True Wealth In God's Kingdom Luke 12:13-32

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 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.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 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. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” 22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Some of you may have heard this joke before, but I need someone to help me out with a knock knock joke for as we begin -

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Interrupting cow.

Interrupting cow -

MOO!

That is the essence of the next comment we see in verse 13.

People were trampling one another to get to Jesus.

Jesus had just taught about having sincere faith, being on guard against hypocrisy, not fearing men but revering God because of His great love for us, and acknowledging him before other men.

This man’s request is like the interrupting cow, having to have his way.

His request, although inappropriate under the circumstances, was not unusual though.

By calling Jesus teacher the man acknowledged Him to be a rabbi, and rabbis routinely mediated and offered judgments in civil and family disputes.

Jesus as usual sees through the man’s question to the motives of his heart.

This man is driven purely by materialism.

Jesus response was simple.

Luke 12:14 ESV

14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

But he doesn’t leave it there.

He begins to needle in to the true issue at hand.

This mans heart.

Luke 12:15 ESV

15 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.”

Covetousness - also NKJV

If you have one of the pew bibles NASB - Greed

Luke 12:15 CSB

15 He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”

This word that Jesus uses here for covetousness or greed -

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. πλεονεξία

the state of desiring to have more than one’s due, greediness, insatiableness, avarice, covetousness

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition) Avarice

av•a•rice \ˈa-və-rəs, ˈav-rəs\ noun

[Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin avaritia, from avarus avaricious, from avēre to crave—more at AVID] 14th century: excessive or insatiable desire for wealth or gain

If it were your or I in Jesus place here, I am sure we would be sitting there with our head in the palm of our hand thinking to ourselves, didn’t this guy hear what I just said?

There is so much more to life than stuff, but this man only wants my verdict about this stuff.

The man wasn’t there to have Jesus change his heart.

He wanted his problem fixed without confronting some deeper issues of sin in his life.

In his mind, his problem was his greedy brother who wasn’t giving him his fair share of the inheritance.

But instead, the man got something he hadn’t bargained for!

Jesus saw that his words revealed his heart.

The man’s heart problem was not his brother’s greed, but his own greed.

Yes, the brother may have also been greedy, and Jesus’ parable was not just directed to the man, but to “them,” which probably included the brother along with the whole crowd.

But this man had his focus on getting what he wanted in this world.

Where do you find yourself on this spectrum this morning?

It can be so easy for us to get caught up in the stuff of this world.

This why Jesus said to be on guard.

The NLT puts it nicely -

Luke 12:15 NLT

15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

This is so much the opposite of what the world tells us today.

Our western culture tells us that you need stuff to be happy, you need stuff to be fulfilled.

Life is about an abundance of possessions, that nice house, car, gun, bow, the nice dishware to impress your guests.

Even coffins, if you look at the ornate nature of some coffins, even in death, some people try to show others that they knew how to live!

The greedy person lives as if the most important things in life are assured when they have gathered the most.

Jesus instructs us otherwise.

Material excess will never make you truly happy, alive, or fulfilled.

This is the basic principle that Jesus intended to get across to the people.

He reiterates this to everyone by telling a parable of a rich fool.

English Standard Version Chapter 12

The land of a rich man produced plentifully

he began (v. 16).

The rich man was a farmer, but he represents all human beings who are seduced by “all kinds of greed,”

It doesn’t matter your occupation, business owner, mechanic, state worker, nurses, students, and yes pastors as well.

This man is representative of all of us.

He had come by his wealth honestly.

He did not cheat to get his fields, he did not devour widows’ homes, he was not an abuser of employees.

And God had blessed him materially—just the right amount of rain and sun, no disease or pestilence—and huge yields.

He was a success in everyone’s eyes.

New respect came his way.

But unknowingly he, like some of us, was in great danger.

Having a false sense of security, he fell pray to some foolish reasoning.

English Standard Version Chapter 12

he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 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.

Building new barns was logical and prudent.

It was a good idea.

But the danger lay in what was missing.

There was no thought of sharing, and no thought of stewardship.

There was no thought for the poor, the ill, and the naked who were all around him.

It is a thought patter of utter selfishness as expanded on in verse 19

Luke 12:19 ESV

19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’

Read through verses 17 - 19 again and count the number of I’s and my’s.

In the ESV we see my 4 times and I 6 times.

This man is completely self absorbed in his goods and success.

Interestingly, this is the only place in the Bible where retirement is spoken of, and here it is in the context of disapproval.

Of course, the Bible recognizes aging and slowing down.

But retiring to a life of self-indulgence finds no favor with God.

Biblically, the example we see is that a retirement that lives for self is unbiblical and immoral.

The glaring fault of this foolish man was that he was living as if there was no God.

Someone once asked John D. Rockefeller how much money was enough. “One dollar more,” he replied. The beast of greed is never full. It is insatiable.

We miss the point, however, if we see covetousness as an issue of amount not attitude.

The poorest can be greedy; the richest can avoid greed.

But the danger of possessions is that they often arouse the desire for more.

Steven Cole shares

A TEST FOR GREED:

Here are five questions to ask yourself:

(1) DO MY THOUGHTS MORE OFTEN RUN AFTER MATERIAL THINGS THAN AFTER GOD HIMSELF?

If I am often thinking about that new car or that nicer house or that better computer, and I seldom think about how I can know God better, I am tainted by greed.

(2) DO I EVER COMPROMISE GODLY CHARACTER IN THE PURSUIT OF MATERIAL GAIN?

If I sometimes cheat or lie or steal to get ahead financially or to avoid loss, I am being greedy. If I am willing to shred relationships or to take advantage of another person for financial gain, I am being greedy. If I care more about making money than about being a witness for Jesus Christ, I am being greedy.

(3) DO I ENJOY MATERIAL THINGS MORE THAN I ENJOY KNOWING GOD?

If my happiness soars when I get a new car, but I am bored by the things of God, I am greedy. If I rejoice when I win a raffle or door prize, but I yawn when I hear about a soul being saved, I am greedy.

(4) HOW DO I RESPOND WHEN I LOSE MATERIAL THINGS?

Those that have money in the stock market, how does it make you feel when

When the stock market drops, do I fall apart emotionally? If I get robbed or lose some or all of my things in a fire, does it devastate me? I’m not saying that we must be stoical about such losses. We will always feel some sadness when we lose things. But if it wipes us out, then we’re probably too attached to this world and its goods.

(5) WHAT WOULD I DO IF I SUDDENLY CAME INTO A FORTUNE?

Maybe some of you have seen some of those short videos/reels that say - I wouldn’t tell anyone if I won the lottery, but there would be signs.

What if a distant relative died and left you a large inheritance?

Would your first thought be, “Now I can get that better house or car or boat”?

“Now I can take that trip around the world I’ve always wanted to take.”

Or, would you think, “How can I make an impact for the kingdom of God with this money”?

“How might thousands of people hear about Christ because He has given me funds to invest in the spread of His kingdom!”

In the parable Jesus shares, we see the example of exactly what not to do.

The world says that life consists of things, but God says that life consists of being rightly related to Him and to others.

The world would view this rich man as a success.

this man’s “whole attitude was the very reverse of Christianity.

Instead of denying himself he aggressively affirmed himself; instead of finding his happiness in giving he tried to conserve it by keeping.”

His goal was to enjoy life, but in seeking his life, he lost it.

What was wrong was the man’s focus.

Luke 12:21 ESV

21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

He had the world’s perspective, not God’s perspective.

God’s perspective is not that riches are inherently wrong.

Money can be a great good if it is used in line with God’s perspective.

If you want to invest your life successfully, deposit it with Jesus Christ and spend it for His kingdom.

This investment begins by depositing your life with Jesus Christ, which means, entrusting your eternal destiny to Him.

All of the good works that you try to do for God will not begin to pay the debt of your sin when you stand before Him.

Jesus Christ paid that debt. On the cross, He cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The Greek word means, “paid in full.”

The wages of sin is death, and Jesus paid that price for you if you will put your trust in Him.

Does this mean that we can’t spend any money on ourselves?

Does it mean that we should live at a poverty level, drive old cars, only buy used clothes, and never spend money for personal enjoyment or pleasure?

No, that’s not what it means.

God has blessed us with many things and it is legitimate to enjoy those blessings with thankful hearts.

Also, it is prudent and in line with Scripture to provide in a reasonable manner for our future needs through saving and investing (Prov. 6:6-11).

But, at the same time I think that most Christians need to think much more carefully about the question, “Am I really seeking first God’s kingdom?”

Am I constantly thinking of the stewardship of my life and money in light of what God is doing?

Or, could the deceitfulness of riches be getting a subtle stronghold on my life?

We expect ministry workers to live modestly.

We are bothered when we hear stories of a person in ministry, who is supposed to be serving the Lord, getting rich, buying a mansion for a home, or even private jets.

But on the same token, are we bothered if we get rich and live lavishly?

Each of us, All Christians should live a missionary lifestyle and give the rest to the Lord’s work.

We all should be as committed to the Great Commission as missionaries are, even if God has not called us to go to another culture.

Today, we have other cultures right next door.

Jesus didn’t say, “All you missionaries should seek first God’s kingdom, but the rest of you can just give a tenth, spend the rest on yourselves, and live as you please.”

We should think of ourselves standing before God, giving an account of what He has entrusted to us.

Will we be really rich on that day?

Jesus takes this thought to another level which in continues in verses 22-34 which we will pick up on next time we are back in Luke.

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