Luke 12:13-21

13 Someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."

14 But He said to him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?"

15 Then He said to them, (not just to the man who asked the question, but to everybody) "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."

16 And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive.

17 "And he began reasoning to himself, saying, "What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?'

18 "Then he said, "This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

19 "And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."'

20 "But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'

21 "So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Our Lord Jesus Christ sees deep within the heart of this man. He sees the problem of greed, and doesn’t directly address the question, but gives them all the answer to life.

The fool ignores the fact that time may be short, and concentrates on the things of this earth. How would live if you believed your time was short? The viewpoint we need is in:

James 4:13-14

13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."

14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

Notice, Jesus is not attacking the principle of having much. There is nothing wrong with having much! He warns people about being distracted by what they have, when in fact the time may be short for them to enjoy the blessings. It’s not a question of planning ahead. There was nothing wrong with the fool harvesting and storing what he had. His problem was that he forgot about what his soul really needed! He thought of his treasure only in terms of what he could see, touch, and hold. You’ve all heard the phrase, “you can’t take it with you.” I know that’s true, but there is some treasure that you can send ahead to where you’re going!

Matthew 6:19-21

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;

21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

That last verse gives you the key. The thing that Jesus is warning them about is not prosperity, but about ignoring the prosperity that will last you for eternity.