Worldly Wealth or Treasure in Heaven?

I. Introduction

In Luke 12:14 a man approached Jesus and said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” This conversation prompted Jesus to speak about greed, tell a parable, and give instructions regarding our priorities. In this video we will discuss Jesus’ parable and our attitudes to material wealth. I will also offer some biblical advice about investing.

II. Jesus’ Warning about Greed

Immediately after speaking to the man, we read:

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15)

This statement is Jesus’ summary of what He is about to teach. Two words are of particular importance. Firstly, the word translated ‘watch out’ is from the verb ‘horao’ and literally means to stare at, or pay very close attention to. Jesus is giving a very strong warning here. Secondly, the word translated ‘greed’ is ‘plenoxia’ (πλεονεξία) and means to covet. This word also has a strong implication of extortion and fraud, but generally means to earnestly desire for oneself.

Notice please that Jesus, as we shall see, is not speaking solely about money or material wealth, but says ‘all kinds of coveting’. Gluttony is a form of greed, vanity is another common form of greed through coveting attention, and of course money and material possessions beyond what we need. Jesus will address these issues, but the main point He is going to make is this: Why do you invest your time, energy, money and life into the few decades you will have in this world, but little or nothing for your next life which will be eternal. The length of this life is like one grain of sand on the beach, the next life is the entire beach and every other beach and more. Let’s now look at Jesus’ parable.

III. Luke 12:16-21

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)

I find it fascinating that what motivated this parable was a man asking Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him. His immediate words after this are the warning about greed and that life does not consist in an abundance of possessions’ and in verse 20 Jesus summarizes His parable with, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded of you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ The implication here is that instead of investing in the kingdom of God, and therefore being rich toward God, that his children may be fighting over his inheritance with the same greed issue that he had.

Here is a man with land and barns to store his grain. Jesus calls him a ‘certain rich man’. This guy is not poor, he’s not just scraping by, but is already wealthy, already blessed by God. The Lord blesses him further with an abundant harvest but he has no place to store his crops. Are his old barns still full? So, he decides to tear down the old barns and build bigger ones in order to store his surplus grain. Now, he says that he has plenty of grain to last him many years so he will eat, drink and be merry.

The NIV misses an important point in verse 19 by translating, ‘then I will say to myself, you have stored up…’ Both the American Standard and KJV translate correctly as ‘And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many good things…’ Jesus purposely uses the word for soul (psuche – psoo-khay) rather than a personal pronoun. It is the man’s soul which will stand before God and be judged and he is trading his soul for material wealth. 

The Lord calls him a ‘fool’ as his life will be demanded of him that very night. There is a strong implication that God is demanding his soul on account of his actions rather than blessing him with long life. In a sense he has challenged God, and God has answered.

This man had neglected the two fundamental commandments upon which the entire Law and Prophets hang. In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus was tested by a Pharisee who asked Him which is the greatest commandment in the Law. The Lord replied;

37… “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Jesus was speaking to a Jewish audience when telling His parable, and loving your neighbor as yourself was part of the Mosaic Law in Leviticus 19:18. The character in the parable had already been blessed with wealth, far more than he needed for himself. And God again blessed him abundantly, but instead of helping his neighbor, instead of giving to the poor, he kept it all for himself. Like the rich young ruler to whom Jesus said to sell his possessions, give to the poor and follow Him, this man was a slave to greed, ungrateful to God, and placed wealth before his eternal destiny.

Jesus then tells his disciples how they should be living.

22…Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 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! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27 Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you – you of little faith. 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 

31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32. “Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:22-34)

The word translated as worry which Jesus uses four times is ‘merimnaó’. This word means to be over-anxious and also distracted to the point of being consumed by something. Jesus is not saying that we should not care about the necessities of life. And He is not saying we should sit around and do nothing believing the Lord will clothe and feed us without our effort. Indeed, such would be laziness, and every form of laziness is repeatedly condemned throughout Scripture, even to telling Christians to keep away from lazy believers in 2 Thessalonians 3:6.

Therefore, when the Lord says the ravens do not sow or reap and the wild flowers neither labor nor spin, He is not suggesting that we do not do these things. His point is that the Lord provides what they cannot provide for themselves and that He considers us far more valuable that ravens or flowers, therefore, trust in Him. 

Then the Lord compares a Christian’s life with that of non-believers. He tells us that pagans run after material things and our heavenly Father knows that we need them. Non-believers are empty inside, they continually run after material wealth, sexual encounters, gluttony, entertainment etc, yet none of it fills the soul, none of it can satisfy.

And now we reach the very heart of Jesus message. Keep in mind that Jesus is still speaking prior to Pentecost at this point in time, the time when the kingdom of God would come to dwell in the human soul as people became partakers of the divine nature. He tells them to seek the kingdom of God and these things we need will be given to us as well. He then calls His disciples His ‘little flock’ and tells them not to be afraid, for the Father has been pleased to give them the kingdom.

These are beautiful words of comfort which underline the depth of love the Lord has for His disciples. They are His own little flock, He is their personal shepherd, the one who will care for them, protect them and provide for them. And He tells them that the Father has been pleased to give them the kingdom. The word translated ‘pleased’ is more accurately translated ‘delighted’, and it conveys the joy God has in those who have chosen to obey and seek His kingdom and be part of His beloved family, His adopted children.

He tells them to sell their possessions and give to the poor. As I have already said, there is a future element in Jesus teaching as the kingdom enters us at new birth, and this happened at Pentecost. In Acts 2 and 4 Jesus’ teaching became one of the foundational marks of the Church. We read,

44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold their property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. (Acts 2:44)

And in Acts 4 we read,

32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostle’s feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. (Acts 4:32-35)

Jesus had promised that the Lord would provide for those who trusted Him regarding what they need and that they should seek first the kingdom and the Lord would provide everything else they need. In this passage there is a powerful proof of Jesus promise. 

We are told that, ‘they were all as one in heart and mind and none of them claimed their possessions were their own, but shared everything they had’. The apostles preached with great power. And then we have this statement which is related to God’s provision. It reads, ‘And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all, that there were no needy persons among them’.

These people took God at His word. Their hearts were so focused on receiving the eternal kingdom because of their new birth experience, that they saw each other as an intimate eternal family. They saw each other as brothers and sisters, not bound by blood, but by the Spirit of adoption, by new birth. As they gave to one another and obeyed Jesus’ command to love each other, God poured out His grace upon them and there were no needy persons in God’s family. 

It must break God’s heart to witness what has happened to His Church. For 270 years they mostly met in homes, were persecuted, but their unity, love and dedication to Christ had a huge effect on the Roman Empire. Then the church joined that same empire, adopted Augustine’s flawed theology and became a hierarchy under popes. 

The theology of new birth disappeared, replaced by rituals, man-made traditions and biblical ignorance. The Roman Catholic Church was corrupt to the core, obsessed with wealth, pomp and power, forcing people to submit to the papacy or lose their heads. Whilst the common people lived in poverty, the papacy lived in luxury and built cathedrals and monuments.

The Reformation led to the thirty year war, so-called ‘christians’ killing so-called ‘christians’. Rather than using God’s provision to build His kingdom, they bought armies, weapons and bribed political leaders. In the twentieth century, especially in America, greed prospered as gullible people were deceived by men like Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn and others. And in the 21st century the mega-church paradigm spends millions on auditoriums, and gimmics to attract and entertain the goats, whilst Christians in poor countries starve.

The vast majority of churches today are almost the exact opposite of the early church. People are fiercely independent, and even though some churches use the term family, it is just lip service for loyal attendees. Yes, some churches have charity programs, but these get the leftovers after the mortgage payments, building maintenance, and church staff are paid, whilst in any given congregation, the wealthy sit beside complete strangers who may be struggling to pay their bills. This is not the Church which embodies the Lords command to ‘love one-another as He has loved us’. The final words of Jesus instructions read:

Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:33-34)

The challenge to every Christian in these verses is simply this: How much do you have in your heavenly account compared to your earthly account? Are you storing up treasure in heaven, or just accumulating more material wealth in this life? I know some will defend themselves with asking, where should I draw the line, and what about leaving a legacy for my children? Frankly, the greatest legacy we can leave our children is one of knowing how to be led by the Holy Spirit and trusting the Lord. And understand this: If you are always so financially secure that you never feel vulnerable, you may never experience God’s gracious intervention and see how much He rewards those who put building His kingdom first. 

The Lord doesn’t call us to make ourselves poor, or not put a little away for emergencies, rather, He asks us to honestly evaluate the difference between what we need, and what we desire, and then sacrifice what we desire for the needs of others and His kingdom.

When I came to Ukraine in 2003 as a missionary I was offered a high salary to be the official missionary of the New Zealand church where I was serving as a volunteer. I was very tempted, but felt strongly convicted to graciously decline the offer. I’d been in full-time studies at university for several years, working part-time, so didn’t have a lot of savings. When I came to Ukraine I had to live as a Ukrainian, using crowded public transport, renting a tiny apartment etc. There were many occasions when I rebuked myself for being a fool, or questioned if I had made the wrong decision. Certainly the enemy often whispered such thoughts in my ear.

The Lord opened doors to teach English part-time to university age students and adults. This led to meeting many non-believers, and having seekers groups each week in my flat. That led to being asked to work as a lecturer in a secular university which had four compulsory Christian courses. Now, each year I had 100 new 18-19 year olds, 50% of whom claimed to be atheists. This led to bigger seekers groups, a youth church and many coming to Christ whilst serving as a youth pastor in a local church as a volunteer. 

If I had taken the salary, I would have never had to work part-time, would never have met thousands of unbelievers and never had the joy of seeing so many come to Christ. And yes, at the start one feels vulnerable, but my father always taught that ‘God is no man’s debtor’. All the Lord asks of us is to put His kingdom first, no matter who we are. He calls us to be satisfied to have what we need and use our surplus wisely to build His kingdom, using the gifts and talents each one of us have.

If you cannot do that in the church you attend, then find one where you can. He may call you to open your home to unbelievers, to work with a few like-minded people, but know this: If your heart is to build His kingdom, He will lead you, provide for you and you will have the joy of knowing you are laying up treasure in heaven.  

And remember the words of Ephesians 2:10, that ‘we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do’. 

Every Christian will have to give an account to the Lord on how we used the Lord provision to us and the gifts He gave us. He does not call us to pour money into huge buildings or make pastors and leaders wealthy, but to deny ourselves and use our surplus to bring His love and grace to people in a practical way. The certain rich man in the parable was already blessed by the Lord. Perhaps the abundant harvest was a test, and if so, he failed it miserably, thinking only of himself. Perhaps the Lord demanding his life was a judgment against him.

This parable, and Jesus’ teaching immediately after it, are general principles to test our hearts and faith. Are our hearts dedicated to bringing His love and grace to others, and do we have the faith to carry out whatever He puts on our hearts in this regard. Whatever we deny ourselves for the sake of others will be credited to our heavenly treasure, for where our hearts are, there our treasure will be also.

I pray this video has been enlightening for you. I pray that you may be encouraged to seek His will regarding the good works He has prepared for you to personally do, and that you have the faith to trust His leading and know the joy of working with Him to change other’s lives.

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God bless