so money is far more important. That's their God. That's their idol. And when they don't get enough of their God, oh boy. Oh boy. It's a mess. And so Jesus says, take care. Be on your guard against all covetousness.

Don't think for a second that covetousness can somehow be limited to money. It could take on all kinds of forms. I was recently reading in the news how incensed people are at Jeff Bezos' brand new $400 million yacht.

And that seems like a lot of money to spend on a yacht. Yeah? And there are quotes on Twitter where there are mothers who are working for Amazon who are on food stamps and he has a $400 million yacht.

But then I also think about the kid. You hear stories like this from time to time. I read a story about a kid who had an iPad that his father had given him and didn't lock down the ability to purchase things correctly.

And as a result of this, this kid was playing one of those games where it's pay to win. And he wanted all of the best gear and the best stuff and he paid to win. Well, at least his dad did. Something to the tune of like $10 ,000.

But you'll note covetousness goes all the way back to our childhood. And if you don't believe me, come on. Tell me if this isn't true about you because I know it's true about me when my brother would have his birthday parties when I was a kid growing up, I would give him the stink eye when he would open up a gift and that was the one I wanted.

No way! You got the $6 million man with the bionic grip? I wanted that! Right? I'm dating myself. And so you'll note this goes all the way back. This is how our sinful nature works. And it's covetousness is idolatry.

Seeking happiness from things rather than the creator. Looking to them to provide for our needs. And oh, this is a major problem in all of us. And Jesus says, be on your guard against all covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

As Mark pointed out at the men's Bible study last week, so the bumper sticker that says that the person with the most toys when he dies wins isn't true? It's not true. That's good words of wisdom from Mark last week pointing that out.

The Bible's very clear on this. So Jesus then tells a parable and this parable is important. And listen to the details because the details tell us something. The land of a rich man produced plentifully.

Notice it wasn't the man who produced plentifully. It was his land that produced plentifully. And you'll notice something about life right now. We are under a curse and we have to toil in order to put food on the table and this is all God's doing because we sinned against God so God has put us under the curse in order to kind of humble us and to chasten us.

And you'll note that in this life then that people becoming wealthy and rich, sometimes it's just dumb luck. I mean a while back a pastor I know called me and he was saying, you know what? What? Yeah, so you know the house that we bought?

Yeah, I remember you bought a house out west. What about it? Well, some people came. They were the mineralogists or whatever and they did a survey on our land. And guess what? We're sitting on like a truckload of natural gas and they want to pay me this exorbitant amount for the mineral rights and the mining rights so they can start extracting the natural gas.

And he goes, what should I do with that money? And it was a large amount of money. He's like, I don't know. Do whatever you want. But it's like he went from having a normal pastor salary to having this windfall of money overnight and that's how it works, isn't it?

You think of the person who is waiting tables in a diner in Los Angeles and some talent scout discovers them and they become the next big thing in Hollywood. It's kind of how that works. And so you'll note that in this life, wealth and resources, they're not distributed in any kind of system that seems fair at all.

Some people, everything they touch turns to ashes. Other people, I mean, it doesn't matter how ridiculously foolish and stupid their decisions are, they all turn to gold. And you sit there and go, what does that person have that I don't have?

And you'll note by asking the question, you're coveting their stuff.

The Curse of Toil and the Vanity of Accumulation

How is it that...

So let me remind you the curse that we are under. In Genesis chapter 3, when God is doling out punishments for the sin, the violation of his word, he says this to Adam, because you have listened to the voice of your wife and you've eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, you shall not eat of it.

Cursed is the ground because of you. And in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you and you shall eat the plants of the field and by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground.

For out of it you were taken, for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. So you'll note that the toil that we experience, this is all because of our collective sin and rebellion against God. And this is where the words of Ecclesiastes are actually quite helpful.

Solomon, King Solomon says this from our Old Testament text. He said, I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun. Even Solomon had to toil, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me.

And who knows whether he'll be wise or will be a fool. Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and use my wisdom under the sun. This is vanity. So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over the toil of my labors under the sun because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it.

This also is vanity and a great evil. I think of our family trip to the Hearst Castle years and years and years ago. What a beautiful property. This amazing castle in the central coast of California. It's just absolutely amazing.

And I just remember as we were doing the tour through there, we came to the part where there's this amazing pool and I had this overwhelming urge to take off all my clothes and jump in and go swimming.

Thankfully I withheld. But you gotta note here is that Hearst, when he put that thing together, I mean the A-list of the top movie stars would come and spend weekends and weeks there. He would party with everybody who was anybody would go to the Hearst Castle and he ran his publishing empire from the Hearst Castle.

And do you know who owns the Hearst Castle today? The state of California. I would say the biggest bunch of fools on the planet, but I come from there. So why are we toiling? What are we hoarding for?

It doesn't make any sense. You can't take any of it with you anyway. If you haven't figured it out, you're sojourning here. And so Jesus says don't covet and don't store up for yourselves things like this because your life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions.

So the land of a rich man produced plentifully. He came on a windfall crop and so he thought to himself, hmm, what shall I do? For I have nowhere to store my crops. As the kids would say, sounds like a first world problem, right?

I have nowhere to store my crops. And I always point out that Ambrose of Milan had the best quote I think of anybody in church history. He said you should have stored those crops in the bellies of the poor.

That's where you should have stored them. But no, he's not thinking about anybody else. He's thinking only of himself. And so he says I'll do this. I'm going to tear down my barns. I'm going to build larger ones.

And there I'll store all my grain and my goods. And then I'll say to my soul, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, be merry. Go on vacation in Bermuda. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I'm just saying if you want to go to Bermuda, you can do that. But you're going to note here that there's something lacking here. I know true fear, love, and trust in God, that seems to be missing because the only person he's thinking about is himself.

It hasn't even dawned on him, wait a second here, I have been given this gift from God that maybe, just maybe, I need to be generous with other people. The only person he's thinking about is himself. And so he's thinking he's on the verge of relaxing and having a fine, fine, fine, exorbitant retirement.

The Foolishness of Self-Reliance and the Judgment of God

But God said to him, fool. Fool's a bad word. It's a really bad word when God is using it to describe you. When you read the Proverbs, it's always the contrast between the wise and the fool. The fool is the one who says in his heart, there is no God.

You notice atheists are considered to be fools by God. And then you think of all the foolish things that are listed in the Proverbs to avoid that the foolish do. So God says to him, you fool. This night your soul is required of you and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?

And that's kind of the point here with this fellow who says, Lord, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. Let me ask you, who owns that inheritance today? Who will own it tomorrow, 50 years from now, 100 years from now?

You begin to realize when you take a longer view, priorities seem to be way out of whack. So Jesus says, so it is with the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God. And as I read this out today, I was half tempted to say this is the law of the Lord rather than the gospel of the Lord.

Because you notice there seems to be a supreme lack of gospel here. At least it's hinted at, but it's not quite overtly taught. So what do we do in a situation like this? You'll note then when Jesus speaks in judgment it causes us all to sit up and take notice.

It's not a good thing when the Lord is judging somebody and telling them that they're a fool and saying that their soul is required of them. Because the implication is that this man's soul is going to come up wanting.

When he's weighed in the balance of God's righteousness, he's not going to even come close to measure up. And this fool is going to spend an eternity in the lake of fire. That's what's at stake here. And so Jesus is warning each and every one of us, don't end up like this fellow.

Which then makes us all sit there and go, well, that isn't making me feel comfortable, so what do I need to do to make sure I don't end up like this? How much of my money do I need to give away to the poor, to the Rotary Club, to name the charity?

And if you think that's the solution to the problem, you still don't understand the problem. This isn't about what you do. This is about what you believe. And what you believe will cause you to do things one way or another.

So you note this fool has no fear of God. Coveting is idolatry. And as a result of it, his chickens come to roost, if you would. And as a result of this, he, because he has no true fear, faith, or love in God, thinks only about himself, and he is judged accordingly.

Being Rich Toward God Through Faith in Christ

So what does it mean, then, to be rich towards God? That's the question. To be rich towards God, is it merely giving to the poor, in almsgiving? You'll note that one of the five pillars of Islam is a requirement to give alms to the poor.

Did you know that? It's absolutely required in Islam, along with prayers towards Mecca and other things. But one of the things that's required is you have to give money to the poor. Are we to say, then, that the Muslims are rich towards God because they give alms to the poor?

Have you considered the Mormons? The Mormons have probably one of the best safety nets ever for all of their members. If you are a member of the Mormon church and you lose your job, you do not need to fear even for a minute.

You're going to have food on the table, your mortgage is going to be paid, you're going to be well taken care of. Are they rich towards God? Well, I would ask, which one? They believe they're going to become gods.

So what does it mean to be rich towards God, then? To be rich towards God means to recognize the complete poverty of your self-righteousness and to trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of your sins.

To believe and to fear and love and trust in God above all things is to be rich towards God. This will result in you caring for and loving your neighbor, but to be rich towards God is to have faith in Him.

And without faith, you're going to hear next week, it's impossible to please God. So Jesus is asked by this fellow to be a judge and an arbitrator regarding an inheritance. And I would remind every one of us that when Jesus returns in glory to judge the living and the dead, He definitely will be the judge.

And He will be the decider of who gets what inheritance. Because remember, eternal life is what? It's an inheritance given. And it's given because of the death of Jesus Christ Himself. So brothers and sisters, take heart.

Take heart. You have heard today that your sins are forgiven. You are baptized and united with Christ in His death and His resurrection. You believe that you are forgiven. You believe the promises of God.

You are rich towards God. Today you will eat and drink of the bounty of Christ's table, His body and blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. Hang on to these great gifts because your faith is what makes you rich towards God.

And then know this, that the day is coming when Jesus will be the one deciding who gets what inheritance. And I love how the Scriptures talk about this because everybody who receives the inheritance receives it as a gift.

And so there will be no squabbling. There will be no, well, how come she got that and I got this? Instead, the Scriptures describe our inheritance in this way. One of the Psalms says, I look at the borders of my inheritance and the lines have fallen on pleasant places.

Isn't that a great way of thinking about it? And in the earth to come there will be no weeds. Yes! I'm losing the battle of the weeds presently, but when I get back I plan to redouble my efforts and maybe see if we can't win the war.

But anyway, there will be no weeds. The lines will fall in pleasant places. And here's the best part. This gift that Christ gives us of eternal life and inheritance, all by grace through faith, that this gift cannot be taken from you.

Never again when Jesus returns will you build something only to have it go to somebody else. You will long enjoy the work of your hands. Long enjoy it. Never again will you plant a vineyard only to have some fool inherit it upon your death.

Instead, you will enjoy the fruits of that vineyard forever and ever in a world without end, seeing the face of your Savior. And so note this then, that Christ has already bled and died for all of your idolatry and covetousness.

He's paid the penalty so that you do not have to. So that you do not have to hear from him, you fool. Instead, because of the great gift of God's mercy, you will instead hear from him. Well done, good and faithful servant.

Enter into your inheritance and the joy of your Master. And all of this is a gift. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

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