The Kingdom is Urgent- Luke 12:13-21

-The Kingdom of God is a Matter of Urgency

There are 3 lies that rob us of urgency!

Adolph Menzel created a painting titled Frederick the Great’s Address to His Generals Before the Battle of Leuthen. This historical piece depicts Frederick’s speech to his generals in December 1757 during the Seven Years’ War before their famous battle in Silesia against the Austrians.

Menzel worked on it from 1859-1861, but never finished it. The monumental painting contains the background and the generals standing in a semi-circle, but the main figure of Frederick the Great was left blank. Menzel’s famous painting is a picture of many lives. The background of career, interests, pursuits and achievement is complete. The faces of significant people like family, friends and colleagues surround. But the central and most important figure is left incomplete—Jesus. Jesus Christ has been given a name that is above all others and rightly deserves to be the focal point of our lives. Likewise, the centrality of Christ in life is the greatest need of every person. May we never foolishly allow Him to be a blank figure in our crowded lives.

I. I Have to Look Out for Myself vv. 13-17

In today’s passage, Jesus is met by a man who is fighting with his brother over an inheritance

Jesus responds, but he avoids the question of division and focuses on the source of the man’s desire

Jesus does this by telling a story, a parable that gives us an illustration of a principle about the Kingdom of God

In this story, a rich man had a great year of harvest

In response, the rich man immediately gave thought to storing up what his land had produced

He gave no thought to how those goods might bless others

He gave no thought to how they might glorify God

His motivations are completely self-centered

The man is living, as we often do, with one lie: “I have to take care of myself”, based on 3 false assumptions:

I am able to take care of myself on my own

God is not willing to make sure that my needs are meet

My primary needs are physical in nature

Kingdom urgency comes when I realize that my life does not consist of my possessions

There are a multitude of good things in our lives that are truly blessings from God that take a terrible toll on our lives when they become gods themselves

If I live in a way that is dominated by the pursuit of temporal good apart from eternal gain, I am sure to miss out on the Kingdom life that God has for me

Excerpt from "Good to Great" by Jim Collins: "Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don't have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don't have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority of companies never become great, precisely because the vast majority become quite good -- and that is their main problem.

II. I Have Plenty of Time vv. 18-20

Second, we see another lie: “I have plenty of time”

The man continues in his foolishness:

He will tear down his existing barns so that he can have larger ones

His own stores are sufficient but he will only be happier with more.

Why is this? Because then he will have years of supply so that he will have no more work or worry

He has a misunderstanding:

He does not misunderstand the measure of his wealth, it is sufficient for many years

He misunderstands the measure of his life, because it will come to an end on that very night

Now, as he faces his end, he has to face it in light of 3 truths:

He has been a fool- He has disregarded God’s Word

He was poorly prepared for eternity- His preparation was for physical life, not for spiritual life

His soul is required of him- His time is over and the end is at hand

Kingdom urgency comes when I realize that this life is a vapor!

Only One Life, Twill Soon Be Past by C.T. Studd

Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way; Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done; Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgement seat;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”; And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

III. God Just Wants Me to Be Happy v. 21

Third, Jesus exposes another lie: “God just wants me to be happy”

The man had pursued the best pleasures of life and had made every provision to be able to enjoy them

Now, his life is over and he finds out that his accountability was to God

The problem for this man was that he was not “rich toward God”

What does this mean? Is God an egomaniac who dominates every aspect of people’s lives?

No. It means that when we are rich towards God we trade happiness for joy. We play the long game of life and we trade what is temporary for what is eternal

If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

-CS Lewis, The Weight of Glory

We will all give an account before God:

If that account is delivered apart from Christ, it will end in condemnation

If that account is delivered in Christ, it will end in reward

I don’t believe that heaven is a place of shame, but I do know that it is a place where the tears have to be wiped away

As our Savior examines the content of our lives, will we be able to look to Him with an expectation of His reward?

1 John 2:28–29

[28] And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. [29] If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. (ESV)

4. Kingdom urgency comes when I realize that joy is found in seeking the Kingdom of God!

Matthew 6:33

[33] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

Milt Rood worked for years and years in Spokane as a car salesman. He was also very active with the Union Gospel Mission work with juvenile delinquents. Week by week he'd patiently teach the Word and pray with young boys in trouble. One week Milt went into the Hospital for exploratory surgery. The doctors found he was full of cancer. They sewed him up again and sent him home. He died within a week. After the funeral, Ron Kinley remarked, "It's interesting that at the funeral no one ever asked how many cars he had sold!"