13. The Folly of Possessions and Riches: The Rich Fool (1983)

The Folly of Possessions and Riches: The Rich Fool
Parable: The Rich Fool 

Presented at Harbor Church, Los Angeles, California

May 15, 1983

Scripture: Luke 12:13-40

Today we’re studying the Parable of the Rich Fool. A fool is a person who misjudges means to ends and chooses the wrong end. The farmer in the Parable of the Rich Fool was a man who had chosen to let his soul rest in his wealth instead of in God.

In this parable and the story of what caused Jesus to tell it, we learn how to have a Kingdom mindset with our finances and other assets. Dallas helps us apply these concepts by inviting us to consider the question, “What is your life?”

John Wesley offered the following counsel on wealth management: “Get all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.” Dallas recommends inserting “Use all you can” into Wesley’s instructions after “Save all you can.” Use what you have for the glory of God. It’s better to have wealth in the hands of Christ’s followers than anywhere else.

This is the tenth session of our 12-part series entitled “The Parabolic Teaching About Christ’s Kingdom by Christ Himself.” On the Sunday prior to teaching about the Parable of the Rich Fool, Dallas had taught a class based on The Parable of the Hours. We don’t have that recording, but where Dallas has taught it elsewhere, he used it to illustrate the upside-down kingdom in action through the way we do business and care for those less fortunate than us. That teaching is available along with more from Dallas about financial responsibility in the Kingdom of God in The Scandal of the Kingdom: https://dwillard.org/resources/books/the-scandal-of-the-kingdom

Dallas Willard Ministries exists to proclaim, teach and manifest the love, truth and transforming power of Christ and the Kingdom of God. We invite you to partner with us by praying for our team, our efforts and our students, or by contributing financial gifts at dwillard.org/donate.

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