STUDY
NOTES on previous study
In What World Will You Live? (Luke 12:13-34)
Right in
the middle of an incredibly deep discussion concerning the sin of blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit Jesus is interrupted by a man who has a personal
concern. Stated this way, it doesn’t
sound so bad, but when you consider the focus of his complaint, surely you feel
embarrassed by such a brash demand. This
man felt he had been wronged by his brother in the dividing of the family
inheritance, and he asked Jesus to settle the issue. When you first read this story, you have to
ask, “What was this guy thinking - to ask such a question of Jesus?” Actually, there is a good element in the
question. The man clearly recognized the
power, authority, and wisdom of Jesus.
He was requesting judgment from Jesus because he thought it would be
just (in his favor, of course). In other
words, what motivated the question was not that the man was not listening to
Jesus – he in fact was listening. The
problem began when the man decided to use the incredible power of Jesus’ words
and actions for his own selfish purposes.
Take note, here, because we often do the same thing. We walk with Jesus, listening at first with
curiosity, which becomes intrigue, leading to wonder. Then we realize what a benefit it would be to
have Jesus resolve some of the issues of our own lives
. . . .
So,
Jesus’ answer to this man is one for us as well. When we take the blessings and wisdom and
power of God and simply use them for ourselves, we are in serious trouble. The question of this entire segment of
Scripture is whether we will live by greed or by faith. If we choose to live motivated by greed we
are in serious trouble. A life of
authentic faith is not only freeing, it allows us to live as God designed. We were created to be like God, to live in
His image and likeness. Jesus came to
show us what that looks like. Being an
authentic disciple means we are living for the purpose of demonstrating the
very nature of God. What if God
protected His stuff like we do? What if
God was motivated by greed as we sometimes are?
Thankfully, God by nature is an incredibly generous giver – and for our
own sakes we are called to be the same.
By the
way, what is “greed”? Several years ago,
a survey was taken among believers (defined by going to church at least 3 times
a week - so we are talking serious believers) that included the question – “Is
greed a sin?” Nearly all said it
was. The very next question was, “Is it
wrong to always want more?” Less than
half said it was! What is greed? It is such a nasty word – we would never want
it in our lives. But we live in a
culture that constantly calls us to want more and more – which is greed! We need to listen carefully to Jesus on this
issue, because it is not only relevant to our lives, it is often central.
Jesus
told the story of a rich man using his wealth to just pile up that which he had
so he could quit work and live the easy life.
What a waste of life and resources!
What the man did not take into account was the nature of life. It was not his to assume. Life itself is a gift. And it could be taken away. Jesus was not scolding the man who asked the
question when He said, “so it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” He was merely describing the life of one
living for himself. It can be summed up
in one word – foolish. With enough
wealth to last several lifetimes the rich man failed to understand his own
mortality. So in the end, it was a life
wasted.
A recent
study showed that if all those calling themselves “Christian” in the
In
essence, that is what Jesus teaches us in the next segment. These words are so well known it is hard to
hear them with open ears, minds and hearts.
“Do not worry about your life.”
Yeah, right. How can we not worry
about what we will eat and wear? I mean,
isn’t it our responsibility to provide for ourselves? Several years ago I had the opportunity to
teach a series of classes to a preacher’s training school deep in the
countryside of
So they
heard these words of Jesus differently than we do. They knew they needed to be dependent on God
for life. So, ultimately, who is more
blessed? I fear we
often thank God for blessings He does not give.
Would He continue to give us more of what causes us to trust Him
less? Would He give us currency that can
only be spent in Satan’s store? Oh, we
of little faith! We get so tied up in
things that do not matter – and then we dare worry when we lose a little of the
abundance that we have! I think I’ve
mentioned this before, but it fits here as well. I was discussing this with a friend who works
in finance with very wealthy people. He
asked me if I knew who were the most unhappy people he
worked with. I didn’t. He said it was those who once had multiple
millions that now only have a few million less!
Again I ask, who is the most blessed? The one who has little, yet trusts completely
in God to provide his needs, or the one who has much and constantly worries
about having more or losing that which he has?
All these things that we cherish as valuable have nothing to do with
that which is truly important. In fact,
they distract us from what is truly meaningful.
Here is
the question, “What world do you choose to live in?” Is it the world where God is in control? If so, as my Australian
friends say, “No worries.”
Really!! No worries, for God will
provide. Look around you, friend. Do you not marvel at the number of birds God
feeds every day, even nasty ravens (unclean according to Jewish law)? Look at the flowers of the field, no man has
ever produced such extravagant beauty in clothing. Have we learned anything from God’s gracious
provision? The pagans worry about such
things, because they have no father who provides their every need. I am afraid that under such a definition,
many of us are pagan. For we live and
worry and fret as if no one were caring for us.
There is only one thing we are called to do – seek the kingdom. God will provide the rest.
Now,
clearly, this is not a call to be lazy.
It is not a call to be passive.
God gave us our intelligence, gifts, and physical strength to use to His
glory. What we are called to do is to
let go of the anxiety and worry we often have.
God will provide! T.W. Hunt, in
his book The Mind of Christ suggests that we are so busy doing what God
said He would do that we never get about doing what He asks us to do. We are so busy trying to provide for our
needs we never get about seeking the kingdom.
Here is
wonderful advice. “Do not be afraid,
little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the
kingdom.” What a wonderful thought! God is the generous, loving Father who wants
to provide for our needs in His kingdom.
That is the world for which we have been created. Inside the walls of the kingdom we have no
reason to fear. So, get rid of those
things that distract you, and make purses that will not wear out. Don’t be like the rich man who made a BIG
purse which he was unable to use. Don’t
be a fool. Participate in a radical
generosity. Give to those in need. Then you will have treasures which are
secure.
This is
an invitation to join God in His generous giving. You’ve heard much of this before, even in
this study. Jesus talks a lot about
earthly wealth. Apparently, it is a real
distraction to kingdom life – to authentic discipleship. Earthly wealth is simply a poor strategy of
“treasuring”. It is not evil, it is just useless, unless you use it where it is
needed. God loves the poor. We could be dispensers of His gifts to those
who are in desperate need. Or, we can
build bigger barns to store our stuff.
What do we treasure? Where is our
heart? What is the world in which we
choose to live?
I heard
John Ortberg provide a modern rendition of the
parable of the rich fool in which a man in agri-business has a tremendous run
of fortune. But in order to do it, he
had to ignore the emotional needs of his wife and children. He often worked through the night in his home
office. All of this was under the guise
of “this is for my family.” The truth
was, his family knew it was all about him. He actually became quite famous. His work was innovative and well known. He was able to make some great breakthroughs
in his niche of the market. One morning,
his wife found him apparently asleep at his computer keyboard. She was so angry! After promising to do better, he had worked
through the night once again! She was
about to let him have a piece of her mind when she touched him and felt his
cool flesh. He had died of a heart
attack during the night, feverishly trying to close one more deal. The information on the computer screen
indicated he had been amazingly successful one more time. The man’s death made the headlines of the
business pages, dignitaries from several countries came to his funeral. Some spoke of building a monument to his life. But when the dust settled on his freshly
covered grave, an angel came and wrote a fitting epitaph in the dirt. It was just one word, but it was startlingly
complete in summing up his life – “fool.”
The angel wasn’t calling him a name, he was
merely expressing the value of his life as he chose to live it. Wasted.
For what
will you live? The kingdom doors remain
open for those willing to live in the care and purposes of God.
Unsettling
Teachings (Luke
After having read the study notes
from last week, answer the following questions:
1.
Was there anything positive about the man who interrupted Jesus
concerning a trivial question of money?
If so, what was it?
2.
Do we struggle with greed? If so, how? What can
we do to train ourselves to avoid the call of greed?
3.
Why is the pursuit of money a foolish way to live? What should we pursue instead?
4.
Why do you think Jesus spoke so often about the danger of greed and the
love of things?
Read Luke 12:35-40
1.
How are we to be “dressed for action”?
2.
What do you think it means to have “our lamps lit”?
3.
Which slaves are deemed as “blessed” in this passage? Why?
4.
What should we do in light of the teaching of this section of Scripture?
Read
1.
What do you think was the point of Peter’s question?
2.
What is the human tendency when one is uncertain of when he or she will
be called to accountability?
3.
What do you think Jesus was saying about a “severe beating” and a “light
beating”?
4.
Who is the “to whom much has been given” in this passage? Does it apply to us?
Read
1.
Why is Jesus seemingly angry here?
2.
If Jesus came to bring peace, why does He speak of division?
3.
What is divisive about the kingdom message?
Read
1.
What is Jesus talking about when He calls into question the peoples’
ability to interpret weather patterns?
Why is He concerned?
2.
Why should we strive to settle disputes before reaching the judge?
3.
What do you find most unsettling about the readings this week? Why?