September 12, 2021

Beware of Greed

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Beware of Greed
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Title: Beware of Greed
Text: Luke 12:13-21
[Luk 12:13]  And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
[Luk 12:14]  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
[Luk 12:15]  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
[Luk 12:16]  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
[Luk 12:17]  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
[Luk 12:18]  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
[Luk 12:19]  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
[Luk 12:20]  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
[Luk 12:21]  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
 
 
Introduction
  • Greed is an uncontrollable intense and selfish desire to acquire something (usually money)
  • Greed is an instrument in the hands of the devil to destroy destinies, while masquerading it as a blessing
  • Our lives are not in the abundance of the things we posses
  • Greed leads to many dark things including jealousy, murderer, fraud, stealing, etc
  • Greed will not allow one to be rich towards God
  • Greed teaches that we should be rich towards self
  • However, one can be blessed without being greedy
 
Main Topic
 
The Parable
  • [Luk 12:16]  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
  • The ground was created and owned by God – [Psa 24:1]  The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
  • The ground was fruitful.  The fruitfulness was caused by God.
  • The man was blessed because God blessed the ground to bring forth plentifully.
  • However, God was not mentioned in the man’s story.  He took all the glory and attributed it to himself.
  • The rich man – the man was already rich, so it was not that he was lacking anything
  • The man had no more room in his barn to store the fruits, so he built bigger and greater
  • He said to his soul, take it easy, eat, drink, and be merry. 
  • He had enough for many many years to come
  • That night, his soul was required of him
    • [Luk 12:17]  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
    • [Luk 12:18]  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
    • [Luk 12:19]  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
    • How many times did he say “I”? 6 times and no mention of God
    • Who else is the master of selfishness that used the word “I” many times?
    • [Eze 18:4]  Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
    • The man said “my soul”, the moment he laid claim on the soul, God took him out.
 
When is enough enough?  
This is a question we must ask ourselves, answer ourselves, and purpose in our hearts when enough is enough and stick to it.
 
  • Greed will cause someone to lie and suffer the consequences
    • Gehazi – 2 Kings 5:20-27
  • Greed will cause someone to steal, sin against God, and be destroyed
    • Achan – Joshua 7:20-21
    • [Jos 7:20]  And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
    • [Jos 7:21]  When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
  • Greed will cause someone to betray others, even his Master, and miss heaven 
    • Judas Iscariot – Matt. 26:14-16
    • [Mat 26:14]  Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
    • [Mat 26:15]  And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
    • [Mat 26:16]  And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
  • The purpose of greed is to use a person and dump the person in destruction
 
You can be blessed without being greedy
  • [Pro 10:22]  The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
  • [Hag 2:8]  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
  • [Psa 50:10]  For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
  • [Psa 24:1]  The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
  • Abraham – Gen 13:2
    • [Gen 13:2]  And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
  • Isaac – Gen 26:12-14
    • [Gen 26:12]  Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
    • [Gen 26:13]  And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:
    • [Gen 26:14]  For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
  • Jacob – Gen 30:43
    • [Gen 30:43]  And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
  • Cornelius – Acts 10
  • Tabitha – Acts 9
  • Obededom – 2 Sam 6:11-12
    • [2Sa 6:11]  And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household.
    • [2Sa 6:12]  And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.
 
Conclusion
  • The antidote to greed is to be rich towards God
    • Give God the glory all the way
    • Acknowledge that God is the giver of your blessings
  • When is enough enough?
  • We must draw the line somewhere to avoid slipping into greed
  • Determine never to cross that line

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