Are You Rich Toward God? Series

“ARE YOU RICH TOWARD GOD?” Luke 12:13-21

FBCF – 10/6/24

Jon Daniels

INTRO – How much money do you need to make to be considered rich? Remember my first job – 14 yrs old - making minimum wage at $2.65 an hour - got a paycheck for $200. Didn’t know how I was going to spend all of that money back in 1979! But someone in Burundi or Somalia or Madagascar would be thrilled to get $200 today where the average salary in 2024 is under $500 a year – or about $42 a month.

So many people in our world are wearing themselves out striving to get rich.

- John D. Rockefeller’s formula for getting rich: 1) Go to work early. 2) Stay at work late. 3) Find oil.

While there’s nothing wrong w/ working hard to make a good living, lots of folks quickly lose their perspective on what’s really important in life. So many stories of people who burned the candle at both ends their entire careers to build a massive portfolio, but lost their family in the process are common in our society. People who have allowed money to become their god, an idol that they bow down to & worship on a daily basis. Remind you what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24:

- “You cannot serve two masters at the same time. You will hate one & love the other, or you will be loyal to one & not care about the other. You cannot serve God & Money at the same time.” (ERV)

They get to the end of their careers or their lives & realize how much they lost as they worked to gain more & more material possessions. Again, another stark reminder from Jesus – Mark 8:36:

- “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (NKJV)

In 1928 a group of the world's most successful financiers met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. The following were present: The president of the largest utility company, The greatest wheat speculator, The president of the New York Stock Exchange, A member of the President's Cabinet, The greatest "bear" on Wall Street, The president of the Bank of International Settlements, The head of the world's greatest monopoly. Collectively, these tycoons controlled more wealth than there was in the U.S. Treasury, & for years newspapers & magazines had been printing their success stories & urging the youth of the nation to follow their examples. Twenty-five years later, this is what had happened to these men:

- The president of the largest independent steel company, Charles Schwab, lived on borrowed money the last five years of his life and died broke.

- The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cutten, died of a heart attack, in financial ruin.

- The president of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney, served a term in prison.

- The member of the President's Cabinet, Albert Fall, was pardoned from prison so he could die at home.

- The greatest "bear" in Wall Street, Jesse Livermore, committed suicide.

- The president of the Bank of International Settlements, Leon Fraser, committed suicide.

- The head of the world's greatest monopoly, Ivar Krueger, committed suicide.

All of these men had learned how to get rich, but not one of them had learned how to be rich toward God. And that’s what we are going to talk about today.

EXPLANATION – Luke 12:13-21 (p. 871)

Parable of the Rich Fool: Jesus’ ministry had become very well-known & popular w/ many people – v. 1 “…many thousands of people had gathered together…”, most of them wanting to see Him do another miracle or wanting Him to feed them as He fed the 5000. At the same time, there were many of the religious leaders who were opposing Him more & more & seeking ways to silence Him & eventually kill Him.

So, Jesus began to teach His disciples to prepare them for the eventual persecution that would come. All were martyred for their faith in Jesus, except John - exiled to the island of Patmos.

Most of this chapter is directed to His disciples as He encourages them not to be afraid when persecution comes – v. 6-7 – “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Also encourages them to stay strong when they are dragged in front of the authorities – v. 11-12 – “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”