In this parable, the rich man died before he could use all that he had stored in his barns. He mistakenly believed that the wealth he had amassed was his alone. Jesus viewed his attitude as a form of greed.

When you concentrate your efforts on amassing wealth and material things and ignore God's plan for your resources, you violate one of His key principles stewardship of property and possessions. Jesus illustrates to His listeners that if you plan only for this life, you are heading for eternity empty-handed.

I. GREED IS BASIC TO HUMAN NATURE

notice the warning

Luke 12:15 "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions" NASB

Jesus was striking out against one of the most common misconceptions that life equals possessions
or that the more possessions a man or woman has, the better life will be

now, I already know what some of you are thinking . . .

"Aw, preacher, you may have hit a little too close to home with those sermons on pride and envy, but I know for sure that I don't have a problem with greed."

are you sure you don't have a problem with it?

OK, so let me ask you some diagnostic questions that might help you evaluate where your are in regard to the morning's topic

you don't have to raise your hands on these!

how many of you have ever bought or continue to purchase Missouri lottery tickets?

if so, you might have a problem with greed
nawh, you probably just do it to insure our children's education, right?

the possibility of winning multi-millions of dollars doesn't even enter your mind

how many of you send back your Publisher's Clearing House entry form promising God that you'll tithe on that $10 million dollars, no questions asked?

if so, you might have a problem with greed

how many of you have ever made a trip to one of those lake-side developments because your letter said that you were one of three lucky contestants' who could win a car?

if so, you might have a problem with greed

how many of you do not give a tithe of your income to the church or Christian causes?

if not, you might have a problem with greed

A. JESUS' PARABLE ILLUSTRATES THAT MEN ARE SELDOM CONTENT WITH WHAT THEY HAVE AND WANT CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN THEY DESERVE

ILLUS. The German philosopher, Immanuel Kant once said, /"Give a man everything he desires and yet at this very moment he will feel that everything is not everything."?
Luke 12:15 /"Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."? (NIV)

in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve knew true contentment

God provided for their every need and they lived in perfect harmony with their Creator

then pride, the first deadly sin, entered the picture and Adam and Eve believed the devil's lie that God was holding out on them and they became envious

they wanted more than they had and greed was born

Western literature abounds with fables and stories that teach us to be on guard against greed

such as the story of The Fisherman and His Wife I read to the children

the fisherman's wife reveals a common problem of attitude among many of America's citizens today

she felt she was owed prosperity

B. ENTITLEMENT HAS REPLACED INDUSTRY AND GREED HAS REPLACED BENEVOLENCE IN AMERICAN CULTURE

let me say, first of all, that achievement and accomplishment are inbred desires

our God is a successful God and He has engineered us for success

the desire for material gain and the accumulation of wealth is found in every culture on earth

the desire to be successful . . . the desire to achieve reputation and prosperity are not in and of themselves wrong

money and wealth, while not evil in themselves, are capable of corrupting the human heart and diverting our attention from what is most important seeking the kingdom of God

what has changed in America is how many of our fellow citizens achieve their wealth it reveals a changing attitude about money and possessions

some of our citizens believe that they are entitled to prosperity

there was a time when industry that is, good ol fashioned hard work, imagination, ingenuity, and fairness were the means to success and prosperity

it was not uncommon to work a life-time in order to achieve it

today, however, we are well into the third generation of citizens who believe that they are entitled to financial support whether they work for it or not

many of our citizens are convinced that there is some person, or some cooperation, or some government agency up the line that has an abundance of wealth that rightly ought to be shared
their attitude is, "I'm entitled to my fair share of the American pie whether I've worked for it or not. It's not fair that others should have so much."

folks let me tell you what that attitude really is it's greed

some of our citizens believe that they can borrow their way into prosperity

the good news this morning is that many people have finally realized that money can't buy happiness
the bad news is that now they're trying credit cards

charge it' has become part of the jargon of American culture

why work and save frugally for years or decades to acquire the things your parents worked a life-time for when you can have it all today by saying charge it?'
a goodly number of Americans are living substantially above their means because they've bought into the philosophy you can have it all now'
folks let me tell you something that's greed

some of our citizens believe that they can litigate their way into prosperity

spill hot coffee in your lap and you too can be a candidate for Forbes's magazine richest people in America!'
or smoke cigarettes for twenty years and then sue the tobacco company for addicting you even though for thirty years there has been a Surgeon General's warning on each package
we are a sue-happy nation

ILLUS. I once heard a story about a grocer, who while delivering orders in his station wagon, ran down and injured an elderly lady. The lady sued and was awarded an amount large enough to drive the man out of business. After many difficult years, he managed to accumulate enough money to open his business again. But after just a few months of business a gentleman slipped on the grocery store floor and injured his back. Once again the grocer was sued and once again he was forced out of business. One peaceful Sunday afternoon as the grocer was sitting in his living room, his teenage son came running into the house saying, "Dad, Dad. Mom has been run over by a great big bus." The grocer's eyes filled with tears, and in a voice trembling with emotion he cried, "Thank the Lord, my luck's changed at last."

some of our citizens believe that they can gamble their way into prosperity

the proliferation of states and communities that are actively encouraging their citizens to gamble is the most significant indicator that greed gripes the hearts of too many Americans

ILLUS. In the state of Mississippi last year 29.7 billion dollars was spent on gambling. That was two billion dollars more than was spent on all other goods and services sold in the state. Across the country, politicians are resigning in scandal after scandal related to gambling. Government has become the ultimate bookie!

greed is destroying the soul of America

II. GREED IS PROGRESSIVE AND SUBTLE

few there are among us who would describe themselves as Dickens described that bah, humbug' of a man, Ebenezer Scrooge:

Dickens writes: ". . . he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone, . . . a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!"

but if you've every read A Christmas Carol you'll remember that Scrooge wasn't always the covetous old sinner he had become

ever so slowly did the passion for wealth infiltrate Ebenezer's life until it blinded him to all other cares
the name Scrooge is now synonymous with greed and avarice
greed is a trap that ensnares many believers, just as it ensnared Scrooge

Dickens portrays a man whose life's aim is progressively altered by greed

A. THE GRADUAL NATURE OF GREED

the sin of greed may begin innocently enough

you may think that because God has blessed you, you are entitled to use your financial and spiritual gifts as you choose
slowly, you fall victim to Satan's snare of desire for more

there are a number of words in both Old and New Testaments which we translate as greed

they refer to the gradually progressive nature of greed

the first of these words is found in Col. 3:5: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed,"

the word greed here refers to a strong desire to acquire more and more material possessions or to possess more things than other people have, all irrespective of need
it's a greed that buys something on sale just because it is on sale whether you need it or not, because you think that some day you might need it

the second of the words which we translate as greed is found in 1 Timothy "Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain."

the phrase pursuing dishonest gain is literally shamefully greedy
do you see the progression?

first, there is a strong desire to have that comes from an inward love of wealth and things that we suppress and keep secret
if those inward desires are allowed to blossom or worse yet, cultivated greed becomes open and obvious and one becomes shameless in his or her desire for more and more

Isaiah 56:11 "They are like hungry dogs that are never satisfied. They are like shepherds who don't know what they are doing. They all have gone their own way; all they want to do is satisfy themselves." NCV
ILLUS. My dog Ahnyx, is a greedy little chow-hound. When it comes to food, he never has enough. I can come home, open the garage door, come into the house, get a drink of water, and use the bath room and walk back into the kitchen without my dog every stirring. But the moment I rustle a bag in the kitchen, he shows up at my side wanting a treat, or patiently waiting for something to fall on the floor. He's like a horse, I think he'd founder if I left the cover off of his food container. He's a greedy little pig.

you say, "But Bro. Dave. He's a dog, and I'm a person. I don't behave like that!"

ILLUS. Someone once asked John D. Rockefeller the question, "How many millions does it take to satisfy a man?" His candid answer accurately revealed the heart of man. "How many millions does it take to satisfy a man?" he mused. "The next one."

folks, outside of the grace of God and our desire to live a life pleasing to Him, we're all greedy little pigs!

the third of the words we translate greedy is found in Luke 11:39: "And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness."

the word ravening literally means violent greed
it's meaning is obvious . . . it refers to a desire to gain things, even by violent means, if necessary

ILLUS. Right now, there is a popular computer game that a lot of kids and teens are playing. It's called, In Pursuit of Greed. It's a 3-D action game set in the distant future. The premise of the game is that the player is a hunter enticed with the prospects of fame and fortune offered by a group of elite criminals. Players participate in games of theft and destruction waged on battlefields of innocent victims.

just what we need a game that teaches our kids to violently pursue greed

ILLUS. Did you know that in some urban High Schools administrators have banned major league athletic jackets, and even certain brands of tennis shoes and blue jeans because too many teenagers are getting beat up or even shot because another student literally wants the cloths off another kid's back?

greed is progressive

no one starts out as an Ebenezer Scrooge, but the potential for becoming one lies just beneath the surface in each of us

B. GREED HAS SUBTLETY INFILTRATED THE CHURCH AND MASQUERADES AS PIOUSNESS

ILLUS. Adrian Rogers tells a story of Satan's attack on Christians. First, Satan shot a poisonous dart at his heel; but the Christian was unharmed, because his feet were shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Next, Satan shot an arrow at his loins, but the Christian repelled this easily because his loins were girt about with truth. Unsuccessfully, the devil tried a shot at the breast. But there was the breastplate of righteousness. The Christian knocked away another dart with his shield, and the helmet of salvation repelled another arrow, but the devil was not defeated. He slipped around behind the Christian and shot him in the pocketbook and killed him dead.

the world the flesh and the devil are very subtle in their approach

the desire to have, and the love of money has slyly entered the body of Christ and become spiritually fashionable
many have vindicated its presence by cloaking it in the disguise of faith, but it is really nothing more than an excuse for greed

some call it the health and wealth gospel while others call it name it and claim it theology

it preaches that if you can just, somehow, get God on your side, that you can have everything you want
it tells believers that if we want something, all we need do is claim it in Jesus' name (of course) and that somehow obligates God to give it to us
it teaches that God rewards faith with pennies, and dimes, and nickels and better yet homes and cars and stereo equipment
these are often the very same people who get so upset when the preacher asks for some of it back!

ILLUS. I love the story of the pastor who had really gotten into his sermon one Sunday morning. He was preaching on the potential of the church and he got excited. Sensing his excitement, the congregation began enthusiastically and verbally responding to him. The pastor told them, "With God's help we can see the day when this church will go from crawling to walking." And the people responded, "Let the church walk, Pastor, let the church walk." He continued, "And when the church begins to walk, next the church can begin to run." And the people shouted, "Let the church run, Pastor, let the church run!" The pastor continued, "And finally the church can move from running to flying. Oh, the church can fly! "Let the church fly, Pastor, let the church fly!" "But of course, for the church to fly that's going to take lots of money!" The congregation grew suddenly quiet, and from the back, someone mumbled, "Let the church walk, Pastor, let the church walk."

the church has bought a bill of goods that the devil has offered

greed has subtlety infiltrated the church and it masquerades as piousness

III. GREED IS NOT GOOD, BUT GIVING IS

ILLUS. Some years ago, Michael Douglas stared in a movie entitled Wall Street. In it he played an executive of a large Wall Street firm who would stop at nothing in his drive to accumulate more money and power. At one point in the film, Douglas' character is addressing a class of young, would-be brokers who are hanging on his every word. He tells these eager young men and women, "Greed is good!"

no it is not!
greed is the very opposite attitude Jesus encouraged his followers to develop

what is that attitude?
faith in God to provide for His people

Luke 12:22-24; 27-30 "Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! . . . (27-30) "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them."

greed says, "I don't trust God to provide me all the things I need or want, so I'll just get them myself."

greed is one of the seven deadly sins because it is, at heart, idolatry
the commandment says, Thou shalt have no other gods before me
greed attempts to replace God with things money can buy

Jesus taught yea he demanded his followers to be different

greed can overpower nearly all elements of spiritual maturity
that's why giving is so important

ILLUS. Tony Compolo, Sociology Professor at Eastern Baptist College and a popular speaker, has written: "There is one primary way to overcome greed, and that is to discover the joy that comes from self-giving. The nature of sin is that it blinds us to the truth that we have been designed in the image of a giving God (John 3:16), and that we therefore fulfill the purpose of our Creator by giving away what we are and have to others. When we are called upon to sacrifice, it is not only that others might benefit from our self-giving, but that we ourselves might know the joy that God wills for us to have."

our giving should not be like an overflow valve on our wealth that gives only what we think is excess
rather, our giving should be like a loosened drain plug

ILLUS. One of the more refreshing stories to come out of the sports world in recent years is that of Kurt Warner. In a day of multi-million dollar contracts in big-league sports, Warner's story has been refreshing to me. Warner, as most of you know, is quarterback for the St. Louis Rams. Hired as the team's backup quarterback, his salary was the minimal amount allowed by NFL rules $250,000. This is in a league were the average player's salary is $2 million and the average quarterback's salary is $3.5 million. In a pre-season game the Ram's starting quarterback Trent Green went down with a season-ending injury. In steps Kurt Warner, and the rest, as they say, is history. He had a phenomenal season and was voted the league MVP as well as the Super Bowl MVP. When the Rams tried to re-negotiate his salary at mid-season actually wanting to pay him more Warner told them that he had signed a contract that paid him $250,000. Anything they paid him above what he had signed for would be given to charity!

in a day when plenty of people are willing to give God the credit for their success, but where few are willing to give Him cash, Warner stands out as an example for all of us
so what is the Christian response to this message?

IV. CHRISTIANS MUST LEARN TO BE CONTENT

1 Timothy 6:6 "But godliness with contentment is great gain."

one of the greatest of Christian virtues we can develop is that of satisfaction with what we have

the Apostle Paul is our great example in learning how to find satisfaction in life
to the believers in a town called Philippi, he wrote: ". . . I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:11-13
Paul wrote that statement from a Roman prison

in his parable, Jesus refers to those who "store up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

ILLUS. William Randolph Hearst, was a newspaper publisher of the early part of this century. He was exceedingly wealthy. He was also a patron of art and spent a great deal of money collecting art treasures for his collection. The story is told that one day he saw a picture of a piece of artwork that he felt he must absolutely own, so he sent his agent abroad to find it. After months of searching, the agent reported that he had found the treasured object and that it was close to home. Where was it? In Hearst's warehouse, with many other treasures he owned that were still in their crates. Hearst had been searching for a treasure he already owned! Such is the power of wealth that it blinds us to the treasures we already have and focuses us on obtaining more, without appreciating what we have.

there is something to be said for true contentment

the Scriptures tell us that, when accompanied with Godliness, contentment is a great gain

Are you content with what you have, or is greed destroying your soul? The most serious greed a man suffers from is the greed of keeping yourself for yourself instead of surrendering ourselves to a God who wants to give you the contentment that comes from knowing that heaven is your home and salvation your true treasure.

The Seven Deadly Sins: GREED