In Whom Do You Trust? • 09.27.26
Nick Lees   -   September 27, 2026

In Whom Do You Trust?
Luke 12:13-34

Called to trust and seek God over self

  1. Recognize the folly of trusting in self
  2. Put off anxiety by trusting God
  3. Put on trust in God by seeking his kingdom

Manuscript:

Good morning, church family! Welcome visitors + introduce self

Speak of the joy of celebrating with folks obeying Christ in believer’s baptism at the end of our services today. (3 @ 9; 2 @ 11)

Dismiss 4th + 5th graders

Ushers + Bibles (Luke 12; page 1035)

If you were to pull our currency out of your wallet or purse and look at it, you would find the phrase “In God We Trust” inscribed upon it. In fact, I have a dollar bill and a coin with me today and though you can’t see it, this phrase is on each. I point this out to you because there is great irony that our passage for today has Jesus warning the people about putting their trust in things other than God. What makes this ironic is the context for this teaching comes from how you view and use money or possessions! The money that declares “In God We Trust” on it is often the very same thing we misuse to reveal that it is more accurate to say – “In Self We Trust”.

This is why I titled our sermon In Whom Do You Trust? Jesus’ teachings are going to reveal this is a very important question with an even more important answer. And, as we’re about to learn today, how you think about and use money or possessions reveals the true answer for your life.

As we pick back up in Luke 12, we are continuing to hear Jesus’ instructions to the crowds and his disciples. Remember that he is on his way to Jerusalem, where he knows what awaits him – rejection, arrest, and crucifixion. On this journey, Jesus is making the most of the time by rebuking the religious hypocrites, instructing the disciples in authentic faith, and calling the crowds to repent and believe in him before it is too late. Last week, we heard him prepare his disciples for perseverance in the face of the inevitable opposition and persecution that was coming their way. He assured them that God cares deeply for them and has authority infinitely greater than mere men, therefore they did not need to fear man. He also had promised that God would be with them in their suffering, providing the words to say to testify to the truth about Jesus.

Jesus does not want them to face opposition and persecution unprepared. He knows what is coming. In fact, in combination with what we’re going to learn about today, Jesus is addressing two of the primary hindrances to authentic faith that he warned about earlier in the parable of the soils in Luke 8 – trials and the pleasures and riches of this life. These are the hindrances that choked out soils #2 and #3. Jesus does not want his disciples to fall prey to either!

So, let’s read our text for today in Luke 12:13-34. We’re going to start with verses 13-21.

Luke 12:13–21 (ESV)

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 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 his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: 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 ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

As Jesus is preparing his disciples for perseverance, someone from the crowd interjects! He wants Jesus to use his influence as a Rabbi (Teacher) to make his brother handle an inheritance in a specific way. This does not sit well with Jesus, and he refuses to get involved in this situation. But Jesus then uses this interruption as a teaching opportunity! He warns them to watch out or be on guard against greed. Life is more than having greater amounts of money or possessions!

This then leads to a parable. Jesus is known for using parables to teach surprising lessons. In this instance, he speaks of a rich man who has a bumper crop harvest. It seems to be an enviable situation – who wouldn’t want to have more resources than you know what to do with? Surely this man is blessed! Yet, as we heard, he now has a dilemma. His barns are too small. So, he asks himself, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?” There is a lot you can learn from listening to this man’s thinking and reasoning. Here it is again: “I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain 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.’”

What do you hear in this man’s inner-dialogue? “I, I, I, my, my, my…” He is entirely focused on himself. He isn’t thinking about God, nor is there any indication he has any concern for others. What he wants is to have a nice, easy life where he can spend his days doing what he wants. If we’re being honest, we can relate to this man, can’t we? Maybe we don’t ALWAYS think this way… but it is a regular temptation for nearly everyone. Who doesn’t daydream from time to time about what they would do if they suddenly won the lottery or came into a large inheritance? We live in a world that promotes hitting it big, looking out for #1 (self), and encourages you to acquire more so that you can live your best life now. Our culture promotes the message that if you just had _____, then you would be happy!

In fact, as I was preparing for this sermon, I came across a satirical work by Mark Twain called The Revised Catechism. It is a parody of the Westminster Catechism to critique the greed and corruption of America in his lifetime. Listen to just one piece of it:

“What is the chief end of man?

—to get rich. In what way?—dishonestly if he can; honestly if he must.”

This is parodying the first question of the Westminster which says “What is the chief end of man?

Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.” Do you see/hear the difference?

The heart of man down through the ages has struggled with living for self, which inevitably takes the form of greed – the intense and selfish desire for wealth and possessions – so we can live out our days as we want, in comfort and ease. This is a common human struggle. To desire what we do not have. And to selfishly misuse what we do have rather than use it for the glory of God and good of others.

This was the undoing of King Solomon, who though commended for his desire for wisdom was led astray by the vast wealth he acquired and pleasures he pursued. It was the undoing of Demas, who deserted the Apostle Paul because he loved this present world more than Christ. It paved the path to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, as we are told that he had charge of the disciple’s moneybag and used to help himself to what was put into it. Selfishness and greed go hand in hand, and they lead to terrible places.

Jesus drew a shocking conclusion to his parable in verses 20-21:

Luke 12:20–21 (ESV)

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

The rich man thought he was set for life! From his perspective, his greatest days were ahead of him. He thought he was calling the shots! Yet he could not have been more wrong… he could not see things from God’s perspective… God identifies him as a fool because he has not lived in light of eternity. His focus was on self rather than God. He trusted in his own plan rather than trusting God. His decision to hoard his wealth for selfish pursuits rather than to use it for the glory of God and good of others had eternal consequences!

This and the lessons that follow drive our emphasis for today. We are…

Called to trust and seek God over self

And the way we get to trusting and seeking God over self begins as we…

  1. Recognize the folly of trusting in self

This is what is being driven home in verses 13-21. It is foolish to embrace greed/covetousness. It will not end well for you if your life is focused on self. If you ignorantly think that you are calling the shots. These are the behaviors and thinking of fools!

This man found his comfort and ease in his own provisions for himself but did not realize that God’s judgment was looming. His self-focus clouded his view of eternal matters. And the outcome is judgment that will not go well for him. He had neglected God’s purpose for creating him and putting him on earth – to seek God, to know God, and to live for God. This man could have had a full life that used his prosperity to do much good to others for the glory of God, but instead he squandered his life in selfishness. He is an example of the 3rd soil, whose fruit was choked out by the cares and riches and pleasures of life.

Can you relate to this at all? How tempting it is to think that we are working for our own gain, our own comfort, our own security for the future! What drives your decisions when it comes to finances or job opportunities? Is it “what will position me to do more good to others for the glory of God?” or is it “what will give me the lifestyle I want? What will allow me to feel secure for my desired future?”

Jesus’ parable is needed in our day and age just as much as his! We are still prone to trust in self. To make plans for our future irrespective of what God may say or want from us. To hoard resources rather than to share them generously for the kingdom and glory of God.

You see the purpose of this parable is not to serve as a cry against wealth or having a “good year” that produces much. No, it is to cry against those who are self-centered and greedy in their handling of wealth. God has not put us on this earth to only care about self. We are made in his image, called to have dominion, and to use what he entrusts to us for the glory of His kingdom and the good of others. A life that is consumed by greed and self-focus fails to honor God. It is a perversion of his design for our lives. Jesus is going to give us more to consider on this in the coming verses.

But before we continue reading, let me circle back to the original interjection to make one more observation – living with a self-focus induces anxiety. “Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” I want this. I need this. When your focus is on self you are dependent on self to provide. Hence the man doing what he can to try to get some of the inheritance. He is willing to turn against his own brother to get what he wants. Let’s hear about a God-given alternative in verses 22-31.

Luke 12:22–31 (ESV)

22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Notice he shifts his attention back to the disciples. Though the lesson began with the crowd, it is his disciples who receive the most directed teaching. He wants them to learn not to be anxious about their lives by learning to seek after and trust God. He gives them several arguments why they should forsake the anxiety of self-focused living for trusting God.

Let’s consider his arguments…

First, he reminds them that to fixate on physical provision is short-sighted because life is about much more than what you will eat or what you will wear. The moment you make what you have your focus; you have oriented your life away from the most important thing about you – your relationship with God! How many people do you know that are so busy, so consumed with obtaining more in this life – more money, a nicer home/car, a better career – that they have forsaken a relationship with God? The longer you think about it, the more people you are likely able to come up with. And, if you’re not careful to heed this lesson, it could be you! It is far too easy to be caught up in our consumeristic, materialistic culture. “Did you see the new iPhone that just came out? My laptop is too old and slow. Boy, having a new car would sure be nice. This home isn’t what I want, I wish it were bigger. These clothes are too old.” You get the idea. You can fill it in with what you’re tempted to rehearse to yourself. When we make life about what we own/possess rather than about our relationship with God, everything else in life is askew. It’s off. We’re not functioning the way we have been designed. And this disharmony with how we were made creates incredible anxiety in our lives. Where do you need to confess and forsake an unhealthy pursuit of physical provision?

Jesus’ second argument is an invitation to consider the ravens. This is one he’ll repeat two more times with an invitation to consider the lilies and the grass. By doing so, Jesus is inviting Christians to consider God’s provision for lesser parts of creation to realize how much more he will provide for humans who are made in God’s image! These lesser parts of creation do not worry or fear about whether they will have what they need. They simply carry out the purpose for which they were made and glorify God. Even though they are temporary in nature, God has provided for them. CONSIDER HOW MUCH MORE HE WILL CARE FOR YOU, WHO ARE MADE IN HIS IMAGE AND WILL LAST FOR ETERNITY! To doubt God’s care and provision for your life and live in anxiousness is evidence of deficient faith. This is not to say that you are not a Christian, but rather that, in those moments, you are lacking in faith. You are failing to trust God, who we heard last week has complete authority and is intent on doing good to you! You can trust him! Don’t get caught up in the trap of self-dependence. You were not made to be sufficient in and of yourself. You need God! And he will provide.

What would it look like for you to consider God’s provision for the birds, the flowers, or the grass this week and to take heart in God? Perhaps you need to go stand outside and just watch or listen for a bit. I find myself doing this quite often in my mornings throughout the week. And then take time to respond in prayer and worship. “Thank you, Lord, for creating all these and for creating me. Thank you for caring for the details of your creation. For providing for the least of these and for people like me. Help me to trust in you and to put off anxiety today!”

This prayer is in line with our second takeaway in being called to trust and seek God over self…

  1. Put off anxiety by trusting God

Put off the noisiness of your soul, the fear that you’re giving yourself over to, by replacing it with active trust in God. For the very reasons Jesus has already laid out here, two of which we’ve reviewed. Let’s consider two more.

The third is found in verse 25-26, where Jesus poses a question. “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” What is the answer to that question? No one! He then explains, “If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” Jesus is confronting us with the ineffectiveness of anxiety. It produces NOTHING. It is useless! So why worry? It will not produce anything. Your situation will not change because of worry. No one will be edified by your anxiety, including yourself. Are you willing to admit the ineffectiveness of anxiety? That it is a fruitless endeavor that is not worth your time or effort?

If so, then you are ready for the final reason Jesus gives for forsaking the anxiety of self-focused living for trusting God. It comes at the end of this section in verses 30-31.

Luke 12:30–31 (ESV)

30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

God is deeply aware of your needs! Just as he knows the depth of our hearts, he knows our daily needs. In fact, he is more aware than we are of what we ACTUALLY need. And he is the GOOD Father who delights to provide what we need. Do you recall the Lord’s teaching on prayer back in Luke 11? “Give us each day our daily bread…” This is a request we can make to God because he knows what we need each day and he is ABLE to provide it. This is a prayer of faith and trust in God. It is forsaking trust in self for trust in God. You also need to remember what comes immediately before this request for our daily bread, “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.” We start by confessing God as our Heavenly Father and expressing our desire for his name to be revered and his rule and reign to be recognized!

This is the proper heart orientation of a disciple. One who perseveres to the end. One whose fruit is not choked out by the cares and pleasures of this life nor falls away in a time of testing. Jesus is preparing his people for what is coming. It was relevant then and it is still relevant today.

You WILL face many temptations in this life to be divided in your loyalty to King Jesus. Some may face persecution. Others may find themselves provided with much wealth/possessions. Both are opportunities to trust in God rather than self. What you do next will reveal whom you worship.

Will you cry out to God for help in boldly witnessing for him in trials? Or will you deny him before men?

Will you use the resources he has entrusted to you for the kingdom of God and good of others? Or will you make selfish plans for a life of comfort and ease without regard for others?

The better way is to put off anxiety by trusting God. Do not get caught up in the rat race of Western consumeristic culture. Do not believe the lie that if you just had more, you would be happy. Heed the warnings of King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 2:1 (ESV)

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 (ESV)

10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

Solomon had more than we could dream of, yet he confessed that it was vanity in comparison to living for God.

Heed the wise words of King David in Psalm 16:

Psalm 16:11 (ESV)

11      You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

True life, joy, and pleasure come from walking with God and living for him. There is a purposefulness that Jesus is commending to his disciples in this teaching. He has warned them of the folly of trusting in self, he has encouraged them to put off anxiety by trusting in God, and now we see his positive instruction on what to do next in verses 31-34.

Luke 12:31–34 (ESV)

31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Jesus’ positive instruction is to seek God’s kingdom. This is how we live out our faith and trust in God, by forsaking our kingdom for his. In essence, we are joining with Jesus in saying, “Not my will, but yours be done!”

So, our final takeaway in being called to trust and seek God over self is to…

  1. Put on trust in God by seeking his kingdom

This is our active obedience. It is adopting the posture of, “I am going to pursue God’s desires. I want to align my life with what he wants. I want the world to know his rule and reign by living in obedience with his will.”

Adopting this posture of active obedience is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ. If you are realizing that you are the self-focused man/woman whose life needs to change, then I want to encourage you to trust in Jesus’ finished work. He died to rescue sinners like us from our selfishness. He rose again to conquer sin and death, so that we could be given new life and be able to live this godly, fulfilling life. If you find yourself stuck in anxiety, stuck in the rat race of Western society, stuck in discontentment and always wanting more… there is a better way! His name is Jesus Christ, and he stands ready to forgive and redeem. You can cry out to him in prayer, confess your need for him to forgive you, and ask him to help you trust him and seek his kingdom today!

And how wonderful that this is directly connected with putting off fear/anxiety! Once again Jesus speaks with a term of endearment – calling his disciples “little flock”. What a wonderful reminder that we are his sheep and he is our Good Shepherd. Not to mention that we have a Heavenly Father who delights to give us the kingdom! This is a wonderful reminder and promise from Jesus that God is FOR his people. He wants them to experience the joy of his rule and reign. When God’s will is done, then blessings and security overflow. This is experienced in this life in our salvation, our ongoing growth in holiness (sanctification), and the certainty of God’s provision of eternal life for us (glorification)! If God is willing to give us such incredible spiritual blessings, then how will he not also graciously provide us with our daily needs?! He will. And we have the privilege of learning to trust him each day for our breath, our heartbeat, and for the food we’re going to put on the table or the money to pay our bills.

In fact, Jesus gives additional teaching on how to seek God’s kingdom. In verses 33-34, he commands the disciples to stop focusing on self and begin caring for others. He does so by telling them to sell their possessions and give to the needy.

That’s pretty shocking teaching, isn’t it? What does Jesus mean? And why does he say this?

He is connecting generosity with the confidence that God is willing and able to provide. When you stop trusting in yourself and begin trusting in God, you are in a position to be generous towards others. You recognize that you were not put on earth simply to store up wealth for yourself and live a comfortable, easy life. Scrooge McDuck is not to be our role model. We want to be more like the Christians of the early church, who lived this out.

Acts 2:44–45 (ESV)

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

Acts 4:34–35 (ESV)

34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

These Christians were sacrificial to meet the needs of others. Those who had more were willing to help those who had less, even at great cost to self. There is no indication that this was forced upon anyone, but that it was completely voluntary for the good of all. This same kind of mutual ministry was in effect later in the way the Gentile churches took up offerings to send to support the church in Jerusalem during their time of need. (Slide)

The principle at play here is that you forsake self-focus to care for others! Jesus doesn’t necessarily spell out how much to keep for self vs. to give for care of others. Nor does he specify who the others are. These are things we must wrestle out with the Scriptures and the Spirit in prayer. But take heed of the principle laid out in the second half of verse 33 and into 34. How we use the resources God has entrusted to us has eternal ramifications. (repeat)

Wise stewards realize that it is far better to please God by being generous in this life and thereby receiving God’s blessing in heaven. Jesus links our use of money with the orientation of our heart. You can either point your heart towards God by obeying him and being generous or point your heart towards self by living miserly.

As you go through life, have an intentional plan to use your resources in a way that blesses others. Micaela and I have found it beneficial to create line items in our budget that are for this purpose. You could have a special giving fund that you set aside money for each month, so that when a need arises, you’re ready to meet it. You could budget to sponsor a child through Compassion International or support a missionary or a non-profit that is doing good work. The point is to be intentional to use your resources to give and help others!

This is not a calling to be paupers. You will need resources to feed your family, put a home over their heads, clothes on their backs, etc., Obviously you will need resources to be generous! But this is a calling to forsake selfishness, to forsake poor financial management, and to put off anxiety over the cares and concerns of this world by trusting in the Lord. I hope that these callings have come through loud and clear from the text today. I am looking forward to how God works in our church family as we faithfully apply this to our lives.

May we be a church full of households who are seeking to do good to others. May we be humble enough to ask for help if we are struggling with financial management. May we learn how to budget and say NO to selfish purchases so that we can be generous. And I pray that will be true for all of us, both young and old. This is necessary for all ages. And parents/grandparents, you have the privilege and responsibility of modeling it for the next generation! Show them how much better God’s way is than the world’s way.

Now, before we close our services with celebrating baptism, I want to remind you of something rather timely and important! Starting next Sunday, our services begin 30 minutes earlier. (Slide) So you have an important decision to make. Will you show up for the 8:30 or 10:30 service?

Ironically, I realized this week that Pastor Jack will be preaching the next two weeks as I will be attending the ACBC annual conference. I promise that I didn’t change the service times earlier only to skip town and leave you to deal with it! I will actually be in attendance both Sundays, but he will be leading us in the study of God’s Word.

Baptism

As I’ve mentioned, we have five individuals who are publicly professing their faith in Jesus Christ through believer’s baptism today. They want the world to know that they have turned from sin and are following Jesus. What a privilege it is to end our service with these baptisms.

Baptism is an act of obedience for all who follow Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus’ last command to his disciples was to go and make disciples of all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that Jesus taught.

As we see in Scripture, baptism is a public profession of a spiritual reality in a person’s life – namely that they have responded to Jesus Christ in faith for the forgiveness of their sins and that they desire to live for him. Baptism is not earning these folks any merit with God, but it is an act of obedience and worship. We have the privilege of witnessing this declaration, celebrating with these individuals, and partnering with them on the journey of a life of faithful service to Jesus.

In the Scriptures, we see that baptism is done after a person professes faith in Christ and it’s done by immersing them in water. The reason for this is that it symbolizes the person’s unity with Jesus’ own death, burial, and resurrection. Consider what Romans 6 teaches:

Romans 6:1–4 (ESV)

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Going under the water symbolizes the person’s death to their sin (the old way of life) and coming back up again symbolizes their being raised from the dead to new life (following Christ).

If, after listening to these folks today, you realize that you do not have a testimony of faith like them, I would love to talk with you about that after the service. If you’re here and you’ve never taken the step of obedience to be baptized as a believer, then I would encourage you to email the church and let us know that you’d like to do so as soon as possible!

Here is the plan for our baptisms today:

  • There are 3 individuals being baptized at 9am and two more at the 11am service
    • Tori Pelzer
    • Benjamin Spracklin
    • Savannah Korodan
    • Aaron Williamson (11)
    • Megan Lees (11)

I’d like to invite Tori forward to share a brief testimony of her faith in Christ this morning.

  • Tori shares her testimony.
  • Baptize her.
  • Invite Benjamin forward to share his testimony.
  • Baptize him.
  • Invite Savannah forward to share her testimony.
  • Baptize her.

Let’s worship our King together!

Let’s pray.