Rich toward God

August 28, 2016

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Sunday service, Erlo Stegen, 28 Aug 2016

Luke 12:16-21
16 Then he told them a parable. He said, “The land of a certain rich man produced good crops.

17 So he began to think to himself, ‘What should I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’

18 Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and I’ll store all my grain and goods in them.

19 Then I’ll say to myself, “You’ve stored up plenty of good things for many years. Take it easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’

20 But God told him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you. Now who will get the things you’ve accumulated?’

21 That’s how it is with the person who stores up treasures for himself rather than with God.”

22 Then Jesus told his disciples, “That’s why I’m telling you to stop worrying about your life—what you will eat—or about your body—what you will wear,

This man was called a fool because he wasn’t rich towards God.
Last night I had a service in Durban arranged by Muslims. And it was a great joy to greet them in the name of the Lord Jesus. I also spoke to them about the late Harry Oppenheimer. One year he had a very good year and shared it at a meeting. But then he said something that shook me, since I never expected it to come from someone who was the richest in South Africa. He said that he wondered if his soul had prospered like his companies had in the past year. That this man had such spiritual insight is a rare quality in such rich people.

The rich man we’ve read of didn’t have such insight. And God called him a fool.

This parable is eternally true, even for us right here right now. Are you busy with the things of this world only and not with spiritual things? You might be rich in goods but a pauper towards God.

One can easily argue that the rich man is a wise and responsible person. He was a thriving farmer. His lands produced so much that he didn’t have enough space. So he planned to break down his barns and build bigger ones, so that he will have enough for retirement. Isn’t it wise and responsible to save for the future? He would be a good financial advisor. He seems to have things figured out. He planned well. Isn’t it the right thing to do? But there’s one very important thing the rich man hadn’t planned for, his reckoning with God. This is a tragedy indeed.

We should reckon with God before we think of anything else, otherwise we’re fools in God’s eyes. He is a fool, not because he planned for the future but because he lived only for himself. When the rich man talks he talks only to himself and only refers to himself. Everything revolved around himself. It’s a tragedy if anyone of us should live such a life.

He expresses no gratitude to God or the workers who helped him. He had more goods in storage that he could ever hope to use. There was no thought about what God might require of him or that his life in the end belongs to God. Are you conscious of the fact that not one day or hour of your life belongs to you? The rich man learned the hard way what the writer of Ecclesiastes learned.

Our goods will end up in the hands of someone else whether they be wise or fools. No amount of wealth can secure our lives with God. Instead Jesus repeatedly warned that wealth can get in the way of our relationship with God. One’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of possessions.

It’s not that God doesn’t want us to save for retirement or future unknown happenings. But it’s about priorities. How we invest our lives and the gifts God has given us. How we handle our possessions towards God and our neighbour. Our lives are not our own and so too our possessions. We’re merely stewards of what God has entrusted to us. We might rebel against this truth because we want to be in charge. But it’s a blessing to know you’re in God’s hands knowing that your future is secure.

When Harry Oppenheimer died he had already planned his own funeral. There was never a funeral planned so well as his funeral that I know of. I thought he was a man just interested in money. But when I read what he wrote and how he planned his funeral I thought may God forgive me having judged him in such a way and I won’t be surprised if I meet him in heaven together with those of like mind.

He instructed what hymns were to be sung, what portions from Scripture were to be read, which songs the choirs should sing and who would pray. It was an eye opener to me and I thought how could such a thing be possible? He wasn’t just busy with earthly things but prepared himself for eternity.

Let each one examine him or herself whether you are following God’s standard. If not you’re a fool and will regret it for the rest of your life. May God grant that we live right.

May you seek the riches from God from this day forward. That God might mean more to you than anything else. That you may be wise for all eternity and God’s riches mean more to you than anything else.