FINANCIAL FREEDOM

“Luke 12:13-21 | Creating a New Line Item”

Pastor Brandon Hovey | 05.06.2012

THE GREATEST OBSTACLE TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM IS GREED.

Definition: The desire to “have more”, to want more stuff.

The Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21)

“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ (v. 13) Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?’” (v. 14)

The Problem: Jesus did not come to give us stuff we think will make our life; he came to be our life. He came to give us new agendas, new priorities and greed gets in the way. This man’s problem and our problem is that we are discontent with what we have and want more. We are greedy.

HOW CAN YOU OVERCOME GREED?

1. Watch out for money sickness.

“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.’” (v. 15)

2. Identify specific weaknesses and prepare for them.

“Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.” (v. 15)

3. Realize who owns your life.

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. 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. 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 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?’” (vv. 16-20)

4. BE RICH TOWARD GOD!

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (v. 21)

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:19-21,24)

• I WILL INVEST IN THE BEING RICH TOWARD GOD!
• I WILL MAKE CHRIST MY TREASURE BECAUSE HE HAS MADE ME HIS!

“The one way you know that Jesus Christ is most precious to you is that nothing else is.” -Charles Surgeon