My son, Vincent, posted this on his FB page, "Can the Middle Class Be Saved?, and it made a lot of things a little clearer, like when you have that "Ah hah" moment, thus it is today's post.
The Rich get Richer and the Poor get Poorer? Is that right?
Dan Borchert
1. Last week we mentioned briefly, caring for the disadvantaged, this week we go in depth on that subject.
2. James is addressing the local congregation.
3. As it turns out they are not much different then we are today.
There are three points I would like to make today. And they all have power in him.
1. Power Ties
2. Power Pockets
3. Power Plays
To view this sermon visit Sermon Central.com
The Parable of the Rich Fool Study By: Hampton Keathley IV
The Point
Because we cannot take our material possessions with us, we should concentrate on storing up eternal treasures in heaven.
The Relation To The Kingdom Program Of God
Christ is going to be the judge in the kingdom. What started the whole parable? The question by the greedy man. He wanted Jesus to be the judge. Jesus says, “Who made me judge over you?” As if Jesus isn’t the one who is judge. Remember what Jesus said in 12:4 and 5. Don’t fear the one who kills the body, but fear the one who can cast you into hell. That of course is God. But God is going to hand all judgment over to Christ. But that is not yet known. Luke is hinting at it and will reveal it later.
If God is the king and we are the sons, then we are heirs of the kingdom and if we own the kingdom, then barns, grain and goods are such trivial matters. We don’t need to worry about earthly inheritances. That is the right perspective. It is so ironic that we lust for acres while here on the earth and God has kingdoms waiting for us in the future (cf. vs31). What a stupid investment to leave God out of my life and devote my time on earth to build up the very thing that God is going to use for asphalt in heaven - gold. Streets of gold. Get it in perspective. The asphalt of heaven.
The Principles
Don’t put your emphasis on material possessions because they don’t last. Like the guy who was walking back from the funeral and someone asked him, “How much did the guy leave behind?” And the man smartly replied, “Everything.”
Greed is wrong, but at the opposite pole, so is self-sufficiency or self-satisfaction.
If you define life in terms of money, you leave God out of the definition and you end up bankrupt. What counts is your relationship with God. Remember Jesus said in 12:9 just before the parable, “He who denies Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.”
The rich man made at least four mistakes:
1. The rich man made the mistake of thinking he was the owner of his stuff when he was just a steward. We are just stewards of our stuff.
2. He was worried about the present and forgot about eternity.
3. He was concerned only for the physical and forgot about spiritual things.
4. He treasured stuff more than people. He lived an isolated life
This parable tells us how to define life. Most people define life in terms of material possessions, physical fitness or the future. This parable speaks loudly to our generation. Have you been defining life in your career, your house, your stock portfolio, in terms of what you can do physically, or the assumption that you will live much longer? What is going to happen when you lose one or more of those things? What happens when you get laid off? What happens when the stock market crashes? What happens when you get some disease which takes away your physical ability. What happens when you find out you only have six months to live? If you define life in these things, you will be devastated.
Having possessions is not wrong, it is putting your security in them that is wrong. The rich man is not condemned for being rich. He is condemned for being self-centered, for not using his surplus to help others, for leaving God out of his life...(Continued at Bible.org)
According to Martin Luther, greed causes unbelief, and unbelief causes greed. Luther took the fourth request of the Lord's prayer, “Give us today our daily bread”, as a call to shun greed. He also urged every Christian to undertake regular and earnest prayer against this dangerous vice. My prayer is that we would all seek first the Kingdom of God and his will for our lives. May we never be content in our relationship with God and always desire to be closer to him.The Passage: Luke 12:13-21
The Message (MSG)
The Story of the Greedy Farmer
13Someone out of the crowd said, "Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance."14He replied, "Mister, what makes you think it's any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?"
15Speaking 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."
16-19Then 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."
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