Evil's Diabolical "Soul-Killers"
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Analyzing evil's three great weapons against the Gospel: false religion, the idolatry of covetousness, and the god of "self".
Text: Luke 12:13-21
Date: 11/19/2023, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 127
Description:
In the midst of a serious discussion of human responsibility to the Triune God, and the eternal consequences of blaspheming the Holy Spirit; a man abruptly interrupts Jesus with a rude request that He arbitrate a trivial temporal matter. After refusing to do so, Jesus tells a parable of a rich fool who put his trust in worldly goods and failed to be "rich towards God". We will analyze this parable and the wisdom sayings that go with it in the light of Luke's context of spiritual warfare. We will recognize this as another diabolical countermeasure whereby satan attempts to thwart the Gospel. We will also realize that this warning of covetousness parallels Jesus' earlier warning against false religions. We will recognize both of these sins as "soul-killers" that satan uses as weapons to blind people of the very culpability to the Triune God Jesus has just described. Ultimately, we will realize yet a third, implicit "soul-killer" that evil appeals to in tandem with these two-- the all-consuming god of "self".
View:
Options:
I. Introduction, Dan. 5:21-28.
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 12:13-21.
A. Context
1. Three woes concerning the Trinity.
2. The cosmic initiative and evil's diabolical countermeasures, Luke 12:1, 11:39,44.
B. The perils of trusting in possessions.
1. Setting the scene, vs. 13-14.
a. The interruption from the crowd, vs. 13.
i. The inappropriateness of the interruption.
ii. The nature of the request.
b. Jesus' harsh response, vs. 14.
i. The "snap".
ii. The refusal.
2. A proverbial warning, vs. 15.
a. The warning, Luke 12:1.
i. Defining the warnings.
ii. Defining "covetousness", Col. 3:5.
iii. A sin that indulges "self".
b. The first proverb, Job 1:21.
3. Portrait of a rich fool, vs. 16-19.
a. The source of provision, vs. 16, Amos 4:7.
b. Evidence of greed, vs. 17.
c. A selfish man, vs. 18.
d. A foolish man, vs. 19.
i. Self-centered foolishness.
ii. The hedonistic creed.
4. A dramatic turnaround, vs. 20.
a. A fool's choice, Luke 11:40.
b. The reasons he was a fool.
i. A fool for trusting in riches, 1Tim. 6:10, Isa. 31:1.
ii. A fool for trusting in himself, Isa. 40:7, James 1:11.
iii. A fool for living for the moment.
iv. A fool for not trusting in God, Dan. 2:20-21, Psa. 14:1.
5. The summation-- another proverb, Luke 12;34.
III. Application
A. A background of spiritual warfare, Gen. 3:15.
B. Three soul-killing weapons.
1. The weapon of false religion.
2. The weapon of covetous materialism.
3. The weapon of "self".
C. Our defense against the "soul-killers".
IV. Conclusion
