New City Church
The Parables of Jesus: The Parable of the Rich Fool - Week #4
Sunday Message Notes Lead Pastor: Eric Spanier
Locations & Times
New City Church
201 Hawthorne Dr, Wilmington, DE 19802, USA
Sunday 9:30 AM
New City Church Website
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New City Church is a Pentecostal Assembly of God church located in North Wilmington.
http://newcityde.org/New City Church is a Pentecostal Assembly of God church located in North Wilmington.
THE PARABLE: “a made up story to communicate a timeless, spiritual truth.”
Parables are the characteristic messages of Jesus. They are His most remarkable messages. They are His most persuasive messages. They are His most challenging messages. The Parables of Jesus stand alone and cannot be compared.
Parables are the characteristic messages of Jesus. They are His most remarkable messages. They are His most persuasive messages. They are His most challenging messages. The Parables of Jesus stand alone and cannot be compared.
Jesus NEVER made any declarations of indictment against money. In fact, He talked A LOT about money and ENCOURAGED everyone to use money (whether it’s a little or a lot) for other people and for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus, however, does WARN AGAINST allowing money, success, riches, material possessions and wealth to choke away any desire for God and His Word. All of these things are great in and of themselves – but are even better when they are used for the Kingdom of God.
Jesus, however, does WARN AGAINST allowing money, success, riches, material possessions and wealth to choke away any desire for God and His Word. All of these things are great in and of themselves – but are even better when they are used for the Kingdom of God.
THE FOCUS OF THE PARABLE: Perhaps the GREATEST FOCUS is the harsh word Jesus (speaking for God) uses to characterize the mistake and attitude of the man in the parable – Jesus Christ calls this man a FOOL.
This term is not used as a light and fleeting insult, but it is a reference the Old Testament term meaning someone who rejects the knowledge and the instruction of God as the basis for life.
“The FOOL says in his heart, ‘There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)
This term is not used as a light and fleeting insult, but it is a reference the Old Testament term meaning someone who rejects the knowledge and the instruction of God as the basis for life.
“The FOOL says in his heart, ‘There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)
NUMBER ONE: HE WAS A GODLESS FOOL
This isn’t “actual atheism” (the denial of God’s existence), but a PRACTICAL ATHEISM which is the denial of the moral government of God. This is why FOOL and WICKED are sometimes seen as interchangeable terms in Scripture.
A life lived without God is a God-less life. It may be a life full of many things – for this man, it was a life full of riches and abundant possessions – but if it is MINUS God, it is an empty life.
This isn’t “actual atheism” (the denial of God’s existence), but a PRACTICAL ATHEISM which is the denial of the moral government of God. This is why FOOL and WICKED are sometimes seen as interchangeable terms in Scripture.
A life lived without God is a God-less life. It may be a life full of many things – for this man, it was a life full of riches and abundant possessions – but if it is MINUS God, it is an empty life.
NUMBER TWO: HE WAS A RICH FOOL
As his riches increased, he made the mistake of setting his heart upon THEM rather than setting his eyes upon THE ONE who have him the ability to accumulate any kind of wealth at all. In fact, in his pursuit to HOARD mundane things, he had no thought of their divine source and what good he could accomplish with so much at his disposal.
As his riches increased, he made the mistake of setting his heart upon THEM rather than setting his eyes upon THE ONE who have him the ability to accumulate any kind of wealth at all. In fact, in his pursuit to HOARD mundane things, he had no thought of their divine source and what good he could accomplish with so much at his disposal.
NUMBER THREE: HE WAS A SELF-CENTERED FOOL
“He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store MY crops.’ ‘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. 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.” (Luke 12:17-19)
The most PROMINENT things about this man’s assessment of himself was HIMSELF. God, who supplied everything, was not in his thoughts at all. This man’s life was self-ruled.
“He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store MY crops.’ ‘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. 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.” (Luke 12:17-19)
The most PROMINENT things about this man’s assessment of himself was HIMSELF. God, who supplied everything, was not in his thoughts at all. This man’s life was self-ruled.
NUMBER FOUR: HE WAS AN AMBITIOUS FOOL
In itself, AMBITION is commendable and a great quality to possess. With Jesus behind us, our ambition should be to focus EVERYTHING we have and EVERYTHING we do towards Jesus.
In itself, AMBITION is commendable and a great quality to possess. With Jesus behind us, our ambition should be to focus EVERYTHING we have and EVERYTHING we do towards Jesus.
NUMBER FIVE: HE WAS A DOOMED FOOL
THE RICH MAN: “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.” (Luke 12:19)
GOD: “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?” (Luke 12:20)
THE RICH MAN: “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.” (Luke 12:19)
GOD: “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?” (Luke 12:20)
He should have been enjoying the PRESENCE of the One who gave him all that stuff. He should have been listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in how he might change lives with all that God had given him. He should have been the first person to bring his wealth and lay it before God so that God could be glorified in everything.
Is this not what the world around us is all about? We will sacrifice real joy in life to make more money and then die suddenly leaving all of our hard-earned stuff to children who will probably sell all of it at a yard sale.
MISTAKE NUMBER ONE: WE MISUNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF LIFE
MISTAKE NUMBER TWO: WE DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE OUR MONEY
God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. He forgot that his barns and their contents could have been used to meet the needs of others who are truly hurting, to house the widow and the orphan, and to feed the hungry that have nothing.
God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. He forgot that his barns and their contents could have been used to meet the needs of others who are truly hurting, to house the widow and the orphan, and to feed the hungry that have nothing.
MISTAKE NUMBER THREE: WE NEGLECT THE THOUGHT OF OUR FUTURE
Maybe if we understood that HOW we manage our success HERE will be reflected in the riches we enjoy THERE in Heaven, we would look at our money and our riches and our stuff in a better way.
Maybe if we understood that HOW we manage our success HERE will be reflected in the riches we enjoy THERE in Heaven, we would look at our money and our riches and our stuff in a better way.
