Sermon Tone Analysis

Don’t Be A Fool

Then he said to them, “Watch out!

Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

We have been working our way through the Gospel of Luke for three summers now.

Did you know that “Gospel” means “Good News”?

I would say that for the past few weeks the messages have been anything but Good News; especially for the Pharisees, and scribes.

Good thing none of us here have anything in common with those people!

Two weeks ago, we heard from Pharisee Phil how Jesus gave six woes and warnings to the Pharisees and scribes.

Last week we heard the need for us to be on our guard against the yeast of the Pharisees.

The yeast of the Pharisees is hypocrisy—or play acting.

You know, when you look all good on the outside but your inside is pretty disgusting?

Yes, good thing we have nothing in common with those Pharisees and scribes!

I have to warn you; today’s message is another zinger.

Jesus gives us a parable and calls us to stay on our guard against all kinds of greed.

Did you know that Jesus talked a great deal about money and the problems that money causes?

Do you know that one-fifth of all Jesus had to say was about money?

One-fifth --- 20%-- that is a lot.

If Jesus were the pastor of this church, ten out of the fifty-two Sundays of the year, we would hear messages about money --- it’s uses and abuses.

Today’s passage will literally hit home.

Get ready.

Before we listen to God’s Word for us this morning, let us come to the throne of grace.

“God of all grace, teach us again that all we have is from You. Teach us to use what we have been given for Your glory and honor.

Amen”

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; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.

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 all my grain and my goods.

19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things 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 anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”[i]

I would like to read this passage from The Message Bible.

The Message Bible

Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.”

14 He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?” 15 Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care!

Protect yourself against the least bit of greed.

Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.” 16–19 Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop.

He talked to himself: ‘What can I do?

My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’

Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones.

Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well!

You’ve got it made and can now retire.

Take it easy and have the time of your life!’ 20 “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool!

Tonight you die.

And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’

21 “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”[ii]

AN INHERITANCE

Jesus has been teaching the disciples about the yeast of Pharisees--which is hypocrisy.

Now a man interrupts Him.

“Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

Inheritance!

Have you ever been concerned about your inheritance?

Have you ever been concerned regarding the inheritance that you will leave to your children and to your children’s children?

This unnamed man is concerned with his inheritance.

You know what seminary doesn’t teach?

Seminary doesn’t teach a course on weddings and funerals and how families who never argue or fight seem to go off the deep end at weddings and funerals.

I will celebrate 20 years of being an ordained minister this coming January.

Inheritance lies deep within the hearts of us all.

I’ve spent zillions of hours with families who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

Some of the saddest times of my ministry have come when the surviving children fight over their inheritance.

To be honest with you, I have had to help mediate at many memorial services.

They don’t teach those classes in seminary.

The past few weeks, I have talked with Ruthie Hughes.

Ruthie and Bobby are back home in in Tennessee.

Ruthie’s mom is very sick with cancer.

Ruthie and Bobby are sitting with her mom as she prepares to go home to be with the Lord.

Ruthie has shared story after story of how her mom has touched others with her love.

Mama Ruth always made her world-famous pecan pie for every memorial service at her church.

She baked pies and cookies and chicken and dumplings.

When someone needed a friend, Mama Ruth was there to be a friend.

When a visitor moved to town, Mama Ruth went and knocked on the door and greeted the new person in town with, “Hi, I am Ruth Fisher, what is your name?” Ruthie shared that her mom was a single mom who raised her children while working fulltime at the local shoe factory so that she could provide for her family.

One day, Ruthie face-timed me and she walked me all around the house that her mom built.

Ruthie said her mom built the house room by room.

As she had the money, she built the house.

God, I ask for a special blessing from you to be upon our single moms—what a hard job they have but with you and with us as their family—they can raise strong, faith-filled children—just look at Ruthie Hughes.

When I heard Ruthie’s stories about her mom, I thought of the passage for today.

I thought about the inheritance of the rich farmer.

states these powerful words, “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.”

THE WARNING

Today we are going to look at .

Jesus is interrupted by an unnamed man and gives the man a powerful waring in verse 15.

Listen again to Jesus’ words; “Watch out!

Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

The Greek for “watch out” is a present active imperative verb, a command to “watch out, be careful, be prudent, take notice, pay attention, concern yourself with, and learn about.”

The action of being on our guard is to be continuous.

Jesus warns us to continually watch out, pay attention, take notice.

I remember hearing my mom says, “Look both ways before crossing the street.”

That is exactly what Jesus is saying here!

Watch out!

Look both ways!

In verse 15, Jesus puts two imperative verbs together.

The first is “watch out” and the second is the same word that Jesus gave His disciples, “be on your guard.”

This is exactly what Jesus told His disciples last week, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”

() Now Jesus is back at it saying, “Watch out!