Luke 12:13-21 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” (14) But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” (15) And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (16) And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, (17) and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ (18) And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. (19) And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ (20) But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ (21) So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (ESV).
“I” TROUBLE
Text: Luke 12:13 -21
Years ago I used to work at Spencer s at Outlet Market Place which is located near the entrance to Carrowinds. Among the many items I used to sell, one item which came to mind this week while I was working on this sermon. That item is T shirts. I cannot recall every slogan from every t-shirt but I can recall one that pertains to today’s text. It was a t-shirt that had a slogan that said, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” This might be true to those who look at things though the lenses of the world but it not true for those of us who are as one of my seminary professors named Stanley Hauerwas called “resident aliens”.
To call ourselves “resident aliens” seems to come from an idea that Paul had when he wrote the letter to the Ephesians. Paul said it best best----”So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God”. (Ephesians 2:19 ESV). As for the man in this parable, we can say that he has “I” trouble.
Have you ever had “I” trouble? What can cause “I” trouble? Three things come to mine: Displacement, Distraction, and Distortion.
DISPLACEMENT
How do we define displacement in the spiritual sense?
1) Displacement: We normally think of displacement as something that has been moved from its original place.
2) Relationship: Can that happen to people in their relationship to both their love for God and their neighbor? Obviously we know that the answer is “yes”. This parable proves that point in that this wealthy man forgot that “God is the giver of every and good and perfect gift” (James 1:17).
3) “I” trouble: We might also say that he had forgotten that he was a “fellow citizen”. We might also say the he forgot that he is his “brother’s keeper”!
Can wealth cause “I” trouble? It seems that the brother who came to Jesus asking Him to settle a dispute that he was having with his brother seems to have been suffering from “I” trouble.
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man,who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one;s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12-13-15 ESV).
Where is God in our lives? Do we have anxiety? “Anxiety is the measure of distance between man and God.” (E. Stanley Jones. The Way. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1946, p. 100). How much space is there between us and God? How great is our anxiety?
A couple had two little boys 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. The two were always getting into trouble and their parents could be assured that if any mischief occurred in their town their two young sons were in some way involved.
The parents were at their wits end as to what to do about their sons’ behavior. The mother had heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children in the past, so she asked her husband if he thought they should send the boys to speak with the clergyman.
The husband said, “We might as well. We need to do something before I really lose my temper?” The clergyman agreed to speak with the boys but asked to them individually. The 8 yr old went to meet with him first. The clergyman sat the boy down and asked him sternly. “Where is God?”
The boy made no response, so the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, “Where is God?” Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the Clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy’s face. “WHERE IS GOD/’
At that point the boy bolted from the room and ran directly home, slamming himself in the closet. His older brother followed him in to the closet and asked what had happened. The younger brother replied. “we are in BIG Trouble this time. GOD is missing and they think we did it. (http://gatewayofJesus.com/humorouschurchstories). If God is missing, is it a sign of “I” trouble? God knows where we are and God wants us to put him first in our lives.
DISTRACTION
What are the things that distract you? One of the biggest distraction is materialism. Remember that t-shirt I mentioned I used to sell? The one that said “He who dies with the most toys wins?” Nothing could be further from the truth. Something becomes an idol when we give it the place that God should have.
Why do idols become such a bad distraction? I just read recently where there were two really good reasons that idols become a distraction? “One reason idols distract us is this: “Idols give us the illusion of control”. A second reason that idols distract is is because to ten to think of them as one-sided. The truth is that “Money and spirituality cannot be separated.” (Robert E. Logan and Tara Miller. Making Life Count. St. Charles, Illinois: Church Smart Resources, 2009, p. 126). Any security that materialism provides though things or through image will not get us into heaven.
DISTORTION
Why is prideful distortion such a big deal in our spiritual lives? “Having a hunger to be superior can distort how we look at things in reality because of our pride. Does that trait exist in us? Here are some perceptions that can test us. When you take a long to do something you are slow. When I take a long time, I am thorough. When you don’t do it your lazy. When I don’t do it I am busy. When you do it without being asked you have over stepped your authority. When I go ahead and do it, that's initiative. When you state your opinion strongly, you are bull-headed. When I do that I am firm. When you over-looked rules of etiquette, you are rude. When I do it, I’m, just eccentric. When your family has money, you are greedy. When mine does we are successful.” Is it any wonder why Proverbs 16:18 reminds us of what pride can do? “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18 ESV).
If anyone has “I” trouble what should he or she do about it? “Over 73 years ago, there was a medical consensus of opinion that 40% to 60% of attitudes were rooted in wrong attitudes of mind and spirit. The American Medical Association of that day said something which is still relevant. “ At least half of the diseases were rooted in the physical and the other half in mental and spiritual. It said the ratio was growing, which is more than true today. One doctor said that 85% of the patients that came in did not need medicine but they did need to change their mental and spiritual attitudes”. (E. Stanley Jones. The Way. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1946, p. 87). How many people in the world have “I” trouble today? How many politicians through the ages and even today have pointed their fingers and blame their opponents of much needed change?
A story is told about a business man who went to Grand Central Terminal in New York because of his doctor’s orders. The doctor was trying to get him to see what might cure him of being nervous and upset. The doctor gave him this advice to to Grand Central terminal to look for someone who needed help. He felt like a fool obeying. But found a woman sitting on her suitcase weeping. Someone had failed to meet her. He found out where she wanted to go and he got her a taxi and he went with her. He bought her flowers along the way and delivered her to her daughters house. He went to the telephone called his doctor and said. “Doc, it works. I feel better already.” He was well when he thought of someone else. (E. Stanley Jones. The Way. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1946, p. 98). What a shocker! This is one of the things that Jesus pointed out in this parable because this rich man did not think beyond himself by giving his surplus to people in need. Instead, he pondered the idea of making bigger barns to store that surplus. How can anyone be rich toward God if he or she hoards things? Again, “He who dies with the most toys does not win”! God wants us to love Him with all of our heart, mind and soul. God also wants us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Luke 10:27 ESV).
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
