MESSAGE TEXT
Luke 12:13-21
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INTRODUCTION
We join Jesus and the disciples on their long and steady approach toward Jerusalem, on something like a plateau extending from Luke 9 to Luke 19. Our passage is Luke 12:13-21. Jesus is the hottest ticket in town. Everybody wants to be near him. So, imagine, you are able to see and hear the ministry of Jesus in person. Large crowds who are eager to hear from him—according to Luke 12:1, they are even trampling one another to get close. Somehow, you finagle your way to the front of the large crowd, close enough to speak to Jesus. Jesus stops and give you the floor. What would you ask or say to him in that moment? You’ve got one question – where are you going with it?
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Do you know what this total stranger did when he had the full attention of Jesus and could ask him anything in the world? He tattle-taled on his brother! And, in so many words, he told Jesus what he was supposed to do about it. “Take my side!” His older brother wasn’t sharing and Jesus could fix that. This stranger in the crowd wanted Jesus to make a ruling in his favor. He was apparently the younger of two brothers. The older brother would have been the executor of the estate and would have received the larger share of the inheritance.
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Jesus doesn’t want to choose sides; He wants to take over! As long as both men were greedy, no settlement would be satisfactory. Like too many people today, they wanted Jesus to serve them but not to save them. So, Jesus addresses the greed.
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PROPOSITION
You can have everything and still miss what matters most. Luke 12:13–21 teaches us FIVE DANGERS of covetousness and greed. Greed and covetousness are dangerous because they don’t just affect what we want—they slowly reshape who we become. By looking at the dangers, you can steer clear of becoming someone you don’t want to become: blinded to love, shackled to debt, filled with anxiety, miserable comparison.
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Disclaimer: Money is not evil; the love of it is. It’s a tool to use for good: meet needs, care for people, support worthy causes, provide an education, amplify beauty and love in the world, and push back against injustice and exploitation, and invested money sustains you when you can’t work anymore. And money is a tool God uses to build His kingdom. Loosen your grip a little, so you can grasp something far more valuable. This lifestyle of generosity is going to look so good on you! The New You! A new view of money.
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MESSAGE POINTS
Luke 12:13-21 reveals FIVE DANGERS of covetousness (always wanting more) and greed (never having enough) …
1.They distort how we see people (v.13-14)
2.They are never satisfied (v.15)
3.They quietly replace God with possessions and this isolates from others (v.16-17)
4.They erode gratitude and contentment (v.18-19)
5.They blind you to what is truly important. (v.20-21)
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CONCLUSION
If your life on loan from God was called in tonight, would you be ready? “Am I rich toward God?” You are headed for a “forever” of some kind. This moment is not all there is. The best decision you can make is to prepare for eternity. Our farmer made some great decisions; you don’t have this kind of storage problem unless you’ve worked hard. But he made one, very bad decision. He never prepared to do good with his resources while he could and he slipped into eternity where all the shekels in the world were no good.
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Be rich toward God. Being rich toward God doesn’t mean being poor or rejecting material things. It means not letting money or possessions become your security or identity. Being “rich toward God” means living to glorify God and investing our earthly assets to make an eternal difference. To be rich toward God is to recognize that everything you have is a gift that you get to steward for a while. To be rich toward God is to live with God at the center of your life, using what you have—time, abilities, money, and attention—to honor Him and bless others.
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Christ gave up everything. He became poor so that you might be rich!