Sermon Tone Analysis

“Fool’s Gold”

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In the days of the gold rush many people searching for gold came across its counterfeit, charcoal pyrite, fool’s gold.

This mineral is usually mistaken for real gold, because it look like gold, and glitters like gold and is found in the same region as gold.

Its discovery gives the prospector the thoughts of becoming a multi-millionaire.

But it is short live, when the goldsmith tells him he has not discovered gold, but fool’s gold, and it is worth nothing.

Jesus tells the story about a man whose whole life had been spent accumulating fool’s gold.

He was living for things that had no real, eternal value.

Jesus calls this man a fool and tells his life story, to warn us about the dangers of greed and what happens to a person who becomes possessed with possessions.

Notice what is happening when Jesus tells this story.

A man had died, and his two sons were squabbling over the money he had left behind.

Both men wanted to get what was coming to them.

One of them thought he was getting shortchanged, so he comes to Jesus asking Jesus to tell his brother to give him his half of the inheritance.

This man, and possibly his brother were both there in the crowd listening to Jesus preach.

Jesus had been preaching about removing hypocrisy from your life, fearing God more than you fear people, about how God cares for you, watches over you, and knows the very hairs of your head.

Jesus spoke about hell, and blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was preaching eternal truths, valuable, important things to the people in the crowd.

But rather than listening to what Jesus was saying, this man was preoccupied with his own situation.

He is not interested in biblical truth, he’s not listening to what Jesus is saying.

How sad, what a warning to us, to not just be present in body on the pew; but open your ears and your heart to hear what God’s word says to you!

And when Jesus pauses to take a breath, this man blurts out a request to Jesus,

V:13-Read.

Jesus refused to get involved, V:14-Read.

Jesus makes it clear that he did not come to get involved in these kind of matters; Jesus had come to seek and save the lost.

Jesus lets this man know it was not his place to decide who got what, but to challenge people about more important matters.

Here’s a man who should have been soaking in the word of God; but he is allowing material things to choke out the word of God that was sown in his heart.

How sad to see a person who is hearing the word of God, from the son of God and yet their only concern is about fool’s gold, the cheap, trivial, and temporal.

There are many people who want Jesus to solve their problems; but not to change their hearts.

Jesus knew that this family feud over money was only a symptom of a greater problem, the problem of covetousness.

So Jesus is going to give this man and us, a warning about greed.

V:15-Read.

Take heed… watch out!

Beware!

Be on red alert against covetousness.

Jesus knew this man’s heart, He knew he was guilty of the great sin of coveting.

Covetousness means-a greedy grasp for more, a thirst for having more.

The man was coveting what his brother had; and the brother who had it, was not willing to share it, both of these men were coveting wealth.

Jesus warning is for all of us; whether we are among the halves or the have-nots, we are all tempted by the consuming desire to have things that God has given to others rather than to us.

The poor are tempted to want the things they do not have; while the rich are tempted to want more of what they do have.

Jesus warns us all to be on guard against covetousness!

Covetousness in the heart is the attitude of always wanting more, and more, the covetous heart is never satisfied.

Someone said: greed is a fat demon with a small mouth, and whatever you feed it is never enough “

-“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income”.

Paul calls covetousness idolatry in .

Covetousness puts material possessions on the throne of your life; and they become your God.

Jesus says watch out for, covetousness, greed; because life does not consist in what we have.

Don’t think that having a lot of things will add any value, worth, or satisfaction to your life; that is fool’s gold.

Life is found in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, not in anything this world has to offer!

Watch out!

To strengthen his warning about wanting more than we have, living a life of covetousness, Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a man who was living his life for possessions.

The man suddenly becomes very rich, unfortunately he responded to the wealth the wrong way; and then he suddenly dies and leaves it all behind.

Jesus calls this man a fool.

What makes a person a fool in the eyes of God?

A life of covetous makes you a fool, because you:

1. Live for Self, Instead of God.

V:16-18,21.

The rich man was a farmer, but he represents all human beings who are seduced by covetousness, a love for more things.

When we meet Mr. Rich, he is already rich, then he has a bumper crop; and becomes richer than he’s ever been.

Jesus does not condemn the man for being rich; Jesus simply tells us he had a bumper crop.

The Bible doesn’t condemn making money, are being successful or rich.

This man wasn’t dishonest, underhanded, he didn’t cheat anyone, or embezzle money.

He got his money the old-fashioned way, he worked for it.

The Bible teaches us to work hard, have integrity, be industrious, and sometimes this leads to wealth.

The man’s money, is not the point or the problem.

What caused Jesus to call this man a fool was he was selfish and living for himself, instead of God.

There’s no thought of God or others, which makes this man a fool.

His selfishness is revealed by the fact that:

a.

He is Not Thankful.

Look at the words that come from this man’s mouth in V:17-19.

V:17-“what shall I do…In these verses he uses 11 personal pronouns, 11 times he says either I or my.

He is a man with “I” problems, he is totally consumed with himself, he is a self-centered man.

He says they are:

My fruits, my barns, my goods, my soul.

He is living for self, without a single thought about God! His eyes were totally focused on his sudden riches, and abundance, and he never looks up and thanks God, or acknowledges that God was the owner of everything, and that God is the one that made him rich.

It was God that gave just the right amount of rain and sun, no disease or pestilence, and a huge harvest.

He’s not thankful that God gave him the health to plow, plant and harvest.

He thinks they are his barns, his goods, his fruits, his riches.

Whenever we are blessed, are become financially successful, or have material things and forget where they come from we will be filled with pride and think that there is something we have done to deserve what we have.

-“it is God who gives you power to get riches”.

This man was not thankful to God at all!

He is totally taking credit for the blessings that God had given him.

How foolish to experience the blessings of God in your life, and never look up and give him praise and thanksgiving for what he has given to you.

-“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, comes down from the father…

This man is taking credit for what God had done for him.

What he should have done, was to get on his knees, put his hands in the air and thank God for the sunshine, rain, and the bountiful harvest!

What he should have done was bring a tithe and offering of thanksgiving to God, but he did not.

I’m sure if you asked him; do you believe in God, he would have said oh yes, of course I believe in God.

Yet he was living as if God didn’t exist!

He is not thankful to God!

b.

He is Not prayerful.

V:17-“he thought within himself saying…

The only person he talks to is himself, he never prays and talks to God.

Do you ever talk to yourself?

Sometimes around the house I will start talking to myself, out loud; and Tess will say, who you talking to?

I will say, I am talking to myself, I always enjoy talking to an intelligent person.

Mr. Rich is talking to himself, and as you listen in on his conversation, you find out this guy has nothing on the inside.

Oh yes he has full barns, but he has an empty heart!

He has no place of inward prayer, he doesn’t seek the advice, or help of God to know what he should do with the blessings that God has given him.

He is not in partnership with God; he’s not living as a Stewart of the possessions that God had given to him.