The Illusion of Security | Luke 12:13-21

[0:00] Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ. I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and each week I share sermons that balance the grace and love of Jesus Christ with the truth of the Word of God.

[0:15] Together, we'll explore Scripture using observation, interpretation, and application. This helps us discover practical ways to live out our faith every single day.

[0:26] Let's dive in together into God's Word. All right, well, good morning, everyone. Today, we're going to be going over the Gospel of Luke, chapter 13, or excuse me, chapter 12, verses 13 through 21.

[0:42] I have titled this sermon, The Illusion of Security. And turn your Bibles there. It's going to be on page 1035 in your ESVP Bible, or you're welcome to use your Bible of choice, your mobile device, or if you have your own preference, you're welcome for that as well.

[1:03] And as we begin, I want us to know, as we're going into the parable of the rich fool, it's kind of to set up the scene here.

[1:13] 1,000, excuse me, 1035. Thank you for that. As we're preparing for this message, I want you to understand that this particular parable has been, like many parables, has been misunderstood, and has even outright been weaponized.

[1:36] And we have to keep in mind the context as well as the connections with the Word of God. Sometimes in Scripture, we can get very confused, or we can see that it can mean one thing, but really, there's some beautiful depth to this.

[1:55] So I'd like for us, let's pray together. We'll go right into it, and we'll go forth from there. Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, we are grateful that we are here today as we are going into this little more difficult parable, the parable of the rich fool.

[2:11] We pray, Father, that you bless this time. We pray that truth is spoken here, and that lives are transformed. We pray that we may have an understanding of who you are, so that we can have that relationship with you, that we may grow in you, going from milk to solid food.

[2:31] And we pray that in all of this, we will be transformed so that we can do good in your holy name. Father, we recognize that all of us should be on a path and a journey to know who you are.

[2:46] And in that journey, in knowing you, we pray that we are on a journey in you. We pray, Father, that you will transform us, lead and guide us as you always have.

[2:59] And, Father, we pray that if there's any comfort or any misunderstanding, let there be clarity, let there be comfort here this morning.

[3:09] It is in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen? So, setting the scene for this, we have here where Jesus is giving the, what is known as the parable of the rich fool.

[3:21] In order to understand this, we first want to know what exactly is going on in the surrounding texts, right? This is known as the context, where if you go to verse 8, acknowledging Christ before men, it's this idea, everyone who acknowledges Christ or acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels, right?

[3:42] Anyone who denies me. This is where we have the basic understanding that we need to recognize who Jesus Christ is. That's very cut and dry. That's very easy for us to understand.

[3:53] And because of this, it's going on further in verse 11, when they bring you before synagogues and the rulers and authorities, do not be anxious. That's a big thing to keep in mind, right?

[4:05] Do not be worried. Do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. If you look after this parable, you'll see then Christ is saying, do not what?

[4:20] Do not be anxious or do not worry, right? In verse 22, therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life. Many of you have heard this one before, right? Don't worry about your life.

[4:31] Don't worry about what you'll eat. Don't worry about your body. Don't worry about the clothes you put on. Some of us, we may identify, you're driving in the car and you're like, what in the world am I going to eat, right? Or what am I going to wear?

[4:41] Where scripture tells us that we shouldn't worry about things. Life is more than food and the body more than clothing. And in this, there's one verse that will actually help us with our understanding of the parable of the rich fool.

[4:55] Consider the ravens. They neither sow nor reap. They have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. How much more value are you than the birds? That actually helps us with understanding this parable.

[5:07] So what is going on in here? We see in here, it says, verse 13, someone in the crowd said to him, teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.

[5:22] But he said to him, man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you? He said to them, take care and be on your guard against all covetousness.

[5:34] For one's life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions. We need to understand first and foremost what is happening here. If we don't understand this, we'll misunderstand the parable.

[5:47] So you have a dispute that's going on between brothers. Tell my brother, I got the inheritance, or my brother got the inheritance, but I didn't get the inheritance.

[6:00] So if you can imagine for a moment, a younger brother saying, it's not fair that he got more than me, that he got the inheritance and I didn't. Does that not sound familiar?

[6:12] When we think of, for example, we just went over the previous parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee, but we can also think about the parable of the prodigal son.

[6:27] When the other brother was thinking, well, that's not fair. So you see kind of this pattern that helps us understand this one. And it could be, you know, we don't know how much money it was.

[6:41] We don't know what the scope of it. We just know it's an inheritance here, right? Divide the inheritance with me. That is a matter of the heart.

[6:53] We can go on, right? Jesus is talking about acknowledging him, trusting him, not being anxious. So this man is worried or caught up in coveting, jealousy, as it were, thinking that what he did not receive is not fair.

[7:16] And so it then goes in to the parable. Verse 16. He told them a parable saying, the land of a rich man produced plentifully.

[7:28] And he thought to himself, what shall I do? For I have nowhere to store my crops. And he said, I will do this. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones.

[7:39] And there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, this is actually very important here. I will say to my soul, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years.

[7:53] Relax. How many of you have heard that famous saying, eat, drink, and be merry? You've heard that before, right? Ecclesiastes right there. Eat, drink, and be merry.

[8:04] But God said to him, fool. I don't want to be called a fool, and I hope none of you either. When you read that, let's not be called a fool in the eyes of God.

[8:15] God said to him, fool, this night your soul is required of you. And the things that you have prepared, whose will they be? Christ is saying here. So is the one that lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

[8:32] And so what we have here, if we read that as a standalone and not understanding why Jesus is telling this parable, it almost seems like it's an attack on money.

[8:45] Now, I want to make this very clear when we're talking about this. How many of you have heard the root of all evil is money? And that's a misquote.

[8:57] Amen? It is the love of money. And we have to understand that money is a tool. Much like we have technology.

[9:09] Much like we have information or degrees and education or even the clothes that we have. The things that God has given to us, we are to steward. And when we talk about stewardship, we think of the three T's.

[9:24] I've mentioned this before and I'll mention it again. Your time, your talent, and your treasure. And how you steward that. Well, everybody has different gifts and abilities.

[9:35] And what you do with that is critical. And so when you read this, can you see how easy it is for someone to say, well, look, money is evil, done deal.

[9:48] But without understanding why this is set up where you have this dispute between the two brothers, you miss the mark, as it were.

[9:59] You miss the actual point of the parable. That it had to do with someone who received less and demanded more. That to the point where it was making him anxious, we can even go as far as to say that it was consuming him.

[10:15] And when we think for a moment, we think of, there's a couple years ago, I was listening to an audio book.

[10:26] I love audio books. If you don't know that, that's one of my go-tos to pass time. And it was a book and it was a guy giving lectures in like the 40s or 50s.

[10:38] It was very good. But I remember this one thing that he said, and it really helped with understanding this idea of obsession or what we would think of as an idol.

[10:50] It had to do, he gave many examples of, are you drinking the bottle or is the bottle drinking you? Are you smoking the cigarette or is the cigarette smoking you?

[11:04] And in the same way, we can think of money. Are you using money or is money using you? It's not to say that these things are bad necessarily. It's do they become your God or do they get to the point where it is using you?

[11:19] And that's something that actually helps us with our understanding of someone who is desiring more and has this sense of greed, this sense of, it's not fair that my brother received the inheritance.

[11:34] I want that inheritance and it's going to consume my mind, so to speak. It's not a request for wisdom. It's a demand for fairness.

[11:44] And so, just as we've talked about with the Pharisee and the tax collector who thought he was better, so too do we see a very similar idea and concept of a brother who feels that it's not fair that he received the inheritance.

[12:03] Having to do, listen to me, the matter of the heart. Does that make sense, church? Do we understand? It had to do with it consuming him.

[12:16] Greed, right? Coveting something. And so, when we've gone in here, comparison, right? Just as scripture is saying, life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.

[12:31] It's not to say that money is bad. It's when it becomes your God. That's the big thing I want you to understand in this. Just as we've heard, you don't have to raise your hand.

[12:42] I know I've heard growing up many years of my life that money is the root of all evil. It is the love of money. It is the obsession of that. Much like other things. It doesn't have to be money.

[12:53] It can be other things that consumes us. And so, the rich man, his land was producing abundantly, but yet his concern was building more barns and not stewarding what he had.

[13:09] Does that make sense? Okay, when it's talking about, I'm going to tear all of this down and build it up again, it had to do with storage and not stewardship. And his mistakes was that when he's saying his soul, you have ample goods, he's believing that possessions will satisfy the soul.

[13:30] And this is a mistake that people make in scripture, but also a mistake that people make in the real world that we live in. Where people are so focused on the material being their God and not Christ being their God.

[13:44] That's the big thing. And so, it was the false security and worldly wealth. He was believing, once I save enough, once I have enough barns and enough things, I will finally have peace.

[13:59] But what happened was God was saying, at this time, your soul is required of you. Your time's up. And it's still a harsh parable nonetheless.

[14:10] And so, he planned, this man planned for everything except eternity for his soul. And so, we have to think for us that the man who's saying, I want my inheritance is not focusing on the eternal.

[14:29] He's focusing on the here and now. And that's what we have to look at. It's kind of a... There are many things that we own that will fade away.

[14:41] We must remember as Christians, or if you're not a Christian, is to seek the things that are higher. Seek a relationship with the Lord. And know that by believing in Jesus Christ, your soul is secure.

[14:59] Much like how we talked about the parable of the net, remember? The net catching up all the fish and the fish being distributed. Some being cast out and some being stored away. We can think of our own souls that when we believe in Christ, we're going to be saved.

[15:16] We're going to be secure. We're going to be stored up as it were. And so, in this, yes, obsessed with bigger barns, trusting in possessions, not God, and assuming he had time.

[15:28] That's why it's so important for us in this life to make a decision for Christ. That's why we have to believe in the Lord and be saved.

[15:39] And the wonderful thing about it, in knowing Christ, there's nothing for us to fear. There's nothing for us to worry about. That's a beautiful thing.

[15:52] So, the inheritance dispute, comparison, and covetousness, right? It's the, it's not fair in being distracted in the things of this earth rather than the things that are above. And so, what can we learn from this then?

[16:05] Is that covetousness distracts from what matters. When you get so consumed in the things of this earth. If you're a younger person, if you think, well, maybe if you're older, I guess it can apply.

[16:20] Seeking, becoming a TikTok influencer or an Instagram, getting the blue checkmark is something that people pursue, right? And for us, we can even think of people who are seeking fame and fortune.

[16:34] And that is everything that they are. They're not thinking about eternity. They're not thinking about the things that matters. And so, what matters, church, is that we have that faith in Jesus Christ.

[16:47] Knowing that there is nothing for us to fear. And it's putting money and material possessions in its rightful place that they are tools.

[16:58] They are not evil in themselves. It is when they become our God. The love of money, right? So, it could be the love of fame, right?

[17:10] The love of things that are not of God. The second thing is we have less control than we think. This is the hard truth. We don't know what tomorrow will hold.

[17:23] And that's, well, the rich fool thought he had years, but really, I mean, when we're reading the text here, it's saying, this night your soul is required of you.

[17:36] Implicating that he only had a few hours. I mean, if it was the evening, maybe a couple hours. If it was the day or the morning, he still has less than a day.

[17:48] Maybe 12 hours, give or take. And the truth is, we cannot control the future, but we can receive the invitation that God gives for us.

[17:59] Planning for eternity. And the cool thing is, remember, we are saved by grace through faith so that no one can boast.

[18:10] And that calls for us to do good in the name of Christ. Ministering to our brothers and sisters. Being an ambassador for Christ. Sharing in the gospel message. Or even in just the everyday, the work that you do.

[18:23] Doing in excellence for the glory of God. Storing up treasures in heaven. See how things just get connected like that. And so, real security comes from trusting in God.

[18:39] True security is being rich towards God. Having that faith in the Lord. Using wealth for God's purposes. And living for eternity.

[18:50] And so, it's a matter of the heart. And it's a matter of what the Lord is putting on your heart. Leading and guiding you.

[19:02] And so, in this, we have then the application here. How can I live this out? It's important for us, number one.

[19:13] You'll hear a lot of people say, we've got to know the context. We also have to know the connections on how this is like other parables. Or other verses in scripture.

[19:24] Other stories that we see within scripture. That helps us understand the grand scheme of things. The narrative, right? The entire biblical account.

[19:37] And so, we look at, we observe. We look at the lessons we can learn internally. And then we also think of, what can we do about this? Now, you may think, well, Pastor, where in the parable does it say to live like the ravens?

[19:55] If you go further into that. If you still have your Bible open. Right after the parable. When Christ is saying.

[20:09] Therefore, well, verse 22. Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life. What you will eat. Your body. Or what you put on. Isn't that interesting? That he's speaking to the very thing this person was saying.

[20:21] Of eating, drinking, and being merry. Life is more than food. And the body more than clothing. It's that next verse. Consider the ravens.

[20:33] They neither sow nor reap. They have neither storehouse nor barn. And yet God feeds them. It goes on then. How much more valuable or how much more value are you than the birds?

[20:51] Knowing that God takes care of the animals. Sometimes I think animals are smarter than us. When you think of the birds that are flying in the air.

[21:01] And they know exactly where to go. And dude, sometimes we don't even know where we're going. Or why we're going somewhere. But yet internally they know exactly when to go.

[21:12] Where to go. How fast. They're going with all their friends traveling. Come on. That's really, really interesting in that. And so I put on here to live like the ravens.

[21:25] Trusting in God's provision. It is the trusting in God's plan for your life. Again, that God extends the invitation for you to receive salvation through faith.

[21:37] Knowing the fact that God knew you before you were born. Knowing that God has a plan and offers something that is of greater value. Just like we've been talking.

[21:48] Do you see how parables are kind of all helping us understand? Seeking God rather as the highest treasure or the pearl of great value.

[22:00] It helps us strengthen our faith here. Trusting in the Lord and knowing in that verse. God's taking care of a bird.

[22:13] But God's going to take care of you because you're more valuable in the eyes of God. Amen. That's powerful. We, I mean, how many verses do we see where it says, consider the ant?

[22:25] I love that verse, right? Consider the ant, you lazy person. It says right in scripture, God has a funny sense of humor. But it's for us to learn and to apply.

[22:35] So live your life like the ravens, trusting in God's provision. Live with trust. And by knowing Jesus Christ again, there is nothing for us to fear.

[22:49] There's nothing for us to be anxious about. We live our lives every single day knowing that God's going to take care of us. And so, don't worry about the things of the world.

[23:05] Consider the things of God. The second thing then is walk your own path with God and not people. That's not to say you can't walk with people and God.

[23:15] But it's saying that you are walking, be on a journey to know who Jesus Christ is. You hear many people in culture today that say you need to be on a spiritual journey.

[23:28] How many of you know someone that says, I'm spiritual, but I'm not religious? You don't have to raise your hand. But do we know people like that? People that are searching for truth.

[23:41] And yet, in Christianity, we know, even Pontius Pilate, when he said, what is truth? It seems very, we can think of a lot of people who ask that question nowadays.

[23:54] They are seeking for something. And it's always been a prayer of mine and it should be a prayer of ours that we pray that those who are seeking truth, they will find the way, the truth, and the life in Christ.

[24:08] Because it is Christ that says, here is the truth. This is the way. This is the life. And so, walk on your own path to God and walk on your path with God.

[24:21] It's also to say, just as we've talked about with the last parable, with the Pharisee and the tax collector, remember, they both went into the temple.

[24:32] They both went in to pray. Don't compare yourself with another person. That's what I mean with point number two. Be on a journey to be in the presence of the Lord and to grow in understanding of who he is and let God mold you and transform you.

[24:52] But certainly, let's not get in this habit of comparing ourselves. It's very interesting that we see and we can conclude this from many times in Scripture.

[25:05] Why in the world would God say for us not to worry when I have obligations and I have things that I need to do? But yet, God says in his word to not be anxious about.

[25:17] And I love this. Don't worry about what you will eat. Come on. We've all worried about what we're going to eat. I'm hungry, especially my kids, right?

[25:29] I'm hungry. What are we going to have? It happens. We all have had that. We've all had those moments. And what I challenge for you, find a blessing.

[25:43] Think of a blessing or consider a blessing that God has given to you today. If you can't think of one, well, just think of the fact that you're here today and you're living and breathing another day here on the earth.

[25:57] You can at least do that. And then number three, finally, build for eternity, not just for now. Just as it says in Matthew of laying up treasures in heaven, it's the reminder of what we build on earth fades away.

[26:17] We think of buildings. I'm not criticizing any buildings in this area. I'm not criticizing buildings when we go around. But we know that things fade away. We know that original documents begin to fade and you try to keep it, preserve it, right?

[26:31] We know that archaeological finds are just, you just go down the street, you look at some buildings, they may need some repair here, right? You see these things and it's just a reminder that the things that are of this earth will fade away.

[26:47] But in knowing Christ, it is knowing that which is eternal. And that's why we need to seek God and his righteousness, his kingdom, believing in Christ, because God will reign forever.

[27:01] Just as scripture says, everlasting to everlasting. Or that the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We place our trust in God.

[27:13] We're being invited to the banquet. We're being invited to this great feast, as it were. Forever. To be with him.

[27:26] And so, the challenge for you is to consider your time, your talent, and your treasure. How are you stewarding things? And certainly, I hope that nobody here is really idolizing money or anything.

[27:40] Or idolizing fame, notoriety, any of these things. Keep things in its proper place. It's not, again, it's not to say these things are bad. It's when you make it your God.

[27:52] That is what we know from scripture. So, consider your time, your talent, and your treasure, and how you are stewarding it. And it's always good to do an inventory of these things.

[28:04] And so, let us not be called a fool in the eyes of God. I certainly would never, and I don't want for any of you here, to be called a fool in the eyes of God.

[28:18] But at the end, certainly, let this be a call for you to live for eternity. Living your life knowing that you know who Jesus Christ is.

[28:33] That he's got a plan for you. And that there's nothing for you to fear or to worry about. That you're going to steward everything that God has given to you.

[28:47] And so, for some of you, this might be an eye-opener to consider what it is you're living for. And I hope that you, just as that film says, what is it, Indiana Jones, you choose wisely.

[29:03] Some of you know exactly what quote I'm talking about, right? What is it, he's searching for the cup of Christ. It's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

[29:15] That's right, okay, it's on the tip of my tongue, right? You guys remember that one? Where the guy's sitting there and he's like, he chose poorly. And you're like, yeah, he chose the most beautiful chalice, right?

[29:27] The idea was focusing on drinking from the cup that was humble. Just like how we should search for and choose wisely Christ. And not the cup with all the jewels and stuff.

[29:41] And so, with that, I just pray that in this, you may recognize that God invites you to know him, to grow in him, and to do good in his name.

[29:54] Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for this time, this opportunity for us to go over this very difficult parable. We realize that sometimes there can be misunderstandings of your word, and we pray that that's not so.

[30:12] We pray that we will understand your word and what you call for us. We pray for transformation. Father, I pray if there's anyone that doesn't know you, they may come to respond.

[30:22] Your invitation to believe in your son, Jesus Christ, and be saved. We know the truth, and the truth exists in you and in your son.

[30:35] Being the way, the truth, and the life. And I pray, Father, that we may recognize the difference between idolizing material things compared to worshiping you.

[30:47] That we may know the difference that money, fame, notoriety, whatever it is, the thing, education, knowledge, the things of this earth, certainly are temporary, but they're also gifts from you.

[31:01] And may we steward everything that we have, following your will and your way. And Lord, may we be like those ravens, trusting in your provision, trusting in your promises, and knowing that there is nothing for us to worry about, nothing to be anxious about.

[31:22] Rather, there is confidence and hope and restoration and renewal in our lives. And we pray as we close today that we may fully understand the scope of this parable, the scope of your word, but most importantly, the scope of your salvation in Christ.

[31:43] It is in the name of Jesus Christ that we pray and we all say together, amen. Amen. Thank you for listening for this week's message from Ontario Community Church.

[31:54] I pray that you are encouraged and strengthened in your walk with Christ. For more sermons and resources, visit OntarioCommunityChurch.org.

[32:04] May God bless you as you live out his grace and truth every single day.