614. Gospel of Luke - Chapter 12 (#3) - Take Heed and Beware of Covetousness - August 8, 2024

[00:00:06] Welcome to Wisdom Today. My name is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. In this podcast we will be exploring the book of Proverbs.

[00:00:22] But in prayer, Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today. Lord, I pray that you open everyone's ears to hear and heart to receive everything you have in store for them today. I ask this in Jesus name, Amen.

[00:00:38] This is Proverbs 8, beginning in verse 1. Does not wisdom cry out and understanding lift up Provois.

[00:00:48] She takes her stand on the top of the high hill beside the way where the paths meet. She cries out by the gates at the entry of the city, at the entrance of the doors.

[00:01:02] To you, amen, I call and my voice is to the sons of men. O, you simple ones, understand, prudence and you fools, be of an understanding heart. Listen for I will speak of excellent things and from the opening of my lips will come right things.

[00:01:26] For my mouth will speak truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips, all the words of my mouth are with righteousness. Nothing crooked for perverse is in them. They are all plain to him who understands and right to those who find knowledge.

[00:01:48] Receive my instruction and not silver and knowledge rather than choice gold for wisdom is better than rubies and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

[00:02:03] I wisdom dwell with prudence and find out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. Council is mine and sound wisdom. I am understanding I have strength by me kings reign and rulers decree justice.

[00:02:33] By me, princes rule and nobles all the judges of the earth. I love those who love me and those who seek me diligently will find me riches and honor are with me enduring riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold yes then find gold and my revenue then choice silver.

[00:03:00] I traverse the way of righteousness in the midst of the paths of justice that I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth that I may fill their treasuries. The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his way before his works of old.

[00:03:21] I have been established from everlasting from the beginning before there was ever and earth when there were no depths I was brought forth.

[00:03:32] While as yet he had not made the earth or the fields or the primal dust of the world when he prepared the heavens I was there when he drew a circle on the face of the deep. When he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep.

[00:03:53] When he assigned to the sea its limit so that the waters would not transgress his command. When he marked out the foundations of the earth then I was beside him as a master craftsman and I was daily his delight rejoicing always before him rejoicing in his inhabited world and my delight was with the sons of man.

[00:04:23] Now therefore listen to me my children for blessed are those who keep my ways here instruction and be wise and do not disdain it.

[00:04:37] Blessed is the man who listens to me watching daily at my gates waiting at the posts of my doors for whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord that he who sins against me wrongs his own soul all those who hate me love death.

[00:05:02] Friends today I'd like to take a closer look at verses 12 and 13 and proper 8 verses 12 and 13 tell us this.

[00:05:15] I wisdom dwell with prudence and find out knowledge and discretion the fear of the Lord is to hate evil pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.

[00:05:33] Friends prior to closing today we will take a closer look at those two verses but what I'd like to do is pick up exactly where we left off yesterday and we are in the 12 chapter of Luke and yesterday our lesson was entitled confess Christ before men and I actually made the comment that verses 8 through 12 of Luke chapter 12.

[00:06:02] Chapter 12 are some of the most significant verses in the Bible before we begin our lesson the day I'd like to quickly review the three points I made on these five excellent verses number one.

[00:06:17] Whoever confesses Jesus before men will be rewarded number two he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven and friends I mentioned yesterday that is the unpartinable sin and sometimes people ask what is the one thing I can never do and that is it and point three.

[00:06:43] Christ in the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is our teacher the Holy Spirit now dwells inside each person who has made the decision to receive Jesus as their Lord in Savior.

[00:06:59] Pick up at chapter 12 of Luke beginning in verse 13 and this is entitled the parable of the rich fool. Then one from the crowd said to him teacher tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.

[00:07:20] Friends I am reading out of the Nelson study Bible and I'd like to begin by reading the commentary for verse 13 and the commentary says Jesus is asked to intervene in a family dispute as an ancient rabbi would be.

[00:07:40] Now friends in today's world that role would be filled at the local church that would be either the priest if you are a Catholic or a pastor if you are in another denomination.

[00:07:56] But friends priests or pastors are often called to step in to family arguments and Jesus was asked to intervene in this situation but let's find out what Jesus said about this.

[00:08:15] Let's go to verse 14, but he said to him and these are the actual words of Jesus man who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you and he said to them take heed and beware of covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.

[00:08:42] So friends my first point on today's lesson is take heed and beware of covetousness. Friends another term to covet it's closely associated with the word envy now I know many people don't want to admit that they covet.

[00:09:06] It is one of the ten commandments and the commandment says thou shout not covet but envy is basically the same exact thing and what that means is somebody that you know it can be a family member.

[00:09:23] It can be your neighbor across the street it can be anybody that you know and they have something that you would like to have they may have a nicer home.

[00:09:37] They may have a nicer car they may have a nicer job they may have a prettier or more handsome husband or wife than you do and people are covetous and envious and Jesus is saying that we are not to covet it's something that we simply should not do.

[00:10:04] I suggest you may not have all the things in life that you would like to have but this is what I'm going to say.

[00:10:12] If you are a good steward of what God has given you and if you take the best care of everything you have your house your your lawn equipment your car if you take the best care of it then God will see to it that you will eventually get an upgrade.

[00:10:34] Let's go to verse 16. Then he spoke a parable to them saying and friends I just want to throw this out there whenever Jesus talks in a parable. We should pay attention because there's always a lesson that we can learn through the parables that Jesus explains to us.

[00:11:00] Let's continue in verse 16. The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully and he thought within himself saying what shall I do since I have no room to store my crops. So he said I will do this.

[00:11:20] I will pull down my barns and build greater and there I will store all my crops and my goods. So friends of very important second point that I would like to bring up in this lesson is I will pull down my barns and build greater.

[00:11:45] Now friends I will talk a little bit later in this podcast about this but this guy is basically accumulating his goods it is very obvious by the way this person is interacting and what he's choosing to do is he is not thinking about his neighbor.

[00:12:08] He's not thinking or asking this question what can I do to help my neighbor or my other family members who may not be as well as me or further advance the kingdom of God.

[00:12:24] I will tell you this is not even a consideration this man is making let's go to verse 19 and I will say to my soul soul you have many goods laid up for many years take your ease eat drink and be merry.

[00:12:46] I would like to read the commentary for verses 18 and 19 listen carefully to these words the word I appears six times showing the selfish focus this man has as a result of his fortune.

[00:13:07] His plan is to store his abundant resources for himself as though the assets were his alone and should be horded this focus on the self is what Jesus is condemning.

[00:13:25] Now friends part of the nature of being a Christian is the term Christian charity or love and it's simply this if you see someone has a need you should open up your hands and your pocket book or your purse or your time and give to those people in need.

[00:13:52] You should be helpful you should see what you can do and that is what being a good Christian is. Let's go to verse 20 but God said to him fool this night your soul will be required of you then whose will those things be which you have provided.

[00:14:18] Friends my third and final point of this lesson today is this night your soul will be required of you and friends I kind of want to key in on the term will it will be required and I'm.

[00:14:38] I'm asking myself why doesn't it say it may be required of you I don't really know the answer to that question you don't know the day or the hour when God is going to call you home none of us do.

[00:14:53] A matter of fact someone asked Jesus that and Jesus says no one knows the hour except my father in heaven Jesus didn't even know the exact time and day that his crucifixion was going to occur only the father knows. So let's look at the commentary for verse 20.

[00:15:17] God's judgment on selfishness is clear what did the rich fool have for the next life he could not take his grain with him what he owned was no longer of any value after death in a single day the rich man became poor.

[00:15:37] All earthly wealth is temporary and ultimately worthless. Let's close with verse 21 so is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Friends you want to be rich toward God.

[00:16:04] Give to your neighbor it says an axe 20 chapter 35 it is more blessed to give than to receive. Friends just the art of giving is significant in anyone's life and whenever you give to somebody whatever the need is it doesn't really matter.

[00:16:28] By someone a tank of gas by someone who you know is hungry a sandwich the little things in life are what can separate us from other ordinary people on the earth.

[00:16:44] We are supposed to be different than the average Joe below citizen that is what being in the kingdom of God and being a good Christian entails. Before we close our lesson today I'd like to go back to proper eight today and look at verses 12 and 13.

[00:17:05] I wisdom dwell with prudence and find out knowledge and discretion the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.

[00:17:22] Friends today our passage of scripture in chapter 12 of Luke verses 13 through 21 it was entitled the parable of the rich fool. Friends what was the difficulty with the rich fool? This is what we are talking about in our proverb verses 12 and 13 today it mentions pride and arrogance.

[00:17:50] Now I talked about covetousness but this man his main thing was he was full of pride. He had a mast of fortune he had a mast worldly goods and a matter of fact he accumulated so much he didn't have room to put it all.

[00:18:09] But he never thought about other people the word that goes very closely with pride is arrogance. This man was also arrogant he was arrogant because he felt he was special. He felt he was important and everyone was concerned with what he had and what he thought.

[00:18:35] Friends that's what pride and arrogance basically are you think you are more important than other people and friends you are not more important than other people.

[00:18:51] And I know a lot of people may not want to hear that but friends the reality is God is not partial towards any human beings. God loves each and everyone listening to this podcast today.

[00:19:10] This very one today Thursday August 8th he loves each and every one of you he does not want you to be full of pride. He does not want you to be arrogant instead he wants you to show the love of Jesus to all people.

[00:19:28] So my call to action today is this ask yourself do you have pride. Are you arrogant?

[00:19:40] I know we don't want to admit that we are but if this is something that you know has been an issue with you in the past or is still an issue with you.

[00:19:52] I ask that you pray to God and say Father God take this nature that I have of pride and being arrogant and being selfish. Lord please remove it from me I pray.

[00:20:08] Friends, I will never end a podcast without giving anyone an opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If there is anyone listening today and you have never taken that step I invite you to say a simple prayer after me today.

[00:20:26] Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner and in need of a Savior. I believe that you are the Son of God. I believe you came to earth and died on a cross for me.

[00:20:39] I believe by doing that you have restored my relationship with God and I am now in good standing with Him. Jesus thank you for forgiving me of all my sins and yet I still have issues in this life. I still need your help.

[00:20:58] I'd like for you to come into my heart. I'm asking you to come in and lead me and guide me in this life from this moment on. I make you my Lord and Savior. Now, may the Lord bless you and keep you.

[00:21:17] The Lord make its face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Friends, please join me again tomorrow as we close out the week with wisdom today.