The Rich Fool

5/21/23

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Sermon Transcript

Good afternoon. Please keep your Bibles open to Luke chapter 12. If we had to choose just one word to describe our modern world, what would that one word be? I think for many of us that one word would be change. It wasn’t that long ago that the world we were born into was much like the world we died in, and that was true for many, many years. But that is certainly not the case with our modern world. Our world is changing at a very fast pace. In fact, it’s changing so quickly we wonder what world our children will be living in. In fact, we wonder what world we will be living in five years from now.

But despite all of that change, there are some things that have not changed, will never change and that are not changing. And of course one of those things is the Word of God. Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of God shall stand forever.” Deuteronomy 4:2, “You shall not add to the Word I command you, nor shall you take from it.” Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my Word shall not pass away.” God’s Word is unchanging and in a world full of change it’s comforting to have the Word of God and to know that it is not going to ever change.

But there’s something else that hasn’t changed, that is not going to change, and that’s human nature, human nature. The Bible’s description of ancient man is also a description of modern man. We have the same desires, we have the same failings, we face the same temptations, we have the same needs, and in fact it is our unchanging human nature. In fact, that’s the reason, isn’t it, why the Word of God doesn’t change, because we’re not changing. We have the same human nature that we’ve always had, and that’s why God’s Word doesn’t need to change. God’s Word to mankind is just as relevant and just as powerful today as the day when it was first given to man. The Bible is filled with timeless principles that apply to all men at all times in all lands and apply it with as much force and relevance to us today as they applied when they were first given to us.

And one of those timeless principles is found in Luke chapter 12 verse 15 where Jesus says one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. That is a timeless principle. Let’s look for a moment at that timeless principle from Christ and let’s also look at the parable that Jesus used to illustrate it. Let’s start in Luke 12 at verse 13. Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, take care and be on your guard against all covetousness. For one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Now the man who asked Jesus that question, I think he deserves an award. I think he should be crowned the king of wasted opportunities. Here he was standing before the Creator and the sustainer of the universe, before the King of kings and the Lord of lords, before the eternal Almighty Son of God. And what did he ask about? A fight with his brother over money. But you know, before I start casting stones, maybe I should take a look at my own prayer life. Are my prayers focused on my own desires and my own concerns and my own issues or my prayers focused on the glory of God and the advancement of his kingdom. You know, maybe I’m also a king of wasted opportunities.

But worse than just wasting an opportunity, this man wanted to use Jesus to further his own economic gain. In fact, I suspect that’s how he saw everybody, not just Jesus. I bet this man went through life and everyone he met, he looked at that person and said, “How can I use this person to further my own economic gain?” In fact, I think we can discern from Luke chapter 12 that this man had no concern at all about spiritual matters. None. And we’re talking here about the man who asked the question. We haven’t gotten to the parable yet. We’re talking about the man who asked the question. I think we can discern from Luke 12 he didn’t have any concern about spiritual matters.

Well, how can we tell that from this? Well, look at what Jesus was talking about before for the man asked the question. Look back in verses 8 through 12. Jesus was talking about the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that will not be forgiven. You know, I think that anyone with even the slightest amount of concern about spiritual matters, having heard that, would have asked Jesus about that unforgivable sin. Jesus, can you tell us more about that? I wanna make sure I haven’t done that, and I’m not gonna do that. But this man apparently wasn’t paying any attention to that. He was just waiting for his chance to jump in here and ask Jesus about money and about this family dispute that was bothering him. He had no thoughts about spiritual matters. And in fact, I think we’re gonna see that same trait in the parable that follows, this parable that was directed at this man and others like him.

This man wanted to focus, wanted Jesus to focus on earthly matters. But Jesus does not play that man’s game. Jesus refuses to get involved in this petty squabble about money between these two brothers. Instead, as he always does, Jesus immediately diagnoses the man’s real problem, covetousness, and he tells us in verse 15 that we should all always be on guard against it.

Now, the Greek word used here for take care or be on guard, it’s much stronger than those English phrases. The Greek word means to take a positive action to ward off an approaching foe. For the Greek word is like you’re seeing someone coming right at you and you’ve got to do something. You got to do it fast to avoid getting clobbered by this person. That’s the Greek word here. So it’s not like you know covetousness, it may come, it may not come, you know, who knows just kind of look out for it. That’s not what Jesus is saying here. Jesus is saying covetousness is coming after you. Look out, be on guard. You need to ward off its attack.

One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. You know, if you’re looking for one verse that runs directly counter, directly counter to the prevailing tide of our modern world, that may be it. That verse may be it. It’s certainly a good For example, you know, companies spend millions of dollars, millions of dollars each year trying to convince you that the opposite is true. That if you really want fulfillment, you really want meaning in your life, you really want happiness in your life, then you just need more possessions. You need the possessions that they’re offering you in the commercial or on the advertisement. That will finally make you happy. That will finally give you meaning in life. But of course, they’re peddling a lie. one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

And again, as Jesus so often did, Jesus did not just stop with that warning. Jesus then gave a parable to illustrate the warning so that we could better remember it and better apply it. Jesus, the master teacher, gives us a parable. So verse 16, “And he told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully.’” We have a rich man, a man who is rich and prosperous, a man who is in the precise position that most people want to occupy. He had arrived. He had it all. Well, how did this man view that great wealth? Did he see it as the end or did he see it as a means to a greater end? Did he plan to use it to further the kingdom of God or was he instead focused only on his own kingdom? And surely such a rich man would not have a care in this world, right? He was there, he’d arrived, he must be free of all anxiety, right?

Let’s keep reading, verse 17, “And he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do for I have nowhere to store my crops?’” Now I could say something here about renting storage lockers because our garages are full. But you know as my dad used to say that would be when I quit preaching and went to meddling so I’m not going to say anything about storage lockers. When I read verse 17 I picture this rich man in bed at night tossing and turning unable to drift off to sleep because of his worry because of his anxiety about his great wealth. I bed. I see him worried in bed, full of anxiety. Reminds us of Ecclesiastes 5:12, “The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.” That’s what I see when I look at this man here in this parable.

You mean the rich have worries? Yes, I think we see right here that they do. This guy has worries. In fact, anxiety usually increases rather than decreases with worldly wealth. You know Jesus told us in another parable, “The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches can choke the word.” Matthew 13:22. And the cares of this world increase as the riches increase. So this man is worried, he’s anxious, he’s tossing, he’s turning. Well what’s causing all this anxiety? Well he had a problem, he had a You know, it seems like a problem that many other people would love to have, but he saw it as a problem. He just didn’t know what to do with all his great wealth. You know, apparently there were no poor people where he lived. Apparently there were no orphans. Apparently he lived in a widow-free zone. No one in need. What to do with it all? What a terrible problem he had.

I liked how one commentary described it. “Who would not have pity on someone so besieged with troubles? He was made miserable by abundance, wretched by the good things he possessed, and still more wretched by the good things he still expected to receive. He had all sorts of problems, this poor rich man. Of course in reality, he had a much bigger problem than that. But at the moment, he’s blind to that bigger problem. All he sees is himself and he sees his possessions, and he’s worried about all his possessions. He’s not thinking about God. He’s not thinking about his fellow man and Notice that he sees himself as the owner of all this. I have nowhere to store my crops My they’re all mine, mine, mine. He’s the owner of them. He’s not a steward didn’t see himself as a steward. He owns it We don’t see him thanking God for his abundant blessings. In fact as far as we can see he has no thought of God at all He views himself as the ultimate authority on what will be done with these goods He refers to no will but his own What shall I do?” he says Notice the pronouns in this parable the personal pronouns I and my and Even thou when the man is talking to himself occur 13 times in three verses I think we could say to this rich man what was said to Peter in Matthew 26:73, “Thy speech betrayeth thee.” This man’s whole attitude was the opposite of that taught by Jesus. Instead of denying himself, this man denied himself nothing. Instead of being focused on what he could give, this man was focused on how much he could keep.

But even in his anxiety, even in his worry, even in his greed, this rich man asked a pretty good question there in verse 17. What shall I do? We’re going to come back to that question in a moment, but for now let’s look at his answer. Verse 18, “And he said, I will do this, I will tear down my barns and build larger ones and there I will store all my grain and my goods.” So what’s the solution to this rich man’s problem of what to do with his great wealth? Well, simple. He needs more wealth. If the problem is having too much and the solution is to get even more. Greed never has enough. Again we’re reminded of Ecclesiastes 5:10, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money nor he who loves wealth with his income and notice this man’s great self-confidence in verse 18 I will do this is there any doubts there no he has no doubt he is confident that no one’s going to get in his way no one’s going to stand in his way he’s convinced that whatever he intends to accomplish will be accomplished. I will do this,” he says. His will here is to have a bigger barn and he shows no doubt that that plan is going to be accomplished. And no doubt he plans to get started as soon as he wakes up in the next morning. And he has no doubt at all that he will wake up the next morning. After all, he is awakened every morning in his life. Why should tomorrow be any different?

And as for not having enough barns, I like what one very old commentary had to say on that subject. It said, “Thou hast barns, the bosom of the needy, the houses of the widows, the mouths of orphans and of infants.” There were a lot of things he could have done with that brain. Let’s pause right here for a moment and ask a question. How would the world view this man. At this point in the parable, let’s stop right here and ask ourselves, how would the world view the man that has been presented to us so far in this parable? Wouldn’t the world admire him? Wouldn’t the world consider him a good citizen? There’s no indication here he got any of his wealth by ill-gotten means, not at all. Wouldn’t the world consider him a responsible employer, a good taxpayer? Would the world have had a single bad thing to say about this man?

Likely not, but the world’s opinion of this man was not the opinion that mattered. And like today, the world’s opinion of us is not the opinion that matters. If God is not pleased with us, then it matters not one bit if the entire world is on our side and patting us on the back. When it comes to eternity, there’s only one opinion that matters and it is not the world’s opinion and is not even our own opinion. It is God’s opinion. 1 Corinthians 4:4, “For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” God’s opinion is the only opinion that matters. And woe to the man whose thoughts about himself run counter to God’s thoughts about him. There is no more dangerous condition than that. This made a very admirable, a very wise decision on what to do with all of his great wealth and the world no doubt agreed with him. Sounds like a good financial plan. But you know what? We haven’t yet heard God’s opinion on the issue, have we?

Verse 19, "And I will say to my soul, 'So you have ample goods laid up for many years, relax, eat, drink, be merry. With his great plan now in mind, his worries have gone away. He is confident that the restless longings of his soul will finally be satisfied once he gets a new barn. Finally he’ll be able to relax. Finally he’ll be able to enjoy life. Finally he’ll be at peace. Finally he’ll be free of worry and free of anxiety. All it’s going to take is that new barn. If this rich man had actually lived through the night, I don’t want to give anything away, but he’s got a problem coming up in a verse or two from now. But if he’d actually lived through the night, is there anyone here who thinks he would have actually reached that blissful state that he expected with that new barn? Or do you think maybe there would have been a new worry to take the place of the old worry? If his wealth had increased tenfold, do we think he would have been at ease or do we think his worries would have increased tenfold? I think we know the answer to that.

You know, John Rockefeller said, “I have made many millions but they have brought me no happiness.” And John Jacob Astor, near the end of his life, said, “I am the most miserable man on earth.” Notice how confident this rich man is about his continued existence on this earth. There is no doubt here. I don’t see any doubt. Verse 19 says, “I’ve laid up goods for many years. He’s not going anywhere. His plan is just to live here for many more years. He has not penciled in death on his calendar.”

You know, James, the brother of Jesus, tells us something about such a man. James 4:13-15, “Come now you who say today or tomorrow we’ll go into such-and-such a town and spend a year there and trade and make profit, yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For it is a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” What we see here in verse 19 of this parable, what we see here is a mist with long-term plans and we see such an attitude all around us today don’t we? People make plans as if they’re going to be here forever.

The Bible has so much to say about the denial of death. Psalm 49:11, “Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever and their dwelling places to all generations. They call their lands after their own names.” They’re not going anywhere, they think. Proverbs 27:1, “Boast not thy of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth and of course Hebrews 9:27 and is appointed for man to die once and after that comes judgment each of us lives our entire life on the edge of the grave and if my plans do not take that back into account then what God is about to call this rich man applies equally to me.”

Verse 20, “But God said to him, ‘Fool, this night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” You know, we don’t hear much these days, you know, today everything we hear on the news is called breaking news, but those of us who are a little older remember hearing, “We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this important message.” Remember that? That’s what’s happening in verse 20 to this rich man. You know, my favorite author is J.R.R. Tolkien. Probably doesn’t come as a shock to many of you, but he’s my favorite author. And verse 20 here reminds me of a line in The Hobbit. Tolkien wrote, “It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations if he lives nearby.” Likewise, I would say, "It does not do to leave God out of your calculations. That’s what this man has done. And suddenly that little word at the beginning of verse 20, “But, but, but,” God said to him. That little word at the beginning of verse 20 brings this man’s castle building to an abrupt halt. This rich man may have been able to ignore God for a little while, but no one can ignore God forever. For this rich man who had built his kingdom on the shifting sand, the storm had finally come. Proverbs 1:32, “The prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” And how quickly that storm of destruction came. In a moment this rich man became a destitute man. And the twinkling of an eye, this happy, hopeful, secure man became a wretched, hopeless, despairing man. Rather than living many years to enjoy his goods and take his ease as he had planned, he would be departing this world this very night. What about all those great possessions he’d worried about so much? They’d all remain behind for someone else to possess.

You know, I’ve been in a lot of funeral possessions. I have never seen a U-Haul trailer in a funeral possession. After someone dies, you often hear the question, “Well, how much did he leave?” The truthful answer is always the same. He left it all. He left it all. 1 Timothy 6:7, "We brought nothing into this world that is certain. and we can carry nothing out of it. Could there be any other word to better describe such a man than the one used here? Fool. Fool. Fool. This rich man had many plans for his life, but God’s plans for him were quite different. Too late, this rich man learned the proverb, many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Proverbs 19:21. The use of the word fool here in verse 20 reminds us of another very familiar verse that uses the same word. Psalm 14:1. The fool says in his heart, there is no God. But isn’t that the same person we’re looking at here in Luke 12? Isn’t that the same person? We’re not told this guy in the parable was an atheist, but don’t we see him living the life of an atheist? Do we see any thought of God? Do we see any thought of spiritual matters? We don’t know if he said in his heart there is no God, but we know for sure he lived that way.

Verse 21, "So is the one who lays up treasure for himself “and is not rich toward God.” Jesus ends his parable by telling us that this rich fool is not unique. He has a lot of company. The world thought this rich man was wise, God called him a fool. The world is full of such people, people wise in the ways of the world but fools in the ways of God. Fools in the things that really matter. Fools in the eyes of God. And verse 21 tells us that anyone, not just this rich man, but anyone who lays up treasure for himself and who is not rich toward God is a fool.

It’s a fool who spends his life accumulating wealth that must soon be left behind instead of accumulating wealth that could be enjoyed for eternity. Matthew 6:19-21, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moss and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” It’s a fool who spends his life focused only on the temporary, ignoring the permanent and the eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. It’s a fool who lives for this life only who sets his mind on earthly things. Romans 8:5, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, it does not submit to God’s law, indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. It is the fool who loves this world. 1 John 2:15, if any man loves this world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Each of us, each of us by our lives is daily answering the question of Christ in Matthew 16:26. For what is a man profited if he shall gain whole world and lose his soul. What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Sadly, there is a long, long list of things that people exchange for their soul. So how should this rich man have lived instead? Listen as Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6 starting in verse 17. "Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy, that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life. That rich fool should have relaxed his grip on his earthly possessions and instead laid hold on eternal life, storing up his treasures in heaven.

William Barclay tells the story of a conversation between two men. One of the men was very ambitious and very young, the other was much wiser and much older. When asked what his plans were, the young man said, “Well, I’m going to go to school and learn my trade.” And the older man said, “And what then?” And the young man said, “Well, then I’m going to set up my business.” And the older man said, “And then what?” The younger man said, "Well, then I’m going to get married. I’m going to start a family and then what? Well after that I’m gonna make my fortune and then what? Well I guess I’ll just work until I can retire and the older man said and then what? The younger man thought for a moment said “Well, I guess one of these days I’m gonna die.” And the older man said, “And then what?”

Ultimately, that last question is the only question that matters. And yet, most people never even consider it. Here’s what one wrote. "There are multitudes of people "who seldom or never think. "Their life is like the thinnest of rafts, floating upon an ocean of infinite mystery, and they hate to be asked to look over the edge. They’re very busy decking out their raft with everything they can make it feel like a permanent home. They never realize they’re on a raft and not on a rock until one day an illness or an accident or a war flicks them off into the ocean where they have never even learn to swim.

Jesus was rich but he became poor for our sakes. Men seek riches so they can find meaning and happiness. Jesus became poor so that we could find meaning and happiness in him. 2 Corinthians 8:9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sakes he became poor that you through his poverty might become rich and as for covetousness Jesus offers us all we could ever want or ever need ever desire Hebrews 13:5 let your conduct be without covetousness be content with such things as you have for he himself has said I will never leave you nor forsake you. And what about money? He’s no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

This rich fool in Luke 12 asked a very profound question in verse 17, “What shall I do?” Now his answer was wrong, but the question was a very good one. In fact, it’s the same question we see in Acts 2:37, “What shall I do?” But the answer in Acts 2:38 is very different from the answer given here by this rich fool. Peter’s answer in Acts 2:38 is not focused on the seen but on the unseen. Peter’s answer in Acts 2:38 is not focused on this world but on the world to come. Peter’s answer in Acts 2:38 is not focused on the temporal but on the permanent, the eternal. In short, Peter’s answer in Acts 2:38 got right everything this rich man got wrong. So what then shall I do? Repent and be baptized for remission of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. That is God’s promise for everyone. If that’s something you have not yet done tonight, then why do you tarry? If you’re thinking, well, I’ve got a lot of time left I need to make that decision. Aren’t you falling into the same trap that captured this rich man? How do any of us know whether this night our soul will be required of us? And when that day comes, where will our treasure be? And now why do you wait? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sin. It’s calling on the of the Lord. We can help in any way tonight. Please come while we stand and while we sing.