Luke 12:13-21 - Our lives count to the Lord.

Physical fitness test in gym class.

Push ups “don’t count”

Feels personal.

We want our lives to count for something.

We want some form of meaning/worth

We want to contribute value with our life.

The retired people in our church give me a good understanding of retirement.

Venessa, Dawn, Randy.

They don’t sit and do nothing with their retirement.

They’re here—serving, seeking more opportunities to serve!

Our lives don’t end at retirement.

They use their lives for the sake of the Kingdom and this church!

Big Idea: Our lives count to the Lord.

Context

Jesus is teaching this massive crowd

He was given them warnings about hypocrisy and being afraid of man.

He’s instructing them to tell people about Him!

The Holy Spirit is going to teach you what to say/empower you to speak boldly.

Then suddenly He’s interrupted.

Stand to read

Luke 12:13–15 ESV

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.”

Leader: This is God’s Word

Everyone: Thanks be to God

Some goober was so obsessed with the family money that he comes up and interrupts Jesus after Jesus just told them to tell as many people as possible about Him without fear of consequences.

It’s out-of-left-field… “What does this have to do what anything He just said?”

He just demands Jesus to do it—No asking for a reasoned judgement.

Jesus treats it accordingly.

“Listen, dude. This isn’t ‘Judge Judy.’”

Getting intertwined with a legal property battle is not what Jesus came to do.

This guy is driven by greed and covet.

“I deserve it! I have to have it! Why shouldn’t I?!”

Greed and covet is ugly and pathetic.

Jesus issues a warning (v. 15a)

“Make sure you don’t get caught in this.”

When we covet, we are lusting for more than we have or need.

It’s an endless grasping at more.

Jesus warns him that material greed is a dead-end road.

Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived:

Ecclesiastes 5:10 ESV

10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

Protect yourself from desiring more/more.

Protect yourself from lusting for your neighbors clothes/house/car/wife/education/position/children.

Then Jesus gives a life-giving reality: (v. 15b)

Your life is more than money (vv. 13-15)

We will never be satisfied in our lives when they are wrapped up in stuff.

Your most prized possession will one day be the contents of a great yard sale or the dump—And then what?

In the Museum of Modern Art, hangs a painting called Starry Night.

This is a “priceless” oil-on-canvas painting that was done in June of 1890.

Starry Night is valued at $100mil.

One of the most famous paintings in art history, the artist died only a month after a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

He had battled loneliness, intense sadness for years.

His last words were, “The sadness will last forever.”

He had such a talent that is regonized over 100years after he died.

Yet, he didn’t realize what his life was worth.

We can have all the talent, all the fame, all the fortune—And still not be satisfied with our lives.

When our identity is wrapped up in our things, our reputation, our status—The empty sadness will last forever.

We must realize that we are more than those things.

Transition

This man is getting caught up in an inheritance because he has decided that his life will be better if he has it.

Jesus gives us a story to help drive home the lesson about a greedy farmer.

Luke 12:16–19 ESV

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.” ’

This rich man represents people who are consumed by greed.

Politicians, peasants, lawyers, mechanics, tradesmen, bank-workers.

He earned his money honestly, like many of us do.

He didn’t cheat to win. God simply blessed him materially with these fields with just the right amount of rain/sun, no famine.

Everyone saw this guy as a major success.

“What am I going to do with all this success/successful crop?”

He would build bigger barns—logical.

The danger is what he was missing.

No thought of sharing/stewardship

No care for the poor/the sick.

He has engrained selfishness.

He’s completely self-absorbed.

He resolves to retire in self-indulgence.

This is the American dream. This is not the way of the kingdom.

“I’ve worked hard—I deserve this.”

Retirement.

Lots of “me/I.”

He’s worked hard and never considered where his life was heading.

He is claiming a life without God.

“I’ve provided for myself—Now I can coast and enjoy.”

But there’s a problem with this view of life—It does not honor God.

Luke 12:20–21 ESV

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.”

Lots of irony here.

He worked so hard to prepare his worldly needs, but he turns out to be a fool.

Instead of using his resources to care for other people, he stored up treasures for himself and was not rich toward God.

He thought he had set himself up for years of relaxation, but it really condemned him because he didn’t consider death and judgement coming.

What he forgot is about the rest of his debt that he didn’t see.

But then, God called it in.

In ancient Rome, there was a practice called “Nexum”

Someone who borrowed money and owed a debt could become a slave until the debt was payed.

If the money could would not be returned, not only would he lose his freedom, but his entire family could become slaved.

In serious cases, there are people who have been killed because of the debt they owed.

All because the debt was owed and the one they owed it to called it in.

“This night your soul is required of you”

ἀπαιτοῦσιν (apaitousin) – “they are demanding [your soul]” (v. 20). The verb is used in financial/legal contexts: as if God is calling in a debt.

Life itself is a loan from God.

This ought to change the way we see life.

He pushed all his chips in on his money and success and totally forgot that his life was a loan.

Church, this shows us,

Your life is accountable to God (vv. 16-21)

When we define our live by our possessions and what we enjoy, we are considered fools.

It’s foolish to think that when our lives are over, we’ll be defined by what we have.

When we define ourselves by what we do or what we have, we are not defining ourselves by what God has called us to be.

There’s a way to be rich toward ourselves and greedy toward God.

The question we need to ask ourselves is, “If God required your life tonight, would you be rich toward Him?”

Gospel presentation

We have all tried to set up for ourselves a retirement plan.

But it’s always worthless.

We build our plans out and do not submit to the life God has for us.

The Lord has called us to great things, but in our sin we’ve rebelled against Him.

“No, I’ll do it myself. I can be god of my life.”

We build for ourselves bigger barns for more security.

We functionally live like “I don’t need you God, I can handle it myself.”

We build up more sin debt, and more sin debt.

God will call it in.

Right now He is being patient with us, but He will come collect.

God has a better life for us.

You are secured by the gospel alone.

He sent His Son Jesus to give us the abundant life.

The life with God where we are able to enjoy without guilt or shame.

The life free from condemnation.

We deserve judgement, but Jesus offers us abundant lives with Him.

Jesus laid down His life on the cross to repay your sin-debt.

Our barns were full of sin that we thought would satisfy us.

Jesus died for that!

He took the punishment for the debt we owed.

Your guilt and shame was laid upon Jesus on the cross where He died so you can be forgiven!

But He secured everlasting life when He conquered death and rose again!

Now, by believing in Him, we can have eternal life with every spiritual blessing in Heaven!

The Holy Spirit lives in Christians as a guarantee that we have been saved from condemnation and given the family name!

We can now live securely in Christ because we have access to His Kingdom!

If you’re not a Christian, this new and better life can be yours today.

Lay aside your hope in the things of this world, and put your hope in Jesus Christ, the King of kings.

He alone can provide eternal security in Heaven.

The only security that we can have in this life is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the treasure that can never be taken from us.

Will you receive Him?

Don’t be those who have full wallets and empty souls.

A full 401k is worthless if you’re going to hell.

Turn to Jesus and be rich heavenly as a son/daughter of God by faith.

What do you need to lay down on the altar and give it to God?

I want to invite you to come forward and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

All you need to do is to take one step of faith toward Jesus.

Take the Next Step

Believe: Money and things will never satisfy you.

Don’t waste your money on you.

Some of you have worked hard and been blessed financially.

It would be a tragedy to waste it on worthlessness.

The Lord is giving you an opportunity to put it to work for the sake of His kingdom.

Regardless if you have a lot or a little, it belongs to the Lord and He has given it to you to steward to His glory!

Make your life count by making the greatness of God known!

Invite someone into real joy, because Jesus is worth it.