Bible Lesson: Parables-Our Lord's-The Foolish Rich Man

Bible Lesson: Parables-Our Lord's:
Parable: The Foolish Rich Man.

Text:
Luke 12:13-34 KJV
13 And one of the company said unto Him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14 And He said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
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.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will He clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The rich fool, made the big mistake of not knowing who's fruits and goods he had collected.

Luke 12:18 KJV
“...all my fruits and my goods.”

The rich man was a selfish man, thinking of no one but himself.

Psalm 24:1 KJV
The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Psalm 50:10,11 KJV
10 For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.

Haggai 2:8 KJV
The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

Ezekiel 18:4 KJV
Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

We are at best stewards of God's good earth.

Luke 12:48 KJV
"...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more..."

The rich man, had labored hard for his retirement of wealth, but was poor and destitute in the sight of God.
He had thought only of himself, but not of his soul.

Matthew 16:24-26 KJV
24 Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.
26 For 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?

Matthew 19:23,24 KJV
23 Then said Jesus unto His disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

That night the rich man would pass from the earthly life to the eternal life, and he had made no preparations for his entrance there.

Luke 12:15 KJV
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.

Matthew 6:24-34 NLT
24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and money.
25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are?
27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,
29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.
30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’
32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.
34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Dear friend, life's day, is all so short, don't come to the end of it, spiritually impoverished.
For to do so, means separation from the God of all creation.

Proverbs 30:7-9 NLT
7 O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die.
8 First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches!
Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.
9 For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s Holy Name.

Salvation Prayer