Beware Of Covetousness

Luke 12:13-21

C:\JAMMc2009\ParableCovetousnessLuke12.SER.wpd February 7, 2010

13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

14 But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?" 15 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness,* for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." 16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' 18 So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.

19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' 20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' 21 "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." NKJV

Introduction                   12:13-14

            The man who asked a question of Jesus was rude and interrupted His teaching. This prompted This parable of Jesus. The man was interested in his problems but not his heart.

Humor:  A rich man was told by the pastor he could not take his wealth with him. He said I think I have devised a way to take it with me. He had 750,000 so he divided it up between his doctor, lawyer and the Church

Treasure. He made three envelopes with $250,000.00 each. He told them to place the money in his casket. He made them promise to not question him but to place the envelopes in his casket. They all agreed. A few months after the funeral the three men met. The doctor said I want to confess I took $50.000.00 of the money and used it on my clinic. The Lawyer said, "well I will confess that I took $ 50,000 and used it to help poor people in my law practice. The church treasure said I wondered how long it would take you men to confess. They said how did you know? He said because I went in after hours and look in your envelopes before I placed mine in the casket. He said, “I was so surprised at you men that I took the $400,000.00 from your envelopes and the $250,000.00 from mine and wrote a check for the full $750,000.00

I will tell you that church treasure was a shrewd man, but the man in the parable of Jesus was not wise or shrewd.

1.     Beware Of Covetousness Because Of What Makes Life . . Consist. 12:15

15 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness,* for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."

A.      Life Does Not Consist Of What We . . Own. 12:15b

        “. . . for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."

           1.        Support Verses. Luke 12:23-24

23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? NKJV

B.      Life Does Consist Of What . . Owns Us. 1 Cor 6:19-20

           19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body* and in your spirit, which are God's. NKJV

Illustration

Do you remember what I shared a few weeks ago about the Man named Augustine. He was an early leader in Christianity. He was converted from a rather wild life style. After he his conversion a prostitute he had frequented saw him on the street and he avoided her. She cried out, “Augustine, Augustine, it is I”. He spoke back and said, “but it is not I.” You see his life had been changed. He now belonged to another.

Application

Beware Of Covetousness Because Of What Makes Life . . Consist. 12:15

2.     Beware Of Covetousness Because Life Is More Than . . Crops. 12:16-18

A.     Life Is More Than Crops and The Thoughts Of The. . Harvest. 12:16

"The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

            1.          What ever kind of Increase Your Work Provides.

B.     Life Is More Than Crops and The Thoughts Of . . Himself. 12:17

             17 And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I

        have no room to store my crops?' 18 So he said, 'I will do this: I will

        pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my

        crops and my goods.

        1.     In the space of 46 words he referred to I, My and, himself . 12 times.

        2.     When your wrapped up in yourself you make a very small package.

Illustration

             Eleanor Roosevelt, the president's wife, could talk for

                two and a half hours without referring to herself.

             At the other extreme, it's been said that Elizabeth Taylor

                refers to herself every 90 seconds.

As I read related to this sermon I came across this thought about a singer named Jim Croce. He wrote several hit songs back in the 70s. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown -- I Got A Name --

Cigarets, Whiskey, and Wild, Wild Women, and Time In A Bottle –

Time In A Bottle

If I could save time in a bottle, The first thing that Id like to do

Is to save every day, Till eternity passes away

Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever, If words could make wishes come true, Id save every day like a treasure and then,

Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time, To do the things you want to do, Once you find them, I’ve looked around enough to know That you’re the one I want to go Through time with

If I had a box just for wishes, And dreams that had never come true

The box would be empty, Except for the memory

Of how they were answered by you. 

Sad but True:       Jim Croce died before the song became a hit.

Application

Beware Of Covetousness Because Life Is More Than . . Crops.

3.     Beware Of Covetousness Because Life Is More Than . . Cheerfulness. 12:19

A.      Life Is More Than Cheerfulness and The Thoughts Of . . Planning. 12:19a

             19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for

        many years; . . .”’

B.      Life Is More Than Cheerfulness and The Thoughts Of . . Pleasure. 12:19b

“‘. . . take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'

Illustration

Have you seen the Bumper Sticker that says he who dies with the most toys wins? I like the answer to that which simply says, “he who dies with the most toys – still dies.

POEM A rich man's field produced a big gain

But what would he do with all that grain?

"I have no place to store my crops."

I filled my barns all the way to their tops.

I'll tear them down and build ones bigger

And then retire while I still have vigor

I'll take life easy and bask by the pool

But God said to him, "You are a fool!

Tonight you'll die, it will be the end of self.

Then who will get what you prepared for yourself?"

So it will be for those who hoard

Things for themselves but not for the Lord       

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11: “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired

... my heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” Do you hear the stress and regret?

Illustration George Truett was the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas for 47 years

(1897- 1944). He once visited a wealthy West Texas rancher and had dinner in his

palatial ranch home. After dinner, the rancher took Dr. Truett up to a veranda on top of his house, and lit up a big cigar. The sun was setting, and if you’ve been to West Texas, you know you can see a long way out there. The man pointed to the South toward some oil rigs and said, “I own everything in that direction as far as you can see.” He pointed east toward some cotton fields and said, “And I own everything in that direction, too.” He pointed North toward a huge herd of cattle and bragged, “And, preacher, I own everything as far as you can see in that direction.” He turned to the West, and said, “And I own everything you can see in that direction, except the sun, of course.” Dr. Truett, turned to the man and pointed straight up the sky and said, “And how much do you own in that direction, my friend?” I could ask you the same thing today.

Application

Beware Of Covetousness Because Life Is More Than . . Cheerfulness.

4.     Beware Of Covetousness Because Life Has Eternal . . Consequences. 12:20-21

A.      God . . Said Life Has Eternal Consequences. 12:20

20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of

        you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'

B.      God . . Says Life Has Eternal Consequences. 12:21

             21 "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward

        God." NKJV

RYRIE Study Bible Man proposes; God disposes.

Illustration

About 100 years ago, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel awoke one morning to read his own obituary in the newspaper: "Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, died yesterday.

He devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than ever before, and he died a very rich man." Actually, it was Alfred's older brother who had died; a newspaper reporter had bungled the obituary. But the account had a profound effect on Nobel. He decided he wanted to be known for something other than developing the means to kill people efficiently. He also felt guilty for amassing a fortune in the process. So he initiated the Nobel Prize, the award for scientists and writers who foster peace. Nobel said, "Every man ought to have the chance to correct his obituary in midstream and write a new one." Few things will change us as much as looking at our life as though it is finished.

Application

 Beware Of Covetousness Because

Life Has Eternal Consequences. 12:20-21

Meet Yourself In The Parables.

http://www.gabc.org/assets/1002/s123001.pdf

http://www.holwick.com/new-testament/17/820.html