Luke 12:13-34 | Posessions

In his book, Money, Possessions, and Eternity, Randy Alcorn offers the following scenario to help us think about money:

Imagine you’re alive at the end of the Civil War [in 1865]. You’re living in the South, but you are a Northerner. You plan to move home as soon as the war is over. While in the South you’ve accumulated lots of Confederate currency. Now, suppose you know for a fact that the North is going to win the war and the end is imminent. What will you do with your Confederate money?

If you’re smart, there’s only one answer. You should immediately cash in your Confederate currency for U.S. currency—the only money that will have value once the war is over. Keep only enough Confederate currency to meet your short-term needs.

There’s nothing wrong with Confederate money, as long as you understand its limits. Realizing its value is temporary should radically affect your investment strategy. To accumulate vast earthly treasures that you can’t possibly hold on to for long is equivalent to stockpiling Confederate money even though you know it’s about to become worthless. According to Jesus, storing up earthly treasures isn’t simply wrong. It’s just plain stupid.

Let’s talk about material possessions and wealth in light of eternity:

You can't bring your wealth and possessions with you into eternity, but you can invest them in what lasts forever.

Three things that Jesus teaches about possessions:

Pitfalls of Possessions

Prioritize the Kingdom of God

Pursue Generosity

1. Pitfalls of Possessions

Our passage begins with someone from the crowd, asking Jesus to intervene in an inheritance dispute between him and his brother. Jesus refuses to get involved in the dispute because he sees there is a deeper issue at stake, something called covetousness (lit. “a desire to have more”)

Luke 12:15, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

The danger is not possessing possessions. The danger is possessions possessing you.

Like a road sign warning the driver of what’s coming up ahead on the road, Jesus also warns his disciples: Watch out for all covetousness or it will destroy your soul!

We live in one of the most (if not the most) prosperous nation on earth. We would be foolish not pay attention to the road signs all over Scripture:

Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

The Apostle Paul also gives a similar warning:

Ephesians 5:5 “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

The worldly passion of desiring and pursuing more material possessions and money will gradually pull us apart from God rather than bringing us closer to God.

Notice the connection between covetousness and idolatry. Possessions and money offer a false sense of security.

Covetousness is so dangerous that it will destroy your soul!

1 Timothy 6:9–10 “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

The “love of money” takes place when my heart places its hope and trust in human resources to provide satisfaction and security rather than God.

In our passage today, Jesus proceeds to tell a parable about someone wasted his life pursuing after things that don’t matter because he had a temporal, self-centered perspective rather than an eternal perspective. He didn’t invest with the end in mind.

[Image] Notice in this passage how this individual is concerned with himself and with possessions.

From a wordly perspective, this man did everything right. And yet, listen to what God has to say about this man:

Luke 12:20–21 “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.””

God called him a “fool!” because this individual invested wrong: He used the resources at his disposal to live for himself instead of investing his possessions to make an eternal impact.

The rich fool was “not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21); that is, he did not handle money in a God-centered way. He was self-centered, hoarding and stockpiling money and possessions rather than releasing them to serve God and meet the needs of others. He was too self-sufficient and independent to ask God’s counsel on how much to keep and how much to give, too preoccupied with the business of “success” to open his heart in love to meet the needs of those around him. Randy Alcorn, Money, Possesions, and Eternity.

Covetousness, as warned in Scripture, leads to misplaced desires and a distortion of priorities, ultimately pulling a believer away from full dependence on and trust in God (the opposite is idolatry).

What then? What should be our focus?

2. Prioritize the Kingdom of God

Jesus tells his disciples, “The people of the world are pursuing material things and consumed by worry and anxiety. You on the other hand have a Father who deeply loves you and will take care of your material needs.”

[graphic] Notice the number of times Jesus commands his disciples to not worry.

He uses nature to illustrate.

Look at the birds: 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!”

Look at the flowers: 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.”

Jesus offers a sharp contrast

Luke 12:29–31 “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.”

The implication: I no longer live for myself but for Christ the King and His Kingdom.

Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God more than any other topic. Following Jesus means that we enter into a new kingdom where Jesus is king.

Jesus is not saying, “Don’t work.” Prioritizing the kingdom of God puts everything in perspective.

The verb “to seek” is in the present tense indicating that this is to be our life long quest, that is, “keep seeking the kingdom of God.”

What does it mean to Seek the kingdom of God?

To seek the Kingdom of God is a mindset, a framework by which we live our lives:

A life that is entirely surrendered to the kingdom of God.

Following Jesus means that we enter into a new kingdom where Jesus is king. We go from using God and others to build our own little kingdoms to seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. It’s going from praying, “My kingdom come, my will be done” to “Your Kingdom Come, Your Will be done!”

It’s going from using our wealth and possessions for our own goals and ambitions to using our wealth and possessions for the glory of God and the good of others.

A life that is entirely affected by the kingdom of God.

To seek the kingdom of God means that every sphere in my life is going to be affected. Not only my spiritual life, but also my finances, my sexuality, my time, etc.

In the Kingdom of God, God not only influences my life on Sunday, but also on Monday…

A life that is entirely missional in the kingdom of God.

Jesus left us with one mission: make disciples

If you don’t commit to anything in life, then you’re committing to doing nothing with your life. And if you’re only committed to doing something as long as it’s good for you, the only thing you’re really committed to is yourself. Jeremy Treat, Seek First: How the Kingdom of God Changes Everything

3. Pursue Generosity

Our passage today asks the question, where will you store up your possessions? There are two options:

Luke 12:20–21 “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.””

VS

Luke 12:33 “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.”

Back in August, we looked at Psalm 14 where it say, “The fool says in his heart “There is no God.” (Lit. “No God)

In the Hebrew Scriptures (OT), a fool is not someone who lacks intelligence, but someone who rejects God’s wisdom.

The heart of the fool says, “I know better. I don’t need anyone, including God, telling me what to do.”

The fool says, “I only want God for the benefits.” “Bless me Lord, but don’t ask me to completely surrender my time, my resources, my sexuality, my thought-life, my temper, my whole life to you.”

What’s the alternative? Gospel-centered, radical generosity.

Through Jesus, you and I can experience the richness of God’s grace. Through Jesus, we are given the kingdom of God.

Luke 12:32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

In 2 Corinthians 8, the Apostle Paul writes to the church to give generously. He appeals to them with the gospel:

2 Corinthians 8:9 “9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

We pursue generosity because Jesus was generous towards us. Jesus invites his disciples to “sell their possessions and give to those in need” because they possess something more valuable than earthly possessions. They have Christ.

At MEFC we have a mission: Investing in people, to experience Christ’s transforming power, together.

You can't bring your wealth and possessions with you into eternity, but you can invest them in what lasts forever.

Conclusion: WHERE IS YOUR HEART?

How about you, are you watching out for covetousness? Let’s do a quick diagnosis:

Do you find yourself wishing, “If I only had _____ then I would be happy & secure?

Are you content with what you have? What was the most recent thing you were looking forward to getting that you now have? How long did it take before you were daydreaming about purchasing the next upgrade?

How do you react when others have something you desire? Do you rejoice with them or do you feel envious and resentful?

Do you find yourself constantly comparing what you have to others, and feeling discontent as a result?

Do you prioritize giving first to the Lord in your budget, or is it something you do only if there’s extra left over?

How does your giving reflect your trust in God’s provision for you?

Do you believe God can use your giving to make an eternal impact, and how does that influence how much and how often you give?