Luke 12:13-21 Being Rich Toward God.
This parable can be summed up with
verse 21, So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward
God.
The thought is worldly treasures
vs. heavenly treasures. Being rich
in this world or being rich toward God.
v.13) an inheritance has brought division for years.
Either it is divided right, or we will be divided.
Was this man being cheated out of his rightly share of the inheritance?
Was he wanting more of his share according to law?
We don’t know, but one thing we do know is Jesus was not concerned about
earthly inheritances, gain, or treasure.
v.14) This verse brings to my mind the sincerity of the man
asking for help in this matter.
Some people only use the church and
religion for self gain. Was Christ
saying, “You have not made me Lord of all your life, why should I help in this
area?”
Although God
can do what He wants, help who He chooses to help, reguardless of our opinions
and our viewable circumstances, but, why should God help us out in a serious
matter in our life when we refuse to let Him help in other equally important
areas?
Are there areas in your life you
would love for the Lord to help in? Are there areas that you know God has spoken
to you about, but you have said “no”, and still expect God to bless in all other
areas?
v.15) This is the warning.
Beware of covetousness. Why
do we want more of what this world has to offer?
Covetousness is idolatry, (Col.
3:5). It is associated with the
wicked works of the flesh. We are to
be satisfied with the simple base comforts of life.
Covetousness is never satisfied, it
always grows.
Our life is not measured on the
earthly treasures we have. It is not
about the abundance, the excess, the stuff left over, the above measure, or to
spare.
What about those who have nothing
left over, who have none to spare?
We are to examine our hearts concerning covetousness and examine our lives to
what we are happy with.
V.16) Jesus answered this man’s question with a parable.
Prosperity
does not mean God is blessing. This
rich man did not serve God, yet he prospered.
Not all material and financial
prosperity is God’s hand. Look at
the ungodly industries of the world that are continually growing.
v.17 -18) This world is geared toward
bigger and better. Men are geared
that way.
We want the best of everything.
Our car only gets us from point A to point B, so why do we need a $35,000
vehicle? Our grandfathers raised us
in, at the most, a three bedroom home.
Now we need a room for every member of the family and more.
Hunters want a
bigger deer, fishers want a bigger fish, etc…
The media, “New and imporved,”
bigger and better.
v.20) Only what you do for Christ will last.
v.21) How do you become rich toward God?
For it is only when we stand before the Lord that our riches will truly
be measured.
The earthly treasures that we can accumulate will not determine our
riches toward God.
Our riches toward God will be calculated by spiritual wealth.
There is nothing wrong with owning
possessions, as long as the possessions do not own you.
Having things, and gaining more is
not evil in itself. It is where we
place the emphases that it becomes spiritually unhealthy.
We want to ask ourselves, am I
laying up treasures for myself, or am I rich toward God?
We turn to 1 Cor. 3:12-13 and see
how our works stand up to God’s judgment, His analyzing.
Much of what we own, we store, we
try to acquire will burn up as wood, hay, and stubble.
Only the gold, silver and precious stones will last the test of time and
gain us valuable treasure in heaven.
1. Gold. This is our worship toward God. How we sacrifice our life, our time, our money for the things of God compared to the things of this world.
2. Silver. This is how we treat the Word of God. Do we obey what God speaks to us about? Are we sincere with listening, studying, and practicing what God has instructed us to do in our every day life?
3. Precious Stones. This is our witness in the world. Mankind are likened to stones. When we win a person to the Lord, we have just placed a precious stone in our crown of soul winning for God’s glory.
Rich Toward God. This is when we are more concerned about the eternal than we are the temperol. Although we live in this world, we are not to become part of the world system. We have more truth, more knowledge of eternity, and we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts and minds to lead us into truth.
Are you laying up treasure for yourself, or are you becoming Rich Toward God?