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rochcov 
1st Service, Sermons, Neil Taylor 
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Luke 13:6-9
Key Point: God uses the difficulties of life (digging/dunging) to give us grace to grow into productive partners in mission
Planted on purpose for a purpose
Caretaker becomes caregiver – interceding with a promise
Process of care involved “digging and dunging” = promise??
Where are we being prepared for growth by the Caregiver?
Preparation is often painful
Preparation is often dirty and slow
Fruit = signs of the Caretaker
Process makes us empathetic “partners in pain”
Process makes us humble “there but for the grace of God”
Process makes us fruitful “fulfilling our destiny”
What is our destiny? Apple vs. entire orchard!
“When God blesses us, God also has someone else in mind”
“Praise God from Whom all blessing flow” – we’re designed to be a conduit for grace
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12:13 Then someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 12:14 But Jesus said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator between you two?” 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 12:16 He then told them a parable: “The land of a certain rich man produced an abundant crop, 12:17 so he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 12:18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 12:19 And I will say to myself, “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”‘ 12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 12:21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, but is not rich toward God.”
Key Point: God warns us against being tempted to use apparent good for inadvertent evil
Cry for rights = cultural characteristic
Where are we demanding our “rights” (covering our greed)?
Greed is an invisible, parasitical sin – cf. myth of King Midas
Parable invites us to reconsider our priorities:
It is not bad to have good things
But is too much of a good thing really good?
Many of our greatest temptations are not to do wrong – obvious evil; but to pursue too much of a good thing – to do good for ourselves, instead of serving God?
Only parable where God is a key actor Life is a loan with a “pay on demand” clause
God wants to give us His Kingdom of love; do we use resources to build a kingdom of self?
To be rich towards God = being generous towards others
Serving Jesus as our true Boss
“Psalm 23 For The Workplace”
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