"The Greedy Farmer"

Luke 12:13-21 & 1 Samuel 25:10-11

1 August 2010

West Fort Hood Community Chapel

U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris

Fort Hood Texas

BIG IDEA: Believers should avoid pressure and spiritual distractions coming from their Peers and Pop Culture to become materialistic because it leads to death.

REFERENCES: Luke 12:13-21 (NIV) The Parable of The Greedy Farmer; 1 Samuel 25:2-17 NIV (The story of Nabal & Abigail); 1 Samuel 25:10-11 NIV (Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”); 1 Timothy 6:6-10 NIV (But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs); James 1:9-11 MSG (When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don't ever count on it. You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that's a picture of the "prosperous life." At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing.); Luke 16:1-15 (NIV) The Parable of the Shrewd Manger; Luke 16:19-31 (NIV) The Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus – is another place where Luke addresses the disease of “possessionitis”; Deuteronomy 21:15-17 (NIV) The rights of the First-born;

I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: Luke 12:13-21 & 1 Samuel 25:10-11

II. READ THE PERICOPE: Luke 12:13-21 (NIV) & 1 Samuel 25:10-11 (NIV)

III. READ THE TEXT: Luke 12:15 (NIV) Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

&

1 Samuel 25:10-11 (NIV) Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?"

IV. PURPOSE: The purpose of this sermon is to motivate the hearers to avoid pressure from Peers and Pop Culture - to become materialistic - by placing more Trust in God.

V. SERMONIC THEME: “The Greedy Farmer”

INTRODUCTION:

My brothers and sisters our Old Testament reading in Hosea 11:1-7 and our New Testament reading in Colossians 3:1-11 reminds us all that while God is bent on helping us, many of us are bent on giving in to Peer Pressure and Chasing after Pop Culture Material Things.

For instance, in our culture (today) many of us are guilty and bent on shopping at Forever 21 and chasing after things like BMWs, Mercedes, i-Phones, Blackberries, Polo-Ralph Lauren Shirts, Abercrombie and Fitch T-shirts, and Lady Gaga’s Telephone Videos.

Quite frankly, many of us in the church today, like many un-churched, have possession-ni-tis.

We have to have THINGS! Therefore, I submit to you today that We – as a Body of Believers - need to do better. We need to avoid pressure which comes from our Peers and Pop Culture to become materialistic; and Place more Trust in God.

******* TAKE 5 BEATS ******

MOVE 1: One of the ICONS in POP Culture (today), or Post Modernism, is Madonna. In her song “Material Girl”, Madonna sings the following lyrics:

a. Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me.

I think they’re o.k.

If they don’t give me proper credit, I just walk away.

b. They can beg and they can plead

But they can’t see the light, that’s right

Cause the boy with the cold hard cash

Is always Mister Right, cause we are

c. (Chorus)

living in a material world

And I am a material girl

You know that we are living in a material world

And I am a material girl

d. Like many of our children, many parents have also bought into Possession-ni-tis.

******* TAKE 5 BEATS ******

MOVE 2: Today, the Good Book declares that Greed and the pursuit of Possessions constitute one of the greatest obstacles to spiritual growth.

a. We can have things; but things should NOT have us.