The Danger of Bigger Barns

The Heart of the Kingdom: Living Love and Justice

The Danger of Bigger Barns

Luke 12:13–15 13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

Luke 12:16–17 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

Luke 12:18–19 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

Luke 12:20–21 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

You can have a full barn and still live an empty life.

‘You fool.’


Point 1: Just Because You’re Doesn’t Mean You’re “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.” (v.16)

You can be full of stuff and still empty inside.

Point 2: The Bigger the , the Smaller the “I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones…” (v.18)



Self-conversations usually lead to self-delusion.



If your vision doesn’t include others, it’s too small.

God didn’t bless you to build an empire with your name on it. He blessed you to build a Kingdom with HIS name on it.

Point 3: Your Soul Has an Date “This very night your life will be demanded from you.” (v.20)



Don’t spend your whole life planning for retirement and forget about the resurrection.

Moving from barn-builder to Kingdom-builder.


God is not calling you to feel guilty, but to refocus!


The Danger of Bigger Barns