Are you rich? that's something that most of us don't have to deal with, at lest in this world. We are commanded to lay up treasures in Heaven. This rich Young Man had great wealth in this world. The only problem is that the wealth of this world will perish, he was rich but not rich towards God and that's all that counts. Praise God I have been made rich through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary. Where does your wealth come from?
The Rich Man in Luke 12
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. - Luke 12:15-22
Let us go back to the parable of the farmer in Luke 12, and I ask, what was wrong with this farmer? Was it the fact that he was successful? Of course not! Nowhere does Scripture condemn success or riches as such. God never rejected Abraham, Job or Joseph of Arimathaea for being rich and successful. What was wrong then with this rich man? Had he acquired his wealth by dishonest means? There is nothing in this parable that points in that direction. On the contrary, we are given the impression that the man had become rich because of God’s blessing on the labor of his hands, causing the soil to be so fruitful that it produced bountiful crops.
These verses clearly indicate what was wrong. The rich man shows that he did not know himself. He failed to realize that his body was mortal and would not live on for many years. He was deceived by the deceitfulness of riches, of which our Lord warns us in Matthew 13:22: “The care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”
Also, he did not take into account the fact that the ample goods in which he rejoiced could not satisfy his soul. He had nothing for his soul, and this is where the deceitfulness of the sin of covetousness lies: It seeks after pleasure and enjoyment of the physical body while the soul is given nothing to feed upon. We read in Isaiah 44:20 about this covetous man: “He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
And my friend, if you have provided only for the body, the mind, for your family and for all your physical needs, you are in a terrible fix. You are deceived as to the true state of your soul, for it is the soul that lives on after death; the body goes back to mother earth where worms will eat it while awaiting the day of resurrection. You’re either going to be raised to resurrection of life to enjoy eternal life with Christ for ever; or you’ll be raised to everlasting damnation and contempt (John 5:29), to be cast out from the presence of God and to pay for your sins in hell for ever! And “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:26). Your little religious profession and carnal Christian gospel are not going to hold you then, for James 1:26 tells us, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”
We see then, that covetousness is actually the worship of self, which is the embodiment of all evil. Because self is upon the throne of the heart, everything of this life becomes servant to the gratification of all fleshly and selfish desires. Selfishness is essentially- My right to my own self and all that I touch for my pleasure and for my glory: me, my, and mine. That’s covetousness! It says in essence, `I’m concerned only for myself, so I will get what I want no matter how I get it or who I hurt, and no matter how I lie or how many lives I wreck; I’m going to do just what I want to do!’ You may think you will cover it with the cloak of religion, but that’s the heart of rebellion against God; and if that spirit is not broken, you’re going to wind up in hell without hope and without God! Young person, you may boast yourself in your youthful age, and trust in the uncertainty of the future; but know this that God has neither promised you nor owes you a tomorrow! He could say to you what he said to the rich man this very day-”Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, then whose shall those things be?” You can’t take anything with you, for “we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (I Tim 6:7); six feet of earth makes us all just alike!
Blinded by his covetousness, this rich man (which our Lord calls a fool) was not rich toward God; and so he indeed fell into “temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts.” And because of his sinful love of money, which while he coveted after, he “erred from the faith” and pierced himself through with many sorrows (I Tim 6:9-10). See how he was using the time for self, which the Lord had given him to prepare for eternity. What an awful thing it is for a man not to be rich toward God! This is the worst poverty a man can have, for if you are not storing up treasures in heaven, you are treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath! (Rom 2:5). If you are not in Christ and are not sending treasures ahead to the next world by His grace, you’ll receive the wages of sin, which is eternal death! (Rom 6:23). Yes, your soul is poor indeed if you know nothing about the riches of God’s grace as it is offered freely in the true Gospel of Christ, and the power of His grace as it reigns over sin in the soul!
Choking!
Oh my dear soul, you may profess to be saved, and come to the house of God, but you cannot hear the Word of God as it is preached, because sermons die in covetous hearts! This is why covetousness is such a damning sin-it hinders the Word of God from taking hold in your heart. How? You are there physically, but your soul is taken up with the world and its pleasures, and you are thinking about how to make more money-you do not want to hear of a life of self denial, so your soul is robbed of the blessing! You go on, pining and working, and looking forward to nothing but the deceitfulness of riches and the pleasures of this life. You have no time for the Word of God! You have no time to meditate upon the goodness and grace and the mercy of God who has given you time to repent. You’re content with a few tears or with a few verses of Scripture; you’re content to give a few dollars and to lose your soul because you are not willing to break before God and become a self-denying one.
It is said of the thorny ground hearers in the parable of the sower (Matt 13:22) that the seed received among thorns is lost because the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of the riches and pleasures of this life choke the word, making the hearer unfruitful. Yes, and this covetous heart makes a man fit only for hell! Therefore, no matter what his profession may be, we know that covetousness keeps a man from praying, believing and studying the Word of God, for a covetous man cannot live by faith. He trusts in “things” rather than the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy (I Tim 6:17).
Personal Application
If God has shown you that this is your heart, why don’t you fall down before Him in repentance, crying unto Him for mercy against this sin that closes the heart against God, against your fellow man, and against providing for your never-dying soul! Cry out against this false gospel that has deceived you into believing all is well with your soul because you made a profession, and yet allowed you to continue in this sin because somebody told you that you were safe, though you were just a “carnal Christian.”
Oh may God work! May He have mercy; may He come down in power and in much assurance, and deal with your soul as only He can! May He work mightily and effectually in giving you a heart of grace-a heart to cry out after Him as never before, “Lord, break the power of sin in my life!” I would not let Him go; I would keep crying after Him! Daily I would cry, “Oh Lord, don’t leave me to myself! Continue to break the power of sin, giving me victory over it as You promised in Romans 6:14!” So bring every sin to Him and cry out against it, that He might cleanse it by His blood and deliver you by His power, giving that grace which is needful that you may close in with Him by faith, casting your never-dying soul upon Him. Then you will find in the true Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ to be your all in all!
Tomorrow we will see the Lovers of Pleasures, Where is your treasure?
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