MONEY MAKES US FOOLS
Luke 12:13-21

An Interruption
• Jesus was interrupted by a man from the crowd, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” (Luke 12:13)
• Why interrupt Jesus with that request? Because Jesus often addressed material things.

Three Cardinal Virtues – Faith, Hope, and Love
• How we handle money and “stuff” is a measurement of our sincerity in our walk with Christ.
• Jesus addressed material things because He knew how easy it is for our possessions to end up possessing us!

A Question
• Jesus replies to the man’s request with a question: “Man, who appointed Me to be a judge, or an arbiter over you?” (Luke 12:14)
• Jesus does not help us with our agendas. He wants us to take His agenda.
• God is not going to help us with anything until we’ve given Him our everything.

A Warning
• Jesus issues a warning: “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has abundance, does his life consist of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)
• Greed has many forms. The rich AND the poor can be greedy!

A Parable (Luke 12:16-21) – “You Fool!”
• Jesus teaches it is foolish to live life selfishly focused on satisfying our flesh and accumulating material things, with no thought of God and eternity.
• The rich fool laid up treasures for himself and was not rich toward God.

Bottom Line: Are We Rich toward God?
• We are rich toward God if …
• We are generous and invest in the Kingdom.
• We hold onto things loosely. We generously give out of what we have taken in.
• We empty our barns and trust God to keep filling them.

Think It Over
• Remembering greed isn’t only about money (power, prestige, attention, etc.), what are signs of greed you see in our culture? Are there signs of greed in your life?
• What do your check stubs say about the sincerity of your faith, hope, and love, i.e., your walk with Christ?
• Where are your treasures? How might you become richer toward God?