Title:  Luke 12:13-34 - "The Man Jesus called a fool" -- Is This You?

Subtitle:  This message has tremendous relevance to this materialistic sociey today!  Listen.

Pastor Bob Reid RFRFBC777@cs.com

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YOU ARE NOW ON THE CUTTING EDGE

Please turn to Luke, chapter 12.

This portion of Jesus teachings is about assets and money. What we have or don’t have is not the important thing. What we do with it is the important thing.

And the mindset behind our action, or why we do it is the important thing.

And even more important than anything else is the will of God, God in our lives,  and our relationship with the Lord.

The other day I heard about a man who:

*  brushed his teeth twice a day

*  went to the doctors twice a year for checkups

*  wore his boots when it rained

*  slept with the windows open to get fresh air

*  stuck to a diet of fresh vegetables and fruits

*  got at least 8 hours sleep every night

*  never smoked, drank or lost his temper

*  exercised faithfully every day

*  worked hard and saved every dollar he ever earned

*  was all set to live to be a hundred years old -- But he died at 25!!

His funeral will be held Tuesday. He is survived by 18 specialists, four health institutes, six gyms, numerous manufacturers of health foods and vitamins and a $1000,000 bank account.

He made just one mistake - he forgot God.

An atheist was sitting under a tree one day thinking.

"God," he said, "you know I don’t believe in you, but if you exist, you must be stupid. Look at this huge oak tree. It has little teeny acorns on it. And look at this huge pumpkin growing on this weak, puny little vine. Now, if I had been you, I would have put the acorn on the little vine, and the pumpkin on the huge, strong oak tree."

While he was reflecting on his great wisdom and wishing that he had a mirror to see how wise he looked, an acorn fell on his head. "Thank God it wasn’t a pumpkin," he cried out.

The reason I told you that one was to say that ‘Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts.’

Nowhere is this more true than in our thoughts about finances. Like the rich man who was showing his lands to the new pastor who was visiting his home for the first time. He took him out on the porch facing east. There were hundreds and hundreds of acres of cotton. The pastor thought there must be a fortune there in cotton. Then they walked around the house to the north side and there was a huge corral and what must have been a hundred beautiful horses. Again the pastor thought that there must have been a fortune in fine horses there. Then they walked around to the west porch and there out as far as the eye could see were corn and sugar beet crops. Another fortune, thought the pastor.

When they got to the South porch, again there was a sight to behold - must have been a thousand or more cattle grazing out in the fields. "Well, what do you think?" asked the farmer. The pastor pointed up to the sky overhead and asked, "What about your assets in that direction?" "Well, I guess I don’t have any" was the answer.

Like the man in Jesus’ parable, his life and business had no room for the Lord - he had forgotten God.

And then there are those who make the mistake of forgetting people when they are in a position to help them. The Bible is clear on this: Gal 6:10 "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are  of the household of faith."

Phil 2:4 "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."

A man once said, "If you want to be miserable, think much about yourself, about what you want, what respect people ought to pay you, and what people think of you."

His friend answered and put it this way, "It is when we forget ourselves that we do things that are most worthwhile and remembered."

Like the man I heard about the other day who was taken on a tour of the next world. On reaching the regions beyond, he was surprised to see the people all seated at a huge and beautiful banquet table loaded with appetizing food. On the wall was a sign giving the one rule that was strictly enforced: EVERYONE  MUST USE THE KNIVES AND FORKS PROVIDED BY THE MANAGEMENT. The problem was this silverware was all about 10 feet long. No one could get a bite of food near his mouth. They were all starving to death; and that was hell!!

When the tour arrived at their next stop, they again saw all the people sitting down at banquet tables loaded with the same appetizing food and they were holding the same 10 foot long silverware. But they were having a great time. They were feeding each other, and that was heaven!!

Heaven on earth is when we do for others; Hell on earth is when we only do for ourselves.

In Luke chapter 12, verses 1-12 Jesus is speaking of some great and important issues -hypocrisy - judgment - hell - the unforgivable sin - the ministry of the Holy Spirit. And then - all of a sudden, without any warning - a man yells out and interrupts Him! A man who apparently had been betrayed by the greed of his brother. "Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me."

There are 5 responses of the Lord to this incident which takes the context all the way down to verse 34.

Response 1 - verse 14 - Jesus did not come to be a judge between people who are having financial disputes.  He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He came to call sinners to repentance. He came to defeat the works of the devil.  He came as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world He came as the sacrifice for the sin of the world. He came to open the gates to glory through faith in His shed blood

Later, He would be the Final Judge - for His people at the end of their lives for His people at the end of the church age - the rapture of the church  for the unbelieving world at the end of time - the Great White Throne Judgment.

Response 2 - Vs 15 - This is 1 of the 3 key verses in this passage. Jesus is saying, "Beware of greed - Beware of covetousness -- A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Response 3 - verses 16-21 - This is the parable Jesus told - the story of a man whom He called a fool. The man invested in himself and not in God. He became rich in himself but not rich toward God.

Response 4 - verses 22-30 - Here there are many words from our Lord concerning God’s certain and absolute care for His people. He spoke of the birds and the flowers, of their beauty and their lives, of God’s care for them - and then makes His point. If God takes care of them, surely He will take care of us.

Therefore - Response 5 - verses 31-34 - Don’t worry about things - no matter how important they may seem to be - worry about this; worry about your relationship with the Lord.  Verse 31 - "But rather seek ye the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you."

Verse 34 - "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Jesus called the man in the parable a fool. The Bible uses that word very, very carefully and specifically. We use it in a cruel sense to put somebody down. The Bible uses the word not in reference to a person’s intelligence; but, to his relationship with God. In Psalm 14:1 it says "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God."

We never read in this passage that this man actually thought that - but his actions demonstrated that he did - he lived that way - that is, as though there were no God. He ignored the Lord in his life, his finances and his business.

Nothing measures the maturity of a Christian like his use of wealth. It may be the greatest test of discipleship. That’s because nothing gives us the freedom to ‘do our own thing’ like wealth. And nothing is more damaging to our relationship with the Lord as ‘doing our own thing’. Thus Jesus says in verse 13,

"Beware of covetousness."

This man was a fool for a number of reasons.

1 - He was in love with himself instead of God. "my crops…my soul…my barn…my goods…" The words "I" and "my" are used 11 times by him here in these few verses. Conversations reveal character. I read the other day where Eleanor Roosevelt could speak for 2 ½ hours without referring once to herself. At the other extreme was Elizabeth Taylor, the actress. For her it was about 9 seconds.

2 - He was a fool because he did not recognize where his wealth came from. Jesus never spoke against the man’s diligence. He probably got up early and worked hard and for long hours through the day and night - planting, weeding, watering, harvesting - but Jesus pointed out that the land produced the harvest - and beyond that there was the unseen hand of God.

The man didn’t make the rain fall; he didn’t make the sun shine; the didn’t put growing power in the dirt; he didn’t put life in the seed; he didn’t make the seed crack open, sprout, blossom and produce. Yet he viewed his wealth as the result of nothing but his own labors and intelligence - this is the mindset of self from which greed springs. Jesus said, "If a man wishes to be my disciple, he must deny self, take up his cross daily, and follow me."

Well, I’m not a farmer, Pastor, what’s this got to do with me? The application is the same.

Who gives you the air to breathe?

Who gives you the ability to speak?

Who gives your body the ability to digest food and convert it into strength?

Who gives you the ability to walk around?

Who put gravity in the earth so you don’t spin off out into space?

Who put you in the United States instead of in Ethiopia for example where they are dying like flies, starving to death, or in the Sudan, where you would probably be a slave?

James wrote that "every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father on high, with Whom is no variableness or shadow of turning." In His plan and in His faithfulness, you are surviving nd being blessed - that’s what this has to do with you.

Listen to what King David prayed in 1 Chronicles 29:11-16 when he was dedicating the materials that had been assembled for the building of the temple.

"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty; indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as Head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all; and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious Name. All things come from You, and from your hand we have given You…all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your Holy Name - it is from Your hand, and all is Yours."

Notice that the people had brought all the materials but David acknowledges that it came from the hand of God!

3 - The man was a fool because he didn’t understand the purpose of wealth.

He thought that wealth was to store up and to save. If used it was to be consumed for his own lusts, ‘eat, drink and be merry’ he thought. He never gave a thought, as the Old Testament said, to use it for the glory of God, for offerings or sacrifices. Neither did he think of it as a gift to minister to others’ needs. He never gave a thought when his barns were full to give some of it away to help someone who was going through a dark time.

4 - The man was a fool because he saw his possessions as his security. Jesus is our Security!

Not our job. Not our bank account.  Not our stocks. Not our land.

Does the Bible say ‘your job will supply all your need?

Does the Bible say ‘your bank account will supply all your need?

Does the Bible say ‘your stocks will supply all your need?

Does the Bible say ‘your lands will supply all your need?

No! The Bible says, "My God will supply all your needs in accordance with His riches in Christ Jesus."  (Phil 4:19)

5 - This man was also a fool because of 2 things which he took for granted:

1 - He took it for granted that he would always have his wealth in the future.

2 - He took it for granted that he would be alive in the future. But as he was saying, "I have many years…", God said, "Thou fool, tonight thy soul will be required of thee." Someone else enjoyed his possessions, and he didn’t live to enjoy any of it.

I close with this. Write it down because it’s so important. Giving makes the heart truly rich.

Giving expresses thanksgiving to God

Giving makes your life a blessing to others.

Giving keeps your greed under control

Giving helps bring salvation to the lost

Giving proves that you value God and eternity more than the material things of this world.

There is nothing in all of this against you making lots of money, being rich and powerful; but the main principle here is to be rich toward God and to possess treasures in heaven and it is giving that makes the heart truly rich because it makes you rich toward God and deposits treasures in heaven.

Look carefully at verse 21 - "So is he that layeth up treasures for himself, and is not rich toward God."

The idea is that we should be laying up treasures that will make us rich toward God.

Look at verse 34 and verse 15 - "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also...a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth"

Is your heart on God? Then your treasure will be.

Is your treasure on God? Then your heart will be.

Is your heart on treasure? Then your heart is on self.

You know, there are people in history who really did live completely for the Lord and who gave all their possessions away for the Lord - they found they really didn’t need it. George Mueller lived like that. He had a million dollars pass through his hands when it was really worth a million.

A little stayed for food for the table to feed the orphans The rest went to China and Hudson Taylor during the early days of the China Inland Mission.

So what did he end up with?

Riches toward God and treasures in heaven! Praise the Lord.

When I go down to Washington, I love to go to the Lincoln Memorial. No problems with the architecture there as with some of the others - awesome to see Lincoln sitting high on that chair - inspiring to read the words etched on the walls from the Gettysburg address and the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s a great memorial.

But take a look at the book of Acts, chapter 10, verses 1-4. Here’s a man who was a Roman centurion. The Bible describes him as devout, he feared God, was a man of steadfast prayer, and he was a giver. In verse 4 it says, "Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God." Did you get that? A memorial in heaven and before God - that is no doubt a memorial that puts any earthly memorial in last place. Imagine having a Rogers Memorial, or a Gibbons Memorial or a Bay Memorial in heaven before God when you get there.

That’s being rich toward God and laying up treasures in heaven!

 

If you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never received Jesus Christ as Savior, but have come to realize His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to obtain His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can also do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you receive Him as Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually.

If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.

 We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order -- Kingdom of Antichrist -- in their daily news.

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God bless you.

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