Attention – Monopoly —> master of the board
When I was younger, my siblings and I would often play boardgames. We were all pretty competitive, so if a long game dragged on, it really dragged on because even if you knew you’d lose, the strategy was to make it as difficult and drawn out as possible.
Anyway, different games required different strategies, but mostly they had the same end goal, and that was to take control of the board, become ‘King of the Board’ and in doing so, win the game.
Monopoly is a great example, in that in order to win you’ve got to take over the board….
And when I was learning to play monopoly, I discovered the hard way that saving your money up too much doesn’t last. If you don’t buy anything, you just keep paying more rent. To play the game well, you have to earn money, and to earn money you had to buy, and buy and buy. To be in a position to win, you had to commit yourself to acquiring the maximal number of properties.
And just as victory in monopoly comes from pursuing the maximum number of possessions so too do people tend to think that to win in life you must acquire as many possessions as possible …then you will be satisfied.
That’s the paradigm the rich fool in this parable pursued.
But here is a problem the man in the parable faces,
Point 1
Materialism doesn’t satisfy.
Luke 12: v13-19
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
It’s interesting to note in this parable that this man who acquired an abundant harvest was already rich, yet he was clearly not satisfied with what he had. Notice he already owned farmland and multiple barns for storing his grain. But this was clearly not enough. He would tear these barns down, build bigger and better ones to store the surplus grain (the surplus grain being extra grain that he didn’t need), and then he thought he would be satisfied, “And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
But here is a challenging question for the rich fool: If his prior wealth with all its fields and barns was not enough to satisfy him, why would bigger barns be enough?
Will he really be satisfied with just a bigger barn?
We always want more!
illustration – 25% rule –>
I wonder if the rich fool has heard of the 25% rule. The 25% rule says that no matter what income someone has, they will always think that “if only” they had an income 25 % greater, then they’d be happy, or more comfortable or content.
This rule applies pretty well to me. As a uni student, I get by on a pretty low income, and its easy to imagine that if I had an extra 25% income then I’d have some spending money for doing some of the sports I love to play, or I’d be able to get a new computer to study with or whatever, and then I’d have it better……
But someone with 25% more income than me still thinks the same thing, that is, with that extra bit of money they’d be able get some nice clothes they’ve wanted for ages, or they’d be able to eat out more often or travel interstate in the holidays….
But also, what about those who aren’t uni-students? What about the person working full time on a decent old salary, even earning quite a fortune! Are they satisfied or are they thinking that with 25% extra income they could manage the rising fuel prices, expensive groceries and crazy house prices? Rather than spending every waking hour working, maybe they could finally have a long weekend off work and spend holiday time with the family…. Then life would be better…
Sure, possessions can be exciting and enjoyable initially…but they won’t satisfy forever.
It is so easy in life to think like the rich fool… “if only I had xyz…then life would be merry…”
Many a TV advertisement will hype up the excitement of whatever it is they are selling…And then they will make bold claims…you’ll never have that problem again, that you’ll be stoked with the product…satisfied forever…
But don’t be fooled…. possessions don’t give lasting satisfaction.
They never have and never will.
Point 2
Materialism doesn’t last.
Luke 12: v20
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
In the light of death, materialism becomes starkly foolish. The simple reality which we somehow forget is that “All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.” (Ecclesiastes 3:20).
The story is told of a clergyman who was asked at a funeral, “How much did she leave vicar? He replied, “She left everything – they always do”.
It doesn’t matter if you were China’s first ruler, Emperor Qing Shi Huang Di buried with his 10,000 clay soldiers, or Egypt’s King Tutankhamun with his face mask made from 10kg of gold……They left everything – they always do. As an old Italian proverb says, “The last coat a man wears has no pockets in it.’
This parable of the rich fool is a warning to us all, read in verse 21.
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
It is a costly mistake, to have spent all of one’s time and effort chasing things which won’t last. Pursuing satisfaction in mere temporary possessions is fools’ gold.
This parable of the rich fool is a warning for everyone: Yet people all over the world and at all different stages of life failed to heed this warning …. and pay a mighty price for it…
So how can we find contentment in a world where things don’t satisfy or last?
Two gospel truths in which we can shift our perspective and find contentment.
Point 3
We have a Generous Father.
Luke 12: v22-24
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
and in Luke 12: verse 30…
30 “For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.”
God is a generous Father who will provide for our needs. He looks after the creatures of this earth, and certainly he will look after his children.
Has anyone gone out and fed their pets or farm animals, but not come inside and put food on the table for their children?
Of course not!
Matthew 7:11 – “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”.
We can be content with whatever we have because we are assured God knows what we need, and he will provide. The fear of running out, the fear of not having enough doesn’t need to have space in our hearts because we have a generous heavenly father.
By taking the time to get to know our heavenly father, getting to know that He is generous, we discover that we can trust him and be content knowing He will provide.
The other key truth that combats the unsatisfactory and temporary nature of materialism is that….
Point 4
We have a Guaranteed Future.
Luke 12: v32
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
God has promised to give us His Kingdom!
Jesus’ death and resurrection has given us an opportunity to participate in God’s eternal Kingdom. We do not have to be afraid of death, because Jesus has secured our future beyond our earthly lifetime. There is no earthly comparison that can even come close to the hope, joy, and glory of God’s kingdom. Therefore, in the light of eternity, the accumulation of possessions, the pursuit of pleasure and power….it is a temporary and short-sighted cause.
We don’t have to cling tightly to worldly possessions, or pursue enjoyment in everything now, because not only does what the world has to offer neither satisfy nor last, but Jesus specifically tells us in verse 31 to “Seek His Kingdom”.
The gift of God’s kingdom in our own lives and in the lives of those around is something that will last, something that will satisfy.
And as we seek God’s guaranteed kingdom first, setting aside the other things of the world, his Kingdom becomes our treasure.
And, as we know from verse 34: “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The hymn “Turn your Eyes upon Jesus” describes beautifully how a heart treasuring its relationship with Jesus transforms our view of the world,
“Oh, turn your eyes upon Jesus (oh, turn, oh turn)
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things (the things) of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
So, to find contentment is to treasure the kingdom of Christ and have our hearts set upon Him.
So, we faced the challenge of trying to find contentment in a world where things don’t last nor satisfy…
And now in light of our generous heavenly father, we can trust God will generously meet our needs. In light of our guaranteed future, we can fix our hearts on the treasure beyond the things of this world and pursue His Kingdom.
And what is it that merges our trust in our generous father and our pursuit of his Kingdom? Our daily Relationship with God!
Ultimately, we find our contentment in our relationship with God.
In conclusion, we do not need to worry about the things of the world which are temporary and unsatisfactory. We can be content in knowing our Heavenly father, who is generous and secures a future beyond the problems of tomorrow.
We can live differently, assured of our future and generous father.
And whilst people around us may pursue the game of life desperately acquiring as many properties as possible, trying to get as much power, money and possessions in the short time they have on the board, we can live content. Others may win control of the board they may conquer opponents and declare victory.
But we know the truth is, they will never be satisfied, their fortune will not last.
We live contently, not drawn into the rush of the game of life, because we know the simple truths that they have all forgotten. That is that God is generous and has guaranteed our future.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you had nothing to your name or if you ruled the board, it all goes back in the box.