Luke 12:13-21

Luke 12:13-21

Godly Wealth

I. Don’t buy what the world is selling, invest your life in God; to do so we must be on guard against all types of greed (Vv. 13-15)

a. As the crowds following Jesus surged in size, He began teaching difficult truths, but right in the middle of His message, some guy in the crowd yells out, not asking but telling Jesus to make his brother split up the family inheritance with him. The law was very clear on how to go about dividing up an estate, and teachers were expected to give judgments in such issues, but Jesus’ refusal to arbitrate the man’s estate is based on Jesus’ knowledge of the man’s heart. The man’s issue wasn’t unfair treatment, it was greed. So Jesus uses him as an example to petition the crowd to beware and be on guard against every form of greed. Greed is an insatiable desire and craving for more and more of something, or a deep fear of losing something, both of which lead to self-destruction. Jesus states that no matter how much of something we have; it never defines who we are. But what does Jesus mean by “every form of greed”? (Vv. 13-15; Numb. 27:1-11; Deut. 21:15-17)

b. Greed is a sin that lies at the root of many others. It leads to idolatry, coveting, lying, adultery, neglect, and even murder. Greed isn’t only desiring more and more of some material thing and never being able to get enough, it’s also holding on too tightly to something, material or other, of which the thought of losing produces fear, anxiety, and worry. Greed moves us to hold on too tightly to our material possessions, our spiritual resources, our time, power, control, authority, and even traditions, all of which perpetuate a greedy and selfish heart. And greed is not only dangerous because it can take so many forms, but also because it’s work in our hearts is so subtle. It creeps in slowly, almost unnoticed, like weeds in a garden, which slowly grow up and choke out the flowers. The world we live in perpetuates the false teaching that our worth is based on the things which have, material possessions, talents, intelligence, and influence; but Jesus says that none of those things determine who we are, and we must be on guard against them and reject them as primary focus in our lives. But how do we keep all these stealthy forms of greed from creeping into our lives and choking out our true focus on God? (Gen. 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Exod. 20:1-17; 2 Sam. 11; Joshua 7:1-21; Matt. 13:22; 26:14-15, 47-50; 27:3-10; John 12:4-8; Acts 5:1-11)

II. Don’t buy what the world is selling, invest your life in God; to do so we must diligently pursue godly wealth (Vv. 16-21)

a. Jesus illustrates His teaching through the story of a rich fool who was successful and had productive lands. But after harvesting an abundant crop, in his greed, the rich fool only considered himself in the success of the crop, in what to do with all his excess, and in how he’d live going forward. He wasn’t greedy because he was successful, but because he thought a full barn meant a full life. His harvest was so abundant that he had no room to store it, but he never considered God’s will for the excess, only that more crops would equal more satisfaction, so he inquired with himself, and built larger barns. He didn’t consider that he only stewarded the land which actually belonged to God. It was God who caused the growth, God who caused the abundance, and God whom the abundance was for. The rich man is a fool because he didn’t keep his focus on God, but he focused only on his possession which possessed him. Instead of investing his harvest wisely according to God’s will, he decided to retire on it and live “the good life”. But it wasn’t only his crops that belonged to God, the rich fool belonged to God too, and he never considered that God might take him out of the world that very night. The man was a greedy fool because he willfully ignored God and lived his life to satisfy himself instead of glorifying God. But, as a result of his greed, he never enjoyed the blessings of God in his life and was never rich towards God eternally. We must not buy what the world is selling, but diligently keep the proper perspective of God in our lives. We must have repentant hearts that humbly acknowledge His sovereign Lordship over our lives and all things, trusting Him for salvation in Christ, seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and trusting Him for all we need in life. We must value our relationship with God and others over all other assets, finding value for ourselves and other in Him, not what we have. We must invest our lives in God, sharing His grace and love freely with others, being rich in good deeds, and we’ll truly be rich towards God. (Vv. 16-21; Deut. 8:18; Job 27:8; Ps. 14:1; 39:6-7; Prov. 27:23-24; Eccl. 2:24; 3:12; 5:18-20; Isa. 22:12-14; Jer. 17:11; Matt. 6:19-21; 24-34; John 19:30; Rom. 11:33-36; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; 1 Tim. 6:6-12, 17-19; Jas. 2:5; 4:13-15)