Subscription Lists

Fear can paralyse us spiritually - we can fear what people around us may say - what they may think. The antidote to a small fear is to get a bigger fear - fear of the possibility of disobeying God.

Then - Jesus goes on to speak about being on trial - on trial for our faith - being arrested for what we believe - and it is then we have to rely upon the Holy Spirit to give us the right words.

While Jesus is teaching these tremendous truths to His disciples - someone in the crowd calls out - in the middle of this important teaching session - a man interrupts Jesus. Not a word he has heard coming from the mouth of Jesus has affected him. How sad - how tragic when that happens.

We should never go away from a time of Praise and Worship - we should never leave a time of preaching and teaching from the Word of God - without allowing the Word of God to touch our lives in some way.

It may be challenging - reassuring comforting - warning and guiding - encouraging - but it is always wise to allow the Word of God to work away in us - within us - in some way - to some measure - to some degree.

If the first two hazards along the Christian way be Hypocrisy and Fear - then the third one could be called Greed. This interrupter is pre-occupied with property and possessions. There was a family row over a will. It has been said that ‘where's there a will, there's relatives’.

This man wants Jesus to intervene in a family dispute. And Jesus says - "Why do you come to Me?" This man does not want fairness - or even justice - he wants MONEY. Jesus saw that he was so greedy and jealous that his brother was getting more money that he was - he is so materialistic - and Jesus virtually says - "I am more concerned about you than your brother. What you are telling Me tells Me about your heart."

Verse 15 . Jesus uses this incident to teach people about a rich farmer who has a massive harvest - we can call these verses - "The tragedy of the poor rich man." Jesus is saying - Watch out - be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A man's worth does not lie in what he possesses - or in what he owns - a man's bank balance does not make that man valuable.

Jesus says - The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. What an insight in that one sentence! The man was rich - but it was not the man who produced the wealth - it was the ground - his path fell among these favourable pastures - and in his wealth he receives even more riches.

Those of us in the rich Western world need to hear this - we need to listen to Jesus - riches can only be handled wisely by certain people.

This man thought - What can I do? I have no room left for all my goods. He is so restless - he has been so successful in one way - in one area. He was the sort of farmer who might have been pointed out to younger farmers as an example to follow.

In the eyes of Jesus - he was no example for anyone to follow.

Verses 18,19 . This is what I'll do. Look at all the "I's" and "my's". I will do this with my possessions - he was so methodical - but so greedy. He is so tied to all this.

He has no love for God - all he can think about is his possessions - his investments - his goods - and how he can grow richer - materially speaking. We could teach the business world this lesson - what a warning. He is so selfish - so absorbed with himself - there is not a single thought about others.

Now the world would regard this man as a picture of success and prosperity - but in the eyes of Jesus it is SIN. This poor rich man thought he was going to live for ever.

Such wishful thinking deludes man. He is planning as though he has many more years to live. The half past ten point certainly applies in this man's situation.

This poor rich man is concentrating on the wrong world. He is not interested in fitting into God's plans.

I remember a man saying to me - "I am only in all this for the profit motive - purely for the profit motive." Well - at least he was honest - but he was quite shocked when I replied - and I am only in the ministry for the prophet motive! And, he didn't understand it when I explained that I spelled prophet with ph rather than f.)

"You have plenty of things laid up for many years - take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." You hear people say that - O come on - eat and drink and be merry - it says so in the Bible - and some add - for to-morrow we die. The words are taken out of context totally.

There is a basic flaw in what is said - normally - to-morrow we do not die - we live with the consequences of eating and drinking today. There is a price to pay for the eating and drinking - for the undisciplined excess.

O western world - when will you ever hear what Jesus said?

GOD says to this poor rich man - "You fool!" Now - not very often do we read of God calling a person a fool. We regard a fool as someone who is not very bright mentally - God thinks of a man who is not very bright MORALLY. This man was quite bright mentally. This materially successful and prosperous poor rich man is quite bright mentally - but not very bright MORALLY.

Our country - our nation - our western world - has not been very bright morally over these past 20 or 30 years - particularly in this important area of food - with mountains of food - and decisions made deliberately to cut back on food production.

What does God sometimes do in such a situation?

God says to this poor rich man - this very night your life will be demanded of you. To-night, you will be worth nothing. Who will get your goods?

Now - there is no use praying that that would not happen - there are some areas where prayer is invalid - irrelevant. When we are summoned by God - we have no choice - we have no option - and when He summons us - we have to leave it all.

I remember someone asking - Do you know how much so-and-so left? Yes - everything.)

This poor rich man thought he had many years left - he did not even have 24hours.

Our security does not depend upon wealth - but upon Jesus Christ - and whenever Jesus spoke about wealth, he always spoke in words of warning. There is nothing wrong in being rich - that can be a sign of God blessing you and rewarding you in this life - but riches have to be handled very carefully.

Materially, this man was rich. Spiritually - he was poor. Now remember, these are words of Jesus.

It is Jesus Who teaches us in verse 21that such a man is a fool - senseless - capable, but silly and unwise. The man who lays up treasure for himself is not rich towards God. Jesus is not against riches - but against selfishness.

If you were going to live in some other country you would make arrangements to send some money on - wouldn't you? We cannot take it with us when we die - but we can send it on ahead of us - and I have discovered that very few people realise this.

How much is in your account in the Bank of Heaven? We can put money in that account through a local branch of the Bank of Heaven Sunday by Sunday. Jesus says something about this in verses 33,34 . Invest in heaven - where there is no thief - no rust - no moths eating it away. No inflation devaluing our investment.

Wouldn't it be wonderful one day to hear - someone from Africa or India or Bulgaria saying to you - "The Father sent a missionary to our village - town - city - and I heard about Jesus - what the teacher said kept me going when I was about to give in and give up when the going was so hard. I heard about Jesus - that Jesus is My Saviour - the teaching I received strengthened me when I was quite down - quite weak. I became a disciple of Jesus - I continued to be a faithful disciple of Jesus through that encouraging teaching I received. And, I learned that it all came to me because you gave money to send the man with the message - the preacher - the teacher.

Verse 34 . "For where your treasure is there your heart will be also." - says Jesus.

“Lord God Almighty – for this vital rich and revealing teaching from Jesus – because an unwise person interrupted Jesus – we say, ‘Thank You’. We know that Jesus can use the unwise and unwanted interruptions of life to say something significant and relevant. Loving Father – speak to us – You know what we most need – speak to us today and tomorrow – in Jesus’ name.” Amen.

"Inspiration For You" from Randy Mitchell

The Season Of Giving