1. The Parable of the Rich Fool Luke 12:13-21
Give or consume?
The Parable of the Rich Fool
Luke 12:13-21
Pray for & dismiss children to Sunday School.
Take 30 seconds and greet someone next to you.

2. Developing a Biblical Worldview in an increasingly skeptical world
Recap from my last sermon
The Compassionate Employer (Matthew 20)
There is one wage in the Kingdom
That wage is grace
You can’t deny it or control it.
It’s extravagantly abundant.
This morning, I want to ask you 1 question… How are we going to spend it?
Developing a Biblical Worldview in an increasingly skeptical world

3. The Crossroads

4. Definition
Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. 
Consumerism is the theory that a country (or individual) that consumes goods and services in large quantities will be better off economically.
Consumerism is the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable.
More goods & services= more happiness and satisfaction.
Real life example
Delta credit card offer
It could be a great opportunity
But not for everyone

5. Luke 12:13-21
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

6. Luke 12:13-21
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

7. A Demand for Justice
“Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

8. 1st Crossroads Moment
Issue of Justice
The reader’s perspective:
There’s a broken relationship between the brothers
Younger brother is crying for justice!
The brother’s perspective:
The brother knows what it would take to achieve justice & wants Rabbi Jesus (legal expert) to reinforce it.
DANGER: when fighting for a just cause we can believe that everything we do is right in our own eyes.
The end justifies the means.
SOLUTION: His justice must judge our means for justice
Jesus’ perspective:
Jesus knows that the healing of this relationship is part of the answer to the cry for justice.
Transition: Jesus uses this as a teaching opportunity by telling a story…

9. The Rich Man’s Question
‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

10. 2nd Crossroads Moment in Passage (1st in parable)
Issue of Ownership
The reader’s perspective:
The rich man has an abundance
Man already rich. Land produces excess. He didn’t work harder. It is a gift from God.
The rich man’s perspective:
One day I might not have enough
Fear & mistrust in God
Analogy (revealing God’s unlimited amount of grace):
“Cups of Tea for Soldiers” with Grandad.
Grace is a gift. Gifts are meant to be given away.

11. Psalm 24:1-2
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas  and established it on the waters.
Jesus’ perspective:
It all belongs to God (Psalm 24:1-2)
We are stewards of what is His
This is a man who has failed to recognize that he is accountable to God for all he owns.
Application:
We can easily read this parable and count ourselves out because I am not a rich person.
What shall we do with our abundance? What are you rich in…?
Money
Possessions
Grace
Love

12. The Rich Man’s Answer
I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.

13. The Rich Man’s Justification
And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

14. 3rd Crossroads Moment in Passage (2nd in parable)
Issue of Satisfaction
The Rich Man misunderstood what truly satisfied.
My barns, my grain, my goods
He believed that a person created in the image of God can be fully satisfied with the food for the body.
My soul is restless until…
Western Story= I am assured of an overabundance of food and drink
Biblical Story= I rest Him
Life IS NOT available in the surpluses that our insatiable desires produce.
Life IS consists of being rich towards God/ treasuring up for God not self.

15. A Reality Check
‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

16. 4th Crossroads Moment in Passage (3rd in parable)
The rich man suddenly discovers that he’s following the wrong story.
Final Question transitions us out of the parable and back before the younger brother.
Suppose you win your right over the inheritance- what then? Look beyond your earthly life. To whom will all of your inheritance one day belong?
Jesus challenges the brother to look at the issue of economic justice from the perspective of…
He owns it all
We are stewards
We have a responsibility before God for our material possessions and how we live our lives.
It’s all on loan from God as a gift
We will destroy ourselves if we don’t starve our insatiable desire for more.