INTRODUCTION
Sermonic Theme
Opening Statement: There are many literary forms used in the Bible. There is poetry, proverb, legal document, dramatic narrative, hymn, sermon, theological treatise, personal letter, and apocalyptic vision. And sprinkled into all of these genres are figures of speech and word pictures that highlight what is being said. The form that a writer or speaker chooses to use in order to communicate his or her message indicates it’s meaning or how it should be treated or interpreted.
Review: We launched into a miniseries a month ago that deals with Jesus’ use of parables or stories. Jesus’ stories usually had one main idea.
Clarification: Some of the parables were true stories taken from daily life. They are told as fact in the present tense. We’ve seen seed growing, yeast at work in dough, children playing, sheep grazing, and we all know what it’s like to lose something. Jesus told true stories about these things. Some of the parables were story parables. These stories, which may or may not have actually happened (the historicity is not important), are meant to convey a significant truth. Jesus made up some of these stories and used them as illustrations. Then there are example stories. They give us examples to either follow or avoid. They focus on the character and conduct of the individual.
Observation: While these stories teach us many good and wholesome things (as we will learn together), the parables do two other things that are easily overlooked.
First, the stories of Jesus indicate that He was fully acquainted with human life in its many experiences.
Second, Jesus’ stories reveal His heart. They tell His autobiography and the autobiography of God. Do you want to know how God feels about people being a good neighbor, read the story of the Good Samaritan. Do you want to know how God feels when someone who is lost finally finds home again? Read the story of the Prodigal Son. Do you want to know how Jesus feels about people obeying His teachings? Read the story of the house built on the rock or sand? Do you want to know how to approach God in prayer for salvation? Read the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.
Title: We’ll continue today by looking at The Rich Fool – Balancing the Temporal with the Eternal
Proposition: Jesus told a story in Luke’s Gospel to teach us to balance the temporary with the eternal.
Text: Luke 12:16-21
Recitation: 12:16 He then told them a parable: “The land of a certain rich man produced an abundant crop, 12:17 so he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 12:18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 12:19 And I will say to myself, “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’ 12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 12:21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, but is not rich toward God.” The Message: Then 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!’” “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods – who gets it?’ “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”
Key Word: A single character in this story will be our main sermon point today because he represents the struggle to balance the temporary side of life with the eternal side of life.
Background: The incident that provoked this teaching was a disagreement over an inheritance. An unknown man in the crowd wanted Jesus to make his brother divide some inherited property fairly. It is never spoken, but the man must have felt that he didn’t get enough. I’m sure he wasn’t asking Jesus to make his brother take more money. I suspect that greed was tearing the man’s family apart. He was so focused on getting his fair share that he disregarded what it was doing to his own flesh and blood.
Jesus refused to be involved in the arbitration and instead, told a story, which is our focus today. A wealthy farmer had an exceptional summer, because at harvest time he gathered a bumper crop. The first century world did not have certificates of deposit or stock certificates. Their wealth was measured in grain, garments, land and gold. This man had an abundance of grain. What happened after this small introduction is quite literary and deeply spiritual. Jesus used what is known in literary circles as a soliloquy: a dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character reveals his or her thoughts when alone or unaware of the presence of other characters. So these are not things that this particular businessman was saying out loud to others. These were his deep, inner thoughts that Jesus lets us listen in on.
Application: Know that there is a God who is listening in on your deepest thoughts and heart motivations.
Sermon
Opening Statement: The chairman of the community charity called on a notorious miser. “Sir,” said the fund-raiser, “our records show that despite your wealth, you’ve never once given to our drive.” “Do your records show that I have an elderly mother who was left penniless when my father died?” fumed the tightwad. “Do your records show that I have a disabled brother who is unable to work? Do your records show I have a widowed sister with small children who can barely make ends meet?” “No, sir,” replied the embarrassed volunteer. “Our records don’t show those things.” “Well,” said the miser. “I don’t give to any of them, so why should I give anything to you?”
Transition: That miser serves to underscore the story of the Rich Fool that Jesus told, but he wasn’t all bad …
OUTLINE
The Story
Explanation: This successful businessman in Jesus’ story demonstrates some wonderful characteristics. He was an Employer. This man probably had a whole host of servants and managers to administrate his farm business. I can’t imagine having a farm all alone. Dozens of people are necessary. So he employed a number of people. He was a Builder. The idea of growth and expansion is also a great and noble thing. Improving your facilities so that more can be served is the thing to do. He was an Investor. Investing for the future is a very wise thing to do. We never hear of anything being done dishonestly. He was an Entertainer. He did not forget to live and enjoy life today with his friends. You see, he had all of these underlying solid business and lifestyle principles in place.
Notation: I think this concept of working hard and being blessed for your hard work is a wonderful idea. We need those who are willing to shoulder the entrepreneurial load so that new companies and corporations can provide men and women with jobs which enable them to earn adequate incomes to support and feed their families. Jesus was not condemning nor was he interested in making wealthy people feel guilty for God’s blessings. Life and God’s blessings are to be enjoyed in accordance to God’s will and plan for our lives. This is not what Jesus is after.
Illustration: I pray for God’s blessings on your investments and in your businesses. Why? You have the right values in place to know what to do with God’s blessings after you receive them. So many people miss this. I read the story about the guy who came to church with his family. As they were driving home afterwards he was complaining about everything. He said, “The music was too loud. The sermon was too long. The announcements were unclear. The building was hot. The people were unfriendly.” He went on and on, complaining about virtually everything. Finally, his very observant son said, “Dad, you’ve got to admit it wasn’t a bad show for just a dollar.”
Definition: Jesus is after something far more significant than just a dollar in this story. In this success story, there is something tragically missing. God is never found in his story or even acknowledged in any way. Greed had replaced God in his life with things. In other words, money and possessions had become his gods. Instead of wanting more and more of God it was more and more of things…the wrong things as it turned out. Success is a wonderful thing, but getting acquainted with the God of the successful is even better. This man missed this. As a result, God called him a fool, someone who lives as if there is no God (Psalm 14:1).
Observation: Think about it. It was God who provided him the talent and ability to have such a successful business. It was God who gave him the sunshine and rain and rich soil to grow his crops. It was God who had granted him the measure of health in order to keep up with what the business demanded. Yet, he never even tips his hat in God’s direction, ever. He had missed life’s true purpose, thinking that life’s purpose was to accumulate as much as you possibly can. Rather than applying his talent and resources as a service to others for God’s glory, it was all about what he wanted out of life. Rather than enriching his life by turning to God to find meaning and fulfillment, he was all about eating, drinking and being merry. The resources God had blessed him with were simply to be consumed according to his own appetites and fancies.
He was all about “bigger barns” here and now rather than his own spiritual needs and the eternal needs of others. Barn by barn, he grew further and further away from his true purpose in life. Barn by barn, the people in his life grew distant. Barn by barn, his wealth seems to have isolated him from all human contact. Barn by barn, he wasn’t free to be what he could have been to those around him. He never consulted God or anyone else. So by the time we reach him in the story, this Employer, Builder, Investor, and Entertainer had become so isolated that he talked only to himself, and no one else. Greed will do this to you. It drives you to make more, own more, and become more to an excessive degree. His possessions ended up possessing him. Finally, we see what was driving his expansionary plans and policies. Based on how Jesus characterizes this man, in all likelihood, he was preparing to charge a higher price for his grain in case of famine. Bigger barns would have accommodated that goal. Buy low, sell high and use people’s hunger to make a fortune.
Conclusion: Something happened that he never expected. God had an appointment set up with this man. It was called death. God called him to give an account at a moment that he least expected it because his greed had blinded his eyes to the reality of death. When the barns are full and everything is going our way, we never know when we are one breath away from eternity! We could be brushing our teeth, driving our car, eating our dinner, and then we’re gone and the barns suddenly don’t matter anymore. And our biggest concern then is not what we left behind; it’s what lays before us – eternity.
The Application
In your earning and spending, be ready to invest in eternal things. Barns are great, but people are greater still. Be generous. What an incredible opportunity he must have had to accomplish so much good for his community, all for God’s glory. He could have built hospitals, synagogues, and homes for needy families. But instead, he chose a lonely path.
Illustration: A pastor stood before his church and said, “I’ve got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the church has all the money it needs... The bad news is that it’s all still in your wallets.” Two men were marooned on an Island. One man paced back and forth worried and scared while the other man sat back and was sunning himself. The first man said to the second man, "aren’t you afraid we are about to die." "No," said the second man, "I make $100,000 a year and tithe faithfully to my church every week. My Pastor will find me."
In your blessing and prospering, be ready to give God the credit. If you never get another “barn” or not, you’ve already been blessed in more ways than you deserve. Give God the credit. Some would say, “I’ve earned this. It’s been my hard work that got me where I am.” No. God has blessed you with the gifts and abilities to earn what you have, along with a few providential opportunities that He has strategically placed in your path. Others have worked just as hard as you have, but have not been nearly as blessed. Give God the credit.
In your playing and celebrating, be ready to give an account. You are not an owner (repeat). You are a steward that’s been entrusted with resources that you are expected to use wisely. The things you have are on loan from God; you will only have them a short-period of time, then they must be passed on. Enjoy and celebrate these gifts, but be accountable and don’t hoard. You’re called to be a steward, not a hoarder.
Illustration: Ann Landers had an interesting letter in her column. It was from a girl who was writing about her uncle and aunt. She said, "My uncle was the tightest man I’ve ever known. All his life, every time he got paid he took $20 out of his paycheck and put it under his mattress. Then he got sick and was about to die. As he was dying, he said to his wife, "I want you to promise me one thing." "Promise what?" she asked. "I want you to promise me that when I’m gone you’ll take my money from under the mattress and put it in my casket so that I can take it all with me." The girl’s letter went on with the story. "He died, and his wife kept her promise. She went in and got all that money the day he died and went to the bank and deposited it, and wrote out a check and put it in his casket."
In your growing and maturing, be ready to begin again. Balancing the temporal with the eternal is a difficult thing. We must adjust ourselves constantly in the materialistic areas of life. Today is a great day to begin again. Maybe the bulk of your life has been given to “barn building.” How about turning now toward “Kingdom Building?” You’re going to have to let loose of everything someday. Why not turn it all over to God and let Him begin to guide you so that you can begin to see the fruit of your labor before you have to say good-bye?
CONCLUSION
Conclusion: What if you heard those words: “Tonight, you will die.” Are you ready for that? Are you ready to give an account for the way you’ve raised or are raising your family? Are you ready to give an account for what you’re doing with your talent and abilities? Are you ready to give an account for the way you’re spending your time and energy? Are you ready to give an account for what you’ve done with the money and wealth that God has blessed you with? Are you ready to give an account for the way you’re using your body and managing your appetites?
Explanation: Some day, there’s going to be a knock at your life’s door. Death will be waiting outside. The music will suddenly stop. The frantic whirling of the dancers will cease. And you and I must answer the door. Soon thereafter, what we did with the gift of life will be required of us.
Quotation: O. S. Hawkins asks, “At the end of your life will you be considered a hoarder or a steward?”
