Join us as Ben Stuart starts a brand new series on money. This week, he teaches what Jesus has to say about the root issue and how God wants us to live differently than the world when it comes to our possessions.
Key Takeaway
God cares a lot about money—not to take it from you but because it can shape you and distort your heart. His desire is for us to use the life He gave us for the mission and purpose He has for us. Grasping and hoarding are signs of a lack of trust in a good Father. Where our money goes is what we truly treasure. Let's focus on building the Kingdom.
Reasons to talk about money:
1) You care about it. It's the number one stressor and source of anxiety. There is also high anxiety when it comes to religious authority and money.
2) Jesus cared about it. He talked about it a lot because He cares about your heart.
Luke 12:11—We are picking up in the middle of an intense conversation between the disciples and Jesus. He is telling them that there is a heavy price that they are going to pay for being associated with Him. God won't spare them from that day, but He'll use that pain for a purpose. Jesus is letting them know that the cause is worth it. The Spirit will empower them to speak boldly the Word of God and will use them.
Luke 12:13—Jesus is interrupted by a man who wants Jesus to tell his brother to give him some money. Presumably, the man's father had died, and the inheritance went to the firstborn, and this man is the secondborn who saw Jesus as an authority who could tell his brother what to do. His mission is the money, and Jesus is the means to get that money.
Luke 12:14—Jesus points out that there is a mission mismatch. It's possible to sit in church and completely miss the mission. It's a heart misaligned with God's purposes for your life. Jesus asks who made Him a servant in his pursuit of wealth.
Luke 12:15—Jesus turned this guy into an object lesson. He gave them two commands.
- Take care. Watch out. Have your eyes open.
- Be on guard. Get ready. He's telling them to get into a defensive stance.
Jesus doesn't say, "Don't chase money," He's saying covetousness is coming for you. Covetousness in Greek means "to desire" and "have much, so the desire to have much comes from your heart.
Why be on guard against it? Because your life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions. It deceives you concerning the meaning of life.
Jesus' number one concern is your mission and your life. Your life is valuable, so aim at something worthy of it. In the parable of the soil, the weed that chokes out the Word of God is the desire for riches. See Luke 8:14.
Luke 12:16—Parable means to throw alongside. If you don't understand the point, a story is told alongside it to help you know. If you understand this, you'll understand that.
Luke 12:17—The problem in this parable is that a rich man is running out of room for his crops.
Luke 12:18-19—Notice the irony. This whole thing starts with a guy who has no money and wants it, and Jesus tells a story of a guy with a lot of money who doesn't know what to do with it. Jesus is warning both sides. The assumption about the rich man is that now that he has money, he can relax and be satisfied, safe from the world. His money gives security and satisfaction and provides what he needs.
Luke 12:20-21—What a turn of events. God calls him a fool. The rich man dies and God tells him that the way he conducted his life was foolish. Jesus is warning of the danger of possessions.
- Possessions distort your perspective. You were wrong about your soul. Your soul is required of you. Required means to pay back a loan. You didn't make your soul; God did, and He gave it to you for a purpose. When you die, you don't want to be told you lived foolishly because you were only concerned with things. The problem is in the pronouns: my crops, my barns, my grain, my goods. The rich man saw himself as an owner, not a steward. Life, breath, and everything else come from the Lord.
- Possessions derail your purpose. You went after possessions and missed what life was about. You missed the One who owns your soul. You never checked with Him to see what His mission is for your life.
It's not wrong to save. In Proverbs 13:22, the man saves up for his grandchildren, not himself. The Bible isn't anti-saving for the sake to bless others, it's anti-hoarding to satisfy yourself. The Bible isn't anti-spending; you can eat, drink, and be merry, but it's not the point of your life.
Luke 12:22—Jesus doesn't shame the guy. He goes to the root problem. What makes us want to hoard money and possessions? It's anxiety. It's the driving force to pursue money. It's fear of not being provided for, safe, or satisfied, so I have to hustle to be happy.
Luke 12:23—Jesus returns to mission. Your life is worth more. Your abilities and life itself are gifts. Life is about more than your livelihood. Anxiety will motivate you, but often not in the right direction. The pursuit of accumulation is not the answer to your desire for meaning and purpose.
Luke 12:24—The ravens were considered the least of all the birds. Jesus picks those as an example. They don't hustle or store up; God feeds them. Jesus adds what the rich man left out: God. Without God, all priorities get off kilter.
Luke 12:25—Your anxiety will not add more time to your life. Statistically, it will take time away. Your worry is worthless.
Luke 12:26—Jesus says extending your life is light work for God.
Luke 12:27- Don't be anxious about food; God feeds the birds. Don't be anxious about clothing; God clothes the fields and makes them beautiful.
Luke 12:28—Jesus gets back to the issue. The issue is anxiety, which results from lacking faith in God to take care of you, so you think you have to take care of yourself. It's the same lie from Genesis 3 in the Garden. Eve ran from God because she didn't trust God. Fear is faith in the devil.
Luke 12:29- Don't chase money or worry about it. Why not?
Luke 12:30—Everyone else is doing it, but that doesn't mean you should. We don't worry and chase because we know our Father. People who believe in a good Father don't fear He won't provide for them.
Luke 12:31—Jesus isn't mean, nor is He reaching for your wallet. He cares about your heart and knows money can easily mess it up. What are you chasing? Seek His Kingdom.
Luke 12:32—This is very pastoral. Jesus doesn't shame us for being scared. He calls us "little flock." Sheep are helpless animals that have no defenses. We feel vulnerable because we are, but we have a Shepherd. Sheep that have a Shepherd don't need to be afraid. He is going to give us the Kingdom that won't fade.
Luke 12:33—Sell and give. Leaning into God's mission is deeply satisfying. You can be a part of something bigger than yourself and an eternal Kingdom.
Luke 12:34—When it comes to words, it says in Luke 6:45 that out of the overflow the mouth speaks. When it comes to money, where we spend it is our treasure, and there we will find our heart. Your words follow your heart, and your money leads your heart. Where you put your money is what you care about. When people see that you care more about the mission of God than your possessions, it causes them to take God more seriously.
Discussion Questions
Why is money talked about or not talked about in church settings? What are your thoughts and feelings about money?
What was the main point Jesus was making to the disciples in Luke 12:11-12?
It's a sharp turn to go from talking about the cost of following Christ and then turning attention to money. How does Jesus connect the two?
What are the two commands Jesus gives in Luke 12:15? Why do we need to be on guard towards covetousness?
In the parable Jesus gives, he is contrasting the man who wants money with a man who has plenty. What does He have to say to both of them?
Why did Jesus call the rich man a fool? What were the two dangers that Ben gave about possessions?
Do you see yourself as an owner or as a steward of what you have on this earth?
What did Jesus say God does for the birds and for the fields? How does this correlate to your life? What do you need?
Where does the anxiety around money come from? What lie are you believing? How are you displaying a lack of faith?
How can you use your money in a way that is more on board with the mission and purpose that God has given you than gaining possessions?
Scripture References
