1
CONFRONTING COVETOUSNESS LUKE 12:13-21 The dangers of wanting what we don’t currently have. Especially stuff that other people do have! Before anybody gets the wrong message . . . if you are blessed and have a bunch of really nice stuff, praise the Lord! This passage is not about bashing God’s bountiful blessings, it’s about covetousness. CHASING THE CARROT THAT CAN’T BE CAUGHT 2
FIRST THE WARNING NOTICE JESUS SAYS BEWARE OF COVETOUSNESS. THE REAL PROBLEM was not the inheritance! It was a greedy heart. As long as both men were greedy, no settlement would be satisfactory. Stuff was not the issue . . . it was the lust, or love, of stuff. Satan loves THE LUST FOR STUFF , because if he can get us to “love and lust after stuff,” then we have less time to love God and love each other! Stuff then becomes our God. 3
THE AMERICAN SICKNESS MATERIALISM: the quest for more stuff . . . at all costs. Few things are more associated with America around the world than the abundance of the stuff we strive to possess. Jesus made it clear that true life, godly life, even a happy life, does not depend on an abundance of possessions—earthly things—of any kind. The good life is not simply the life with the most stuff; it is possessing whatever stuff you may have with eternity in view so that it has its proper importance. Closets full of clothes that we never wear. Yet, Jesus also did not deny that we have certain basic needs, so we must have balance. Matt. 6:31-32; 1 Tim. 6:17 4
THE REAL DEAL ABOUT WEALTH A FEW STARTLING STATS according to the World Banks’ calculations . . . If your family income is $10,000 a year, which is way less than you get on the most minimal government assistance, you are wealthier than 81 percent of the world . If it’s $50,000 or more a year, which is way less than the average family income per year here in California, you make more money than 98 percent of the world . If you make $75,000 or more per year, you are in the global top one-half percent . Want to trip out a bit? Go to http://www.worldwealthcalculator.org, plug in your family income or your assets, and prepare to repent of your whining. And, yes, they can and do back up their numbers. So, when considered globally, today most American families are likely part of the so-called 1-2%, even on unemployment. 5
A REAL HEART PROBLEM Jesus told this parable to reveal the dangers that lurk in a covetous “give-me-more-so-I-can-be-content” heart. As we read this passage, test your own responses to this farmer’s various experiences. 1. How do you respond to the wealthy farmer’s DILEMMA ? Notice that the wealth was not the issue, contentment is the underlying issue. Phil. 4:11-13 6
TIME TO RUN SOME DIAGNOSTICS Here are some ways for us to do a bit of self-diagnosis . . . If suddenly you inherited a great deal of wealth, would it create a problem for you? There are plenty of perils to prosperity. Prov. 30:7-9 Wealth can choke out the Word of God. Matt. 13:22 Wealth can create snares and temptations. 1 Tim. 6:6-10 Trusting wealth can give you a false sense of security. Many people proclaim that “ money does not satisfy .” Part of the problem is that’s not accurate . . . it actually does satisfy if you want to live on that shallow and worldly level. 7
MAKING THE RIGHT DECISIONS 2. How do you respond to the DECISIONS of the rich man? Are you saying, “Now that is shrewd business! No wonder he is wealthy”? Do you envy people that have wealth? Save and have it ready for the future, what’s wrong with that? Do you hoard your possessions and keep a death grip on all you have, fearing that it might slip out of your hands? Actually, there may be little wrong with some of the basic stewardship in this passage unless you begin to trust in the wealth instead of God. 1 Tim. 5:8; John 6:12 8
DEALING WITH OUR DESIRES 3. How do you respond to the farmer’s DESIRES ? Are you saying, “Ahh . . . this is the life”? It is very interesting how we place so much value on things that are temporary. The man has success, satisfaction, and security! What more could he want? But, Jesus did not see this farmer enjoying life; He saw him facing death, and that wealth would not take care of his eternity! 9
BALANCING ETERNAL vs. TEMPORAL 4. Finally, how do you respond to the DEATH of the boastful farmer? Wealth can be enjoyed and employed at the same time if our purpose is to honor God. 1 Tim. 6:10 The truth is not one thing we possess on this earth will make the journey to heaven—it is all temporal. The obsessive quest for stuff is like trying to ride a dead horse. How tragic when people are rich in this world but destitute in the next! Matt. 6:19-24 So, as Jesus said, “BEWARE OF COVETOUSNESS.” 10
Recommend
More recommend
