Foolish Greed

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 3rd of August, 2025.  A recording of our service should be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.]

The bible is often misquoted when people say that money is the root of all evil.  The actual phrase comes from the Apostle Paul’s 1st letter to his young protégé Timothy when he states that, “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”  Paul goes on to add that, “some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”

Money itself isn’t a bad thing.  It’s the love of money – the love of what money can do – that corrupts people.  And we actually have a couple of instances in our bible of rich people who are OK with God as long as they are honest and their hearts are clean.  But we also have a couple examples of some whose wealth only makes them greedier for more.

One such instance occurred when Jesus was speaking to a crowd that just kept growing and growing, to the point that the people were stepping on each other.  He warned the people to be wary of the Pharisees and their hypocrisy.  He promised that anyone who acknowledges Him publicly, He will acknowledge in heaven, but anyone who denies Him, He will deny in heaven.  And He told us not to worry about how to defend ourselves if brought to trial over our faith, for the Holy Spirit will give us the words.

But that’s not all He said.  Please listen and follow along as Jesus continues His lesson as recorded for us in chapter 12 of the Apostle Luke’s Gospel account, verses 13 through 21, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…

13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”

14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made Me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

16 Then He told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

--Luke 12:13-21 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, thank You for sending us a great Teacher, who shared Your will with us and demonstrated the ways of heaven by how He lived and interacted with others.  He used every opportunity as a teaching moment, trying to help Your children see and understand the truth.  And You gave us this mission of reconciliation, too, Father.  But with all the challenges in life, we sometimes struggle to summon up the will to do as You command.  If we truly loved all others as You command us, we would be more than happy to help reconcile all people to You by sharing Jesus with them.  Please forgive us our failures, Father.  Help us more closely follow Your command so that others may also find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, our worship, and our service.  And please keep us healthy and safe through these trying times.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Leo Tolstoy once wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was not satisfied with his lot.  He wanted more of everything.  One day he received a novel offer.  For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day.  The only catch in the deal was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown.  Early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace.  By midday he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground.  Well into the afternoon he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point.  He quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run, knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder would be lost.  As the sun began to sink below the horizon he came within sight of the finish line.  Gasping for breath, his heart pounding, he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered across the line just before the sun disappeared.  He immediately collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth.  In a few minutes he was dead.  Afterwards, his servants dug a grave.  It was not much over six feet long and three feet wide.  The title of Tolstoy's story was, “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”

Our insatiable appetite for more and more will only lead to our downfall.  There really is only so much we need to get through this life.  It's not how much we have, but how we use what we have, that will matter in the end.

You could say it’s only coincidence that both Jesus and Tolstoy told stories about greedy farmers.  After all, farmers aren’t the only type of folk who can be greedy, who are tempted by more and more.  But then again, I personally define “coincidence” as “the hand of God”.

I believe the Spirit led me to both the parable and the story, not because the spotlight was on a farmer, but because both make the point in simplistic terms that we can all understand and relate to.  In both stories, God did not fault the farmer for being rich and successful.  It was only when their riches – what God had already granted them - didn’t satisfy them and they wanted more and more.  More and bigger barns, more land, more wealth.  And in the end they lost it all.  If they had enjoyed a rich relationship with God, they would have been delighted with what they had been given and not wanted more.

Jesus said that life is not measured by how much we own, nor by how great our worldly wealth.  Our desire for material things leads us in the wrong direction.

There was a day when the Pharisees admonished the disciples for not following the traditional hand-washing ritual before eating.  Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, using this as another teaching moment.  The Apostle Mark saved for us what Jesus said to them and the crowd that gathered, in the 7th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 20 through 23…

20 And then He added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”

--Mark 7:20-23 (NLT)

It’s not what we have that corrupts us.  It’s not what we eat or drink that fills us with foolishness, that fuels our evil ways.  It’s what is in our heart that makes the difference in how we act.  And if we don’t have that rich relationship with God, then our hearts are filled with lust and desire.  Greed takes over and we want more, no matter what we might have to do to get it.  But how much more do we really need?  How much land, how much money, how much wealth is enough?

Remember, it’s not money or wealth that causes us problems, that makes us evil in God’s eyes.  It’s the love of material, earthly wealth that drives our greed and desire, that becomes our idol replacing God in our lives.  All those defining traits Jesus mentioned in Mark’s account reflect the things of the earth, our desire for earthly things, the hold this world has over us.  The Apostle Paul tells us we need to shift our focus, in the first two verses of the 3rd chapter of his Letter to the Colossians when he writes…

1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

--Colossians 3:1-2 (NLT)

Think about the things of heaven rather than worldly things.  Turn our focus to God, and enrich our relationship with Him.  Don’t covet what someone else has; be happy for them that they have it.

Trust in God to provide for all we need, and He will give us even more.  As Habakkuk said, wealth is treacherous, but our faithfulness to God, our trust in Him, is never misplaced.  Trust in God, and be happy and content with all He gives, for He is all we need.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for providing for all our needs and then giving us even more.  Father, we know that sometimes we think we need something more.  We see something we want, maybe something someone else has, and we think we need it to make our life complete.  Remind us, Father, that You give us all we truly need.  We know that this world is full of greedy people, people who will do anything to get more and more.  Greed is a horrible tool the devil employs, and it ruins lives of both the guilty and the innocent.  Remove greed from our hearts, please God, and forgive us those times we want more.  Please help us reach out to others and share with them what Jesus teaches.  Help us lead them to Jesus so they too may be saved. 

Father, please shield us from Satan as he attacks our faith, trying to make us his own.  Help us be better servants, glorifying You in all we do so that the world can see You in us, through our deeds, in how we live.  And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what comes our way.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for taking every possible opportunity to provide us with a life lesson, a teaching moment, so that we can learn more about the ways and will of God.  We know that we receive all we need to get by, but sometimes we long for more.  Sometimes we just think that some thing will make our life better.  Please forgive us, Lord.  We know it disappoints You when we let greed get the better of us, even if only for a moment.  Please help us be more like You, focusing more on the things of heaven, on what You have taught us.  Help us serve You by telling more people all about You and what You taught.  Help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.  Give us the words to say, show us the deeds to do to lead the lost to You.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.