Today’s message is a parable, that was given by Jesus Christ, but recorded by Luke. We will be camped out in Luke chapter 12. The Holy Ghost will teach us verses 13 through 21.
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”
15 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.”
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.
17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “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.
19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “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?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Today’s Word from the Holy Ghost is greed. Greed should not be a part of the Christians life. God does not like a person full of pride and greed. In fact, check out what second Timothy tells us.
1 Timothy 6:10
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
At first, all of you could tell me that this was a scriptural statement, because it is widely used! However, you probably couldn’t tell me the Book, the chapter, or the verse that it was in. Anyway, the love of money results in greed. This scripture, nor God, has a problem with his children being wealthy or successful. If we were truthful, we would agree that our wealth and our riches were given to us by God, But we would realize our wealth and our possessions are only borrowed from God?
So you ask: how does one know if he or she is greedy? You are greedy if you keep all of your money for yourself! You are greedy if you love your money, or your main focus in life is to obtain more money. In addition, you can be found greedy with other things besides money. One is also greedy if he or she does not give of themselves in the form of their time, in the form or their service, or in the form of their goods. It is possible to be greedy with food or just about anything.
We can see just how greedy we are by visiting our social media accounts. For example, what do you see when you are reviewing your posts and profiles on Facebook, on TikTok, or Snapchat? Or are you committing other sins by stocking the accounts of famous men and women?
Through the technology boom we have the privilege to hold a computer in our hand. Our smart phones have given us access into anyone’s life and especially the life of those who are wealthy, because at any given time (24 hours a day) we can preview their profiles, their chats, and their posts. By investigating their channels or their posts we can get an inside scoop into their lives. By investigating our idols or the most famous people we lust for different luxury items. We can sit in the comforts of our own homes and see rooms of shoes, garages is full of luxury cars, closets full of designer handbags, kitchens with the newest technologies available, homes with the best theater systems, and bunkers full of artillery. With just a click of the button we can see lively backyards, with cabanas, pools, hot tubs, and more. Through social media, we can get carried away with our greedy tendencies. We began to believe that if we work hard enough, get the right deal, meet the right people, get the right business off the ground and run it, or if the doors are opened with opportunity; then, I too could have a luxurious live-style. But how would our relationship be with God?
Church, there are people in our mists, that use social media in order to promote themselves, in order to promote their success, and in order to promote their wealth. They don’t necessarily center around spreading the gospel or promoting heaven and shunning Hell! What do your accounts say about you?
Our concentration should not be to promote the fact that we are good looking, to promote the fact that we have a luxury sports car, or that our home should be showcased in a magazine. My friend, if your profile, your posts, your channel, your social media blogs does this; then, perhaps you could call yourself greedy.
*The worth of our life is in no way or no how- connected to our networth.
*Your worth and value is not connected to the furniture that you sit on.
*The state of our life is not even connected to the worth of our estate.
*You’re worth and value is not connected to the car you drive or the mansion that you live in.
* Your worth is not connected to material things.
*My friends, your worth and your value is not found in the possessions that you own.
Your possessions do not speak about your purpose. Your possessions sometimes helps your purpose and if your possessions get in the way of your purpose you should get rid of them.
So, your focus should not be on your empire.
Your focus should not be on the home that you live in.
Your focus should not be on your Ferrari or BMW.
Your focus should be on the great commission!!!
What is the great commission? Well, flip over to Matthew 28:16! Within these words you’ll find: The Great Commission
“16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Now, as we get into today’s lesson, note that Luke wrote about how Jesus constantly and consistently turned their reality upside down. Luke formulated his writings around the down trotted, the outcast, and the poor. he focuses his gospel on the eyewitness testimony of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said the wealthy are really the ones that are poor.“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God,” says Jesus (Luke 6:20).
Jesus said you will you lose your life to obtain it. Luke 9:24 “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”
The poor have no wealth to stand in the way of loving God. But “woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry” (Luke 6:25). “Be hungry” seems a bit of an understatement for “miss eternal life by putting God outside your orbit of interest,” but that is clearly the implication.
Jesus said humble yourself in order to be exalted. Luke 14:11 “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
Luke reports on all the teachings of Jesus Christ that he witnessed. Through this, we can learn how to bear our own cross. Through this we can learn how to be more like Jesus Christ.
Luke chapter 12 reports about an instance of a man who reaches the front of the line and asks Jesus Christ a question. Envision for a moment a large group trying to see a president who is giving out money.
There would be elbowing.
There would be kicking.
There would be screaming.
There would have been pushing and shoving.
There would’ve been scratching.
There would be people stumbling and people walking over them.
This man would’ve had to do all sorts of things in order to get to the front of the line. Today, you might get to the front of the line if you would pass out money. Perhaps, the line with part for that?
According to Deuteronomy chapter 21, when there was a problem with an inheritance and how it was in divided, the parties would bring this family matter before the rabbi. The rabbi would make decision on what would be just and fair. However, sometimes when man has to decide what is just and fair justice becomes corrupt.
This man could’ve went to any rabbi, but the fact is that this man seen a large crowd, tells us that he wanted his problem to be known to everyone. This man would’ve seen the power that Jesus had and he wanted to use it in order to force his brother to give him the inheritance. The context shows us what this man was willing to go through in order to make his plans successful. It shows us just what height this man wanted to go to in order to keep his wealth or to obtain new wealth. Wealth really meant a lot to him.
According to scripture, this man, tells Jesus to have his brother divide the inheritance with him. The audacity of this man! We don’t tell Jesus our plans and expect him to react! When we do this we are true fools.
Jesus responds to the man frankly! He validates what the man is saying and what the man is requesting. However, Jesus wants the man to grow and mature; so, he gives him a parable. With this parable, the crowd and the readers of Luke’s Gospel also gain an understanding; so, they can grow spiritually too.
Jesus, says this: Sir, God gave me an assignment. God gave me a task to complete. Our father, gave me a specific mission to complete! Therefore, I just don’t have the time to invest in such a request. Jesus says I am not concerned about your wealth. Your life does not consist in the abundance of your wealth. Your life does not consist of your worldly spoil. Your wealth does not have anything to do with the salvation of souls.
Isaiah told us Jesus’s mission and the man seeking Jesus should of knew his mission. Therefore let’s read what 61 one says in Isaiah.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound,”
So Jesus made his mission perfectly clear to the audience! Then he gave them this parable. Today, many of us did not want to hear that! There is a wave that is sweeping across the nation and it’s called “the name it and claim it movement.” This movement impresses on people that this is your year, this is your time, and your blessing is in the mail! My friend, just because we are saved does not mean we are entitle to a life of comfort. In fact, the scripture tells us that it will rain on the just and the unjust. (Matthew 5:45) So, why do good men and good women believe that we deserve more than Jesus had when he walked the earth?
Scripture tells us this about Jesus:
1. Jesus came without any splendor and was born to a poor family. In fact, they laid him in a trough.
2 Corinthians 8:9 — King James Version “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
2. Jesus was not concerned with gathering Worldly goods. His focus was on winning souls and doing the will of the father. He was not concerned on building a great big castle or mansion to live in.
2. King James Bible
“And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
Let’s not be fools! God did not wake us up this morning and give us a breath of life; just so, he can give us more material possessions.
We have to quit totally and constantly focusing on things like these:
I am blessed because I drive a luxury car.
I am blessed because I live in a mansion?
I am blessed because I have 100 acres!
I am blessed because I have a stock pile of food!
Or, I am blessed because I have a storage been full of stuff!
Yes, those things can be blessings, but it is NOT a true blessing!
We need to be counting our blessings like this:
I am a child of God!
I have again forgiven of my sins!
Jesus Christ has given me salvation!
I have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb!
I have a heavenly home not made by hands!
To exercise these points Jesus tells us the parable of the wealthy man! The man is so full of wealth that he wants to tear his barn down and build bigger barns to hold all of his soil. Then, he believes he can relax and rest! Do you see a problem with this? So, the wealthy man begins eating and drinking and making merry and the Lord interrupts his thoughts by calling him a fool.
Why does God called his man a fool?
There are at least three reasons why God called this man a fool. Next, I want to highlight those three things.
1. God calls this man a fool because he believes that he is successful and wealthy, because of what he has done.
God is speaking to heart of man. He is not telling us that success and wealth is all bad. The man in the parable is wealthy, but it has caused him to be prideful and self-centered. In fact, eight times in four verses, the wealthy man said: “I will do!” He did not give God credit for anything. Nor did he ask God! The wealthy man was saying my crops, my barn, my grain, and my wealth! Jesus is not condemning the wealth. Jesus is not condemning his prosperity or his possessions. Jesus is pointing out the fact that the man is focused totally upon them. The man is so focused on himself that he does not show any gratitude toward God.
I found it interesting, that the Holy Spirit pointed out, that Jesus could’ve used a king, he could’ve used a wealthy businessman, but Jesus chose to use a wealthy farmer in this parable. The reason why Jesus chose a farmer was because society was based on agriculture. However, the farmer relies on elements that he does not control.
You ask, well preacher what are the elements the wealthy man not control?
The elements of the weather and life.
The farmer feels that his success came about because of his blood, his sweat, and tears.
However, he does not realize that God gives the sun. He does not realize that going into the rain. Jeremiah 31:35 King James Bible
“Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:”
It is not realize that God gives life. Genesis 2:7 KJV
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
The rich farmer fails to realize that he cannot move nutrients through the soil.
He fails to realize that he cannot control the temperature or the weather. Acts 14:17 “He did good and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
He also feels realize that he cannot make one to seedling to bear a sprout. Psalms 104:14 “He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth.”
You see, our success, our wealth, and our possessions do not come totally, because we have have earned them. It is not a my thing. It is a God thing.
God owns the world and the continents of it. Psalm 50:10 King James Bible
“For every beast of the forest is mine, andthe cattle upon a thousand hills.
It is not by chance or circumstance that this rich man made his wealth. It was only because God open the doors. It was only because God gave him the opportunity. It was only because God blessed him. It is only because God blessed his land and gave him the increase.
The problem is that this man got so successful he forgot that God gave him the right family, the right farm, the right lane, the right weather, the right crops, the right temperature, the right nutrients, and the right land.
We are not successful on our own merit. We are only successful because God opened up the right doors, because God gave us the opportunity, because God gave us a loan, because God put us in the right family, because God gave, and because God blesses!
We need to praise God more than we praise our blessings!
2. The second thing that the Holy Ghost wanted to point out to us is:this man is a fool, because he has total satisfaction in his gifts!
Let’s look at the text! He says, I will say to my soul… You have ample good leader for the years. Therefore, you can now relax!
First of all, how is your soul going to relax? Your soul is in a state of rebellion, a state of confusion, and a state offense to God; until, you accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ! The sacrifice is the only way that you can obtain rest, because only then, we you be redeemed back to God.
Church, the wealthy man in the parable, it’s not in trouble because he has wealth or because he has riches. The wealthy man is in trouble, because He believes that his riches and his stuff is the fulfillment of his life and not God. Let’s repeat that: He believes that his riches and his belongings is the fulfillment of his life and not God.
The wealthy man, in this parable and some of us today, put all of our home in our success and then our wealth. We are fools when we believe that our possessions are the filament of our life. We are foolish when we think that we can have enough money to buy enough stuff to satisfy our souls. Our ticket to eternal life cannot be bought or sold. Our ticket to eternal life is given to those who will accept it.
There is no amount of money, there is no amount of stuff, and there is no amount that will make us crawl out of bed in the morning and feel relief. Because relief does not come by the things of this world! Relief does not and will not come from the prince of the air. Relief comes only through Jesus Christ.
Matt. 11: 28-30
“28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
So you see Church, only God can fulfill our hunger and our thirst. Only God can give rest to a weary soul.
3. The third thing that the Holy Ghost wanted to point out to us is that this man is a fool, because he believes that he is entitled to a tomorrow.
The rich man’s heart is that he had all of his life to live. Because he tells himself that he has time to eat, drink, and be Mary. Let’s take another look at verse 19! And it says: “And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
God responds by saying that he is going to die this very night. How horrifying for the wealthy man! Let’s take another look at verse 20. 20 says the following: “20 “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?”
Jesus was expressing that the wealthy man was nearsighted. No he did not have glasses! The spiritual state of his mind was nearsighted. see, when you are near sighted you can see what’s in front of you, but you have trouble seeing the bigger picture. Do you have trouble seeing the main idea. you have to be near something in order to see it or understand it. The wealthy man liked the ability to step back and have a panorama view.
Jesus is pointing out that some of us have the eligibility only to see right now! We only have the ability to understand what is going on in our life today.he is not thinking about the immediate future. The wealthy man and anyone like the wealthy man is a fool, because they are thinking about today, but they are not thinking about their eternal life. They are not even thinking about salvation. They have all they need now; so, they feel like they can sit back and relax and do nothing. Our lives are so much larger than just the next few years! What we go through today is just a season. It’s temporal. It’s fading. Our life consist of an eternal life.
The wealthy man is foolish, because he failed to realize that even Tam belongs to God. That is where we get the saying: “living on borrowed time!“ Life itself is a gift from God. we are living in a borrowed body, we are living with a borrowed family, we’re living in a borrowed house, we’re living by borrowing God‘s creation.
So my friend, let’s look to the author and finisher of our faith Jesus Christ. 12:2 of Hebrews says the following: “King James Bible
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
In the blink of an eye, when we are least expecting it, God is going to demand all things be returned to him. It’s not gonna matter how many followers we have on social media, it’s not gonna matter how many people know our name, and it doesn’t matter how many zeros are in your net worth, The only thing that’s going to matter when this jig is up: is what did you build between you and God? If you lost everything today or if God took everything away, what would you have between you and God? Would you have a relationship with God? Would you have build up your own kingdom or would you have build up the kingdom of God?
And Mark 8:36 told us that Jesus said the following: “King James Bible “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Today, it’s hard for people to try God. They don’t want to give control of their life over to the unknown. So, it’s less Christians who shine the light of God into their dark world. It is up to the Christian to set the example and not bring a reproach on the name of God.
A double dog dare you to try God. He will be that rock, that anchor, that friend, and that cheerleader, that you need. You’ll find a purpose in your life that no one could assign you. The void that you feel will be fulfilled. You will no longer have to look for the next thing to make you happy. The next thing that will make you happy is Jesus Christ! When he enters your soul, you’ll get the fruits of the spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 tell us what those gifts are and I’ll read them with you: Galatians 5:22-23 (International Version) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.”
I ask you who doesn’t want those? No one! Come and get them! Meet Jesus today, at the altar!
