1. II. HOW DO I KNOW IF GREED HAS A GRIP ON ME?
1.1. Some of the symptoms of greed are
1.1.1. Obsessiveness
1.1.1.1. Luke 12:13 provides the setting for this parable: a man blurted out, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
1.1.1.2. In spite of the inappropriateness of interrupting Jesus’ sermon, the man could not control himself. When our “wanter” is out of control, greed has set in.
1.1.2. Anxiety.
1.1.2.1. Jesus gives express instructions not to worry about material things but to focus on what is really important (Luke 12:22).
1.1.3. Self-esteem tied to possessions
1.1.3.1. When we seek or derive our significance and approval from what we have, wear, drive, or the like, we are greedy (Luke 12:23).
1.1.4. Compromise for the sake of gain
1.1.4.1. Greed has set in when we set aside our values if they might cost us our wants.
1.1.5. Putting material things over spiritual things
1.1.5.1. Greedy people often sacrifice worship and service in the pursuit of more. Crowded schedules of daily life choke out time with God and time for God.
1.1.6. Loving things and using people.
1.1.6.1. We should love people and use things. Practicing the opposite is a symptom of greed.
1.1.6.2. When relationships become expendable in the desire for more of the material, greed has a grip on you.
2. III. HOW DO I BREAK FREE OF GREED?
2.1. Set your priorities to reflect life’s real meaning and purpose
2.1.1. In Luke 12:31 Jesus calls us to seek his kingdom first. Give attention to that part of you “below the waterline,” your soul.
2.2. Trust God to take care of your needs
2.2.1. Jesus also tells us not to be afraid, but to trust in him (Luke 12:32).
2.2.2. Since God will take care of our real needs in life, we can hold our possessions loosely and even afford to be generous (2 Corinthians 9:6–8).
2.3. Make yourself rich toward God
2.3.1. In Luke 12:21 Jesus criticizes the rich man for not being “rich toward God,” while in 12:33 he commands, “Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven.”
2.3.2. When we give to God, we are actually laying up treasure in Heaven.
3. CONCLUSION
3.1. Jesus is teaching us that it is possible that our preoccupation with things and our hope that they will bring
3.1.1. contentment
3.1.2. pleasure
3.1.3. security,
3.1.4. self-worth
3.2. In fact, cost us our very souls. We must be sure that greed does not have a grip on us
3.2.1. We must find our true source of satisfaction in God and invest our lives in ways that last and have eternal significance
4. God wants us to overcome our greed and selfishness so we can put his purposes for our lives first.
4.1. The story Jesus told in Luke 12 is acted out as regularly today as it was in Jesus’ day.
4.2. In this story, Jesus offers us some simple yet profound instruction on how to conquer greed.
4.3. We can conquer greed by making God’s work our priority and trusting him to meet our needs.
5. I. WHAT’S SO WRONG WITH GREED?
5.1. According to the apostle Paul, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10).
5.2. Greed is the excessive desire to acquire or possess more material wealth than one needs. Greedy people are caught in an endless effort to satisfy their wants without ever reaching satisfaction.
5.3. The greedy man in Jesus’ parable is described as selfish, having no thought for anyone but himself.
5.3.1. He failed to acknowledge that God had blessed him and made his abundance possible
5.3.2. He was a man of confused purpose. He had no awareness of God’s plan for his life—to be a steward of the great resources entrusted to him
5.3.3. He was, God said, a fool (Luke 12:20).