Sermon Notes
Rich Towards God
THE PARABLES OF JESUS – Part 5
September 27, 2026
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.”’
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?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:13-21
Biblical Wealth Principles
1. Everything belongs to God and we are simply stewards of what he gives to us.
Job 41:11 – Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
2. Return our first portion back to God as an act of worship.
OT – Leviticus 27:30 – Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the
Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.
NT – 2 Corinthians 9:7a – “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give.”
3. Give willingly and joyfully.
2 Corinthians 9:7b – “Give not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful
giver.”
Small Group Discussion Questions for the Week of September 27, 2026.
Opening
1. What did you like to collect as a kid? How about now?
What collection are you most proud of?
Digging Deeper into the Scriptures
Read Luke 12:13-21
1. Nowhere does Jesus condemn possessions. But he has much to say about how to use them. Is this parable
teaching us that it is bad to save and steward our resources? Why or why not?
2. In Jesus’ description of the rich man, what characteristics stand out?
3. Why is it difficult for us to accept the fact that our life and things are temporary?
4. What does it look like to be rich toward God (v. 21)?
Applying the Scriptures
1. How can love for things ruin rather than enrich life?
2. How can we strike a balance in our hearts to be good stewards of our resources while also not placing our full
security in them?