Life does not consist in the abundance of things, but in the abundance of a life that is centred on God.  This message was given on December 7, 2014 at New City Church in Calgary by Pastor John Ferguson. For more info visit: www.newcitychurch.ca

2. God Gives Us His Words of Eternal Life
Luke 12:13-21
Today’s Scripture:
Found on page 871 in our guest Bibles.

3. “…a painful,
contagious, socially
transmitted condition
of overload, debt,
anxiety, and waste
resulting from the
dogged pursuit of
more.”

4. No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come

5. Is it possible
that our lives
are defined by
the “dogged
pursuit of more” ?

7. Luke 12:13-14
Someone in the crowd said to him,
“Teacher, tell my brother to divide
the inheritance with me.” But he
said to him, “Man, who made me a
judge or arbitrator over you?”

8. Luke 12:15
And he said to them, “Take care,
and be on your guard against all
covetousness, for one’s life does
not consist in the abundance of
possessions.”

9. Luke 12:15
And he said to them, “Take care,
and be on your guard against all
covetousness, for one’s life does
not consist in the abundance of
possessions.”

10. $33,500+
=
Top 5% wealthiest
on the planet.
worldwealthcalculator.org

11. I must continually guard
myself against greed because
I am prone to thinking that life
consists in the abundance of
possessions.

12. Luke 12:16-17
And he told them a parable, saying,
“The land of a rich man produced
plentifully, and he thought to himself,
‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere
to store my crops?”

13. He was
thankless #1

14. “Beware lest you say in
your heart, ‘My power
and the might of my hand
have gotten me this
wealth.’ You shall
remember the Lord your
God, for it is he who
gives you the power to
get wealth….”!
~ The Prophet Moses in !
Deuteronomy 8:17!

15. He has a
mistaken
view of
wealth
#2

16. He has
no room in
his thoughts
for God
#3

17. “Take care lest you forget the Lord your
God….lest when you have eaten and are full
and have built good houses and live in
them, and when…your silver and gold is
multiplied and all that you have is multiplied,
then your heart will be lifted up, and you
forget the Lord your God….”!
~ The Prophet Moses in Deuteronomy 8:11-14!

18. Luke 12:18-19
And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear
down my barns and build bigger
ones, and there I will store all my
grains and my goods. And I will say
to my soul, “Soul, you have ample
goods laid up for many years; relax,
eat, drink, be merry.”

19. Luke 12:20-21
But God said to him, “Fool! This
night your soul is required of you,
and the things you have prepared,
whose will they be?” So is the one
who lays up treasure for himself
and is not rich toward God.

20. Main Idea
Life does not consist
in the abundance of things,
but in the richness of a life
that is centred on God.

21. 1
Choose whom you will serve

23. “You worship
money…. You’re part
of a culture where
everything is
measured by money.
It’s a religion.”

24. “No servant can serve
two masters, for either
he will hate the one and
love the other, or he will
be devoted to the one
and despise the other.
You cannot serve
God and money.” ~ Jesus of Nazareth in
The Gospel of Luke 16:13

25. “He who loves
money will not be
satisfied with money,
nor he who loves
wealth with his
income.” ~ King Solomon
Ecclesiastes 5:10

26. Know that money is not evil,
2 but it can be very dangerous.

27. “Those who desire to be rich fall into
temptation, into a snare, into many
senseless and harmful desires that plunge
people into ruin and destruction. For the
love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.
It is through this craving that some have
wandered away from the faith and pierced
themselves with many pangs.” !
“
~ The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:4 ”

28. 3 Treasure your True Treasure

29. “You know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was
rich, yet for your sake
he became poor, so
that you by his poverty
might become rich.”
~ The Apostle Paul in
2 Corinthians 8:9

30. “When you see him dying to make you his treasure,
that will make him yours. Money will cease to be the
currency of your significance and security, and you !
will want to bless others with what you have. To the
degree you grasp the gospel, money !
will have no dominion over you. !
Think on his costly grace…!
how he poured out his !
wealth for you…”
~ Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods

32. flickr images courtesy of:
hannah: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hanalita/5868250
Duckie Monster: http://www.flickr.com/photos/duckiemonster/2219220078
Jeff Weese: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffweese/4161935408
other images:
http://www.stereogum.com/1653522/watch-kendrick-lamar-join-imagine-dragons-on-snl/video/

33. Lord Jesus, enable me to see that my life
does not consist of the abundance of
things. In fact, my life is not my own, but
I’ve been bought with a price—the price of
your precious blood. As I learn to yield
every square inch of my life to you, give me
grace and power to be rich toward you.