Making our way through the gospel of Luke, Jesus and His mission.
! Jesus is on a mission, and His mission is to seek and to save that which was lost.
And when He comes, He shows us how to live our life as well.
That we're to be on mission for Him, that we're to share the gospel with others,
and He's kind of showing us the way that we should live our own life.
And so we're going to see that again here this morning.
And we found our place there in Luke chapter number 12.
We'll begin reading in verse number 13.
The Bible says this,
And one of the company said unto him,
Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me.
And he said unto him,
Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
And he said unto them,
Take heed and beware of covetousness.
For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesses.
And he spake a parable unto them,
The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully.
And he thought within himself, saying,
What shall I do?
Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits.
And he said,
This will I do.
I will pull down my barns and build greater.
And there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
And I will say to my soul,
Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years.
Take thine ease,
Eat, drink,
and be merry.
But God said unto him,
Thou fool,
This night thy soul shall be required of thee.
Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself,
And is not rich toward God.
Maybe in your Bible it has a little heading,
The rich fool.
You think,
Well, it doesn't apply to me because I'm not rich.
It's much more than just possessions.
It's the spirit that we see here.
Because it is possible to have full barns and an empty soul.
And that's what this man's problem was.
He spent his whole life trying to live for himself
And to get what the world said you have to have
And missed the one thing that mattered.
And Jesus wants us to make sure that we don't follow that same path.
And so that's what we're going to look at this morning.
Full barns, empty souls.
So let's go to the Lord in prayer and ask his blessing on our time.
Father, thank you for this time that we can't open up the word.
Lord, I'm so thankful you've given us the word of God
To help us live our life the way that you intend for it to be
And to be designed to live.
What I do pray is we've already prayed once
That if there's somebody here today that's trying to be a good person,
Trying to do the right thing,
That maybe their faith and trust is in that,
But you would make it clear that it needs to be in you
And your work on the cross of Calvary.
Lord, that we wouldn't live our life just accumulating a bunch of things
And miss the one thing that matters.
Lord, I pray you'd be with me now.
You would empty me of self.
You would cleanse me of sin.
You'd fill me with your spirit.
Lord, I need you.
I need your words.
I need your help.
Lord, I pray that you would just
Help this be a blessing to your people today.
And we ask it in Christ's name.
Amen.
Thank you so much for standing.
You may be seated.
I heard a story about a man who died,
And he was known as a compulsive hoarder.
I'm not coming after you.
Anybody like to collect things?
I like the show American Pickers.
Anybody ever watch that show American Pickers?
Like I wish my grandpa had a barn.
His barn is not full of cool stuff.
It's full of a bunch of stuff we're going to have to throw away one day.
You know, but I watch that show and they walk in there and they're like,
Oh, it's a Model T that's never been driven.
You know, like that's a cool way to hoard.
But this gentleman in this particular story was not that way.
When he passed away, he really didn't have much family.
And so the workers went to his house and began cleaning it out.
And they found newspapers from decades ago.
And, you know, boxes are kind of piled to the ceiling.
Broken appliances everywhere.
His clothes that were in the closet that had never been worn.
Really, room after room was filled with things that he had just collected and stored.
But as the workers made their way through the house,
they soon began to discover something kind of shocking.
Hidden in the bottom of boxes and in certain areas and closets,
there was envelopes full of cash.
Full of savings bonds.
And they started collecting all of them.
They counted.
And when they counted, it was over a million dollars of cash just scattered around this house.
Now, I'm about that.
That's what I would like to find.
But that's not how he lived.
When neighbors found out that they had found over a million dollars in the house,
they said, we didn't see this one coming.
He wore the same old worn out clothes every day.
He refused to turn the heat on in the house because he didn't want to pay for it.
He ate the cheapest food he could find.
This man had wealth all around him but never enjoyed it.
He had all the money.
He had all the property that he lived on.
All the possessions.
And everything he spent his life storing up and saving and collecting went to somebody else.
And I'm sure you've heard stories like this.
And if you're like me, I think, man, what a waste.
Man, if I had that money, we start thinking about,
if I had this, then I would do this.
And we think, how could somebody live like that?
But as we come to our text here this morning in Luke's gospel,
Jesus says something even more sobering than maybe a fictional story like that.
He reminds us that it is possible to spend your entire life accumulating and saving
and storing and collecting and end up when it's all said and done with nothing to show for it.
In fact, something worse than that, to be spiritually bankrupt,
to have a soul that is neglected.
You can have full barns and an empty soul.
So here in Luke chapter number 12, Jesus tells us a story about a man like the one in our story
that had all these things and really he was doing very well on the outside.
I mean, he had a booming business.
The harvest was abundant in his case and really his future looks secure.
But we read that verse there in verse number 20, when God spoke up, here's what he said,
you're a fool.
Wow.
And the question that Jesus wants his listeners then,
and I believe he wants us today to wrestle with is this,
is how does somebody end up there?
With a man that had all the goods of life
and how does a person who appears successful and seems secure
and really has more than enough end up to a place where at the end of his life,
God says, thou fool.
And really in this parable, Jesus walks us step by step down the road this man took
so we don't travel the same road.
Because here's the reality.
You don't wake up one day and suddenly have an empty soul.
No, no, no, it's a gradual process.
It's little decisions.
It's mixed up priorities.
It's one misplaced treasure at a time.
And an empty soul, it begins with a selfish heart.
It grows into a covetous spirit.
And what that does is it really shapes a self-centered life.
And at the end, you're bankrupt.
And that's where this man is.
So if you're taking notes today, we could summarize it like this.
The path to an empty soul.
And the first step down this road begins with something we see in the crowd
before he even gets to the story.
Number one, a selfish heart.
Jesus is here and he's, and if you've been with us for the past few weeks,
I mean he's teaching some really great eternal principles.
He's really been leaning into not being a hypocrite.
Because the Pharisees and the religious crowd,
they would have been in that situation where they looked really good on the outside.
I mean they look like this man in the story.
Everything looks like they have it together.
But in the inside, they were dead and they were just putting on a facade.
And Jesus began to teach that to those that were following,
listen, you don't need to fear man.
You need to fear God.
Because they were living in fear of keeping all of these rules
and not running into the Pharisees.
And really, Jesus says,
you've got to make sure who your allegiance lies to.
That it's either man or it's to God.
And in the middle of all of this,
when he's dealing with matters of eternal importance,
a man interrupts the sermon.
And he's like,
hey Jesus,
make my brother give me my inheritance.
You think,
what is the deal here?
I mean you talk about a selfish request.
This man kind of seems way off.
He's not saying,
Lord,
teach us something spiritual.
He's like,
Lord,
give me my money.
I mean that's what's going on right here.
Kind of in the middle of Jesus' sermon.
Because if your Bible's like mine,
there's a bunch of red letters.
And then there's this guy asking a really dumb question.
And just write this down.
There is such things as a dumb question.
You know,
there is.
This is one of them.
But I'm glad he asked,
because Jesus is going to use this opportunity
to teach us a great principle.
Because we notice this man's tone
when he says,
Master,
speak to my brother
that he divide the inheritance with me.
He doesn't ask Jesus to evaluate the situation.
He doesn't ask Jesus for wisdom.
No,
I think you see there,
he demands it.
You know,
that's kind of how my kids do sometimes.
Tell them to be nice.
Tell them this is not theirs.
Anybody else's kids like that?
Just mine?
Okay,
I thought so.
You know,
we do it the same way.
You go to your boss,
tell them that this is mine,
you know.
We still have that.
But here's really what he's saying
in verse number 13.
Jesus,
take my side.
That's what he's wanting.
He's wanting somebody
with a little bit of clout.
Somebody that has
some authority
to tell his brother
he's wrong.
That I want what I want.
And really,
he's so consumed
with what he believes
belongs to him
that he interrupts Jesus
when he's teaching
about the importance
of these eternal matters.
And while speaking about the soul,
this man's worried about his estate
that he feels like
he's getting gypped on.
And that's kind of where he's at.
And I love Jesus' response.
He doesn't say,
hey man,
he didn't say,
you're a great guy.
He said,
who do you think you are?
And that's verse 14.
When he said,
man.
This wasn't a kind tone.
This wasn't a normal greeting.
He was kind of putting
this man in his place.
He's saying,
man,
who made me a judge?
This is not what I'm here for.
This is not my mission
is what Jesus says.
He's telling this guy,
listen,
I didn't come here
to be a probate judge.
He's like,
this isn't on my docket.
I'm not here to settle
family estates.
Now as we walk through
the Gospel of Luke,
we realize this.
Jesus came to deal
with something far more important.
Our heart.
That's what he's searching for.
That's what he's desiring.
That's what he wants
from all of us.
And the problem
with this man's heart,
it was in the wrong place.
Now don't misunderstand,
and we'll kind of walk
through it here in a minute,
but the real issue
is not the inheritance.
Like, you know,
if you want to put me
in your inheritance,
go ahead.
I'm cool with that.
I mean, yeah,
just write me in there.
Listen,
there's nothing wrong
with an inheritance.
Some of you have received some.
But here's the problem
with this man,
his obsession with it.
He wants it.
He wants it now.
He's got,
he needs more of it
because he needs
all the things
because no doubt,
maybe he's already
bought the things
that he's going to buy
with an inheritance
and now the collectors
come and do for it.
That's maybe where he's at.
He's like,
hey, I need this money
kind of like right now
because I put the jet ski
on layaway.
I don't know if they had
jet skis back then,
but probably so.
See, money and possessions
really have a way
of revealing
what we truly value.
I mean,
they expose our heart.
They really expose
our priorities,
our desires.
They expose our idols.
We don't like to think
about it like that,
but they do.
Money is a way
of bringing out
the worst in people.
And this situation
wasn't unique
to the first century Israel.
I think we see it
in everyday life.
You probably have seen it
around you
that families
that have gotten along
for years
suddenly fracture
when an inheritance
is involved.
And it becomes
this messy situation
and siblings
stop speaking
to each other
and arguments erupt
over houses
and land
and furniture
and money
and Jesus is saying,
listen,
this is not an illegal dispute.
It's a spiritual problem.
It's about where
our heart is
because where our
treasure is
is where our heart
is also.
Jesus told us
that in the Sermon
on the Mount.
He's going to tell us
in a few sermons later
as we move
through the Gospel of Luke
the same truth.
And before we move on
and kind of get into
the actual parable
that Jesus gives,
I think it's worth
stopping and asking
ourselves an honest question.
What does money
tend to surface
in our own life?
when it comes up
and there's a situation
about what we feel
like we deserve
and what we need.
It might not look like
interrupting Jesus
in the middle of a sermon
but it might look like
a constant preoccupation
with financial gain.
Listen,
God doesn't want you
to go to work
and be the worst employee ever.
It's not,
it's not,
Jesus is not saying,
well,
don't go for a raise,
go for a demotion.
It's not what it's saying.
But what's your focus?
Is your focus just
more and more and more?
How many of you
have ever gotten a raise
in your life?
Only two people?
Wow.
Y'all are the worst
workers ever,
I guess.
Hypothetically,
you got a raise.
Let's say you got a raise
last year and your boss
says, hey,
I want to give you a raise.
No,
I'm good.
I don't think anybody
in this room,
gas prices,
you're going to need one soon.
I'm like,
what in the world?
There's nothing wrong
with those things.
But is that your
constant preoccupation?
Is that what drives you?
Maybe there's anxiety
in your life
that every time,
it rises every time
that money gets tight.
And listen,
I understand that.
We've all been in
situations like that.
Maybe it's frustration
when somebody else
seems to get
what you think
you deserve.
And that should have
been your promotion.
That should have been
your raise.
That should have been
your job.
And maybe it's this
quiet resentment
when it just feels
like life isn't fair
and you're trying
to do the right thing
and you're trying
to serve the Lord
and you're trying
to give
and you're trying
to go
and it just seems
like nothing's
working out for you.
And sometimes
the most revealing
thing about our hearts
when it comes
to the things
of money
is not what we say
in church
and nod to a sermon
but what occupies
our thoughts
throughout the week.
And Jesus wants
to address that.
Because this request
right here,
it exposed
what mattered
most to this man.
It's like
he's sitting there
in this sermon
and Jesus is teaching
all this life-changing
truth and he's thinking
I'm going to wait
until he pauses
and I'm going to
ask my question.
I mean that's kind
of how it is.
I mean as soon as you,
Jesus, I mean he was
ready to go.
And it just showed
where his heart was.
And Jesus responds
to him we saw
in verse 14
but he didn't say
okay I'll settle
the argument.
No he does something
far more important.
He exposes
the heart behind
the request.
Because the real danger
wasn't with the
inheritance dispute.
It was with the
covetous spirit
that was driving it.
That's where
the problem lies
and that's why
Jesus gives us
a warning here
in verse number 15
that applies
to every one of us.
He says listen
the path to an
empty soul
it starts with
a selfish heart
but it ends up
turning into
a covetous spirit.
Look at the very
first part of
number 15.
Verse 15.
And he said
unto them
this is everybody
listening so
this man addresses
Jesus but Jesus
addresses the crowd.
Take heed
and beware
of covetousness.
So Jesus
really is exposing
the deeper problem.
You know I feel
like Jesus would
have been very
stern in this
situation.
Anybody's dad
ever used their
their dad voice
on you?
You know my dad
yeah yeah
yeah that's what
I'm talking about.
I mean he knows
what's up.
And I know
you know my dad
was a pretty easy
going guy but
when the dad
voice came out
you better
check yourself
before you wreck
yourself is kind
of what what
happened.
You know it's
because hey we're
not gonna do
that oh my
goodness.
We when dad
used a certain
voice we knew
he was serious
and that's exactly
what Jesus is
doing here.
I just want to
remind us that
Jesus is not
sometimes who we
think he is based
on some paintings
we've seen from
the renaissance.
Jesus didn't
mess around
here.
He's not
saying well
let's all be
kind and get
along.
No here's what
he says take
heed beware.
He's showing
the seriousness
of the issue
of the heart
problem.
That word take
heed means this
hey pay
attention.
Don't miss
this.
He because
apparently this
man has missed
everything else.
He said listen
I need you to
pay attention
right here.
I need you to
take heed.
I need you to
beware.
Here's what he's
saying.
You got to
guard your
heart.
Because this
man wasn't
guarding his
heart.
He had let
all these
things in and
this selfishness
is really coming
to the surface.
And these are
strong words.
Jesus isn't
casually offering
some financial
advice.
He's issuing a
warning.
We ask ourselves
why such a
serious warning?
I mean it's
just a request
that a lot of
people in the
crowd probably
had.
I think the
warning is so
serious because
covetousness is a
serious sin.
Jesus looks at it
that way.
So what is
covetousness?
It's not a word
we go around
using all the
time but the
idea is it
refers to this
boundless desire
to have more.
More money.
More possessions.
More success.
More security.
It's a spirit in
our life that
constantly whispers
if I just had a
little bit more
then I'd be happy.
If I just got that
raise, if I just
did this, if I just
got rid of that,
then I would be
happy.
But that's not how
it works.
Because we all in
this room have
gotten that raise
and gotten that
promotion and
bought that car and
did all those
things and guess
what?
You're thinking,
well, I guess I
just need that then.
I guess I just
need that next
thing.
I just need that
other thing and
it's that constant
reminder that it
will never satisfy
us.
I mean, you try to
take care of your
new things.
You get a new car
and nobody's allowed
to eat in it.
And I mention this
all the time, I bet
your car smells like
french fries right
now.
You know, because
it's like, well,
I'll get a new one
sooner or later.
Listen, the Bible
calls us to deal
with the spirit of
covetousness
drastically.
Here's what Paul
tells the Colossians
in Colossians 3, 5.
Mortify, which
means kill it.
Mortify, therefore,
your members which
are upon the earth,
fornication, uncleanness,
inordinate affection,
evil concubinance,
and covetousness.
See, we wouldn't
maybe put covetousness
in a category with
some of these other
sins, but the word
of God does.
And he says,
here's the problem,
all of these things,
which is idolatry?
That it replaces God
in our life.
And the reason
covetousness is dangerous
is because it
convinces us that
life can be secured
without God.
And that we can find
satisfaction apart
from Jesus.
That's impossible.
There is no
satisfaction in life
outside of Christ.
That job may satisfy
for a while,
but it can be gone
like that.
Your health might be
good right now,
but it can be gone
like that.
Listen, we've got to be
careful where we're
placing our trust
and we're looking
for satisfaction
because other than
Christ, it will all
fail.
And Jesus reminds us
of that.
And really, the Bible
warns us of this
danger over and over
and over.
Solomon, the wisest
man who ever lived,
did some dumb things
and he learned from it.
And he wrote the
book of Ecclesiastes.
And he said in
Ecclesiastes 5.10,
He that loveth silver
shall not be satisfied
with silver,
nor he that loveth
abundance with
increase.
This is also vanity.
He said it's empty.
And we're talking
about a man that
had more money
than he knew
what to do with.
He had so much money,
he just started
overlaying everything
with gold.
He said it doesn't
satisfy.
He kept looking
and he kept searching.
Paul told Timothy,
for the love of money
is the root of all evil.
Listen, money in and
of itself is not evil.
It's not.
We can use it for good
and we can use it
for evil.
Here's the problem
with money,
when you love it.
When it's your desire.
When it's your force
behind it.
When the Bible tells us
in 1 Timothy 6,
which while some
coveted after,
they have erred
from the faith
and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows.
See, money promises
satisfaction,
but it never delivers.
Book of Proverbs says
it gets wings
and flies away.
Anybody's bank
can't work like that?
You know,
I just tried this new thing.
Don't look at the bank
and you won't be disappointed.
You know,
that doesn't work either,
by the way.
Joking.
So Jesus says,
hey,
take heed,
pay attention,
beware.
I want you to see this.
Why?
Because he tells us
in the end of verse 15,
for a man's life
consisteth not
in the abundance
of the things
which he possesses.
You can have
all the toys
in the world
and have an empty soul.
I mean,
your house can be
full of possessions
with nothing to show.
I mean,
we see it in our world
all the time.
We see celebrities
that have all these things
and they end up
wrecking their life,
they end up taking
their life,
and you think,
man,
if I had all those things,
I'd be happy.
No,
you wouldn't.
No,
you wouldn't.
Because those things
don't satisfy.
The things in your life
don't satisfy.
The only place
that true life is found,
satisfaction and joy
that cannot be touched,
is in a relationship
with Jesus Christ.
That's where joy is found.
Read John chapter 15.
When we abide in him,
we will experience joy.
And we just can't assume
that we're immune to this.
Listen,
covetousness,
it slips in quietly
to everyday life.
You say,
what does it look like?
Well,
it can look like
constant comparison.
We think we're fine.
But every time
a really nice car drives by,
I'm like,
ooh,
don't act like
you don't do that.
I mean,
I was driving down,
we were kind of
in Fort Worth,
I guess they were having
some sort of car show,
and they had,
at the racetrack,
they had all kinds
of hot rods.
I was like,
Lord,
if you really loved me,
I would take a 57 Chevy.
I mean,
I would.
For you,
of course,
I'd put a Central Baptist
sticker on it.
Follow me to Central Baptist,
you know.
But I look at people
and I'm like,
why do they have that?
Like,
I wish I had that.
And I kind of
begin to compare my life,
and maybe we measure
success sometimes
by what we have.
We live in a culture
that the world
looks and says,
well,
they're successful
because look at their house,
look at their car,
look at this,
look at that.
I think we all know
this in the room.
We still fall prey to it,
but we know,
that doesn't mean
you're successful.
It's going to shock us
when we get to heaven
one day,
and the people
the Lord
gives all the crowns to,
there's going to be
somebody you've probably
never even heard of.
Some little old widow lady
that nobody even knew about,
but she may have been
the most faithful prayer
that anybody's ever known.
It's not based
on worldly success,
and maybe we think
that we look at this
and it creeps into our life,
this covetous spirit,
because we think
one more purchase
will satisfy.
Maybe you're saving up.
I'm not here to,
listen,
God's not against things,
but he is against things
having you.
And maybe the thing
that you're trying to get
and you're pushing towards
and you're working overtime
is not really
what he wants you to have.
It's not really
what he's calling you to do.
And maybe it creeps in our life
by believing life
will feel a little bit more secure
when we reach that financial goal.
You should have financial goals.
The Bible tells us
the ants prepare for winter.
There's a good in that,
but that's not what
your life is about.
That's what this man's life
was about.
That's what Jesus is showing.
And to make sure
that no one misses this warning,
he tells a parable,
a story that they would have understood
to kind of bring it to life.
And this parable is about a man
who had everything
the world said he needed.
I mean, he had the house,
he had the cars,
he had the jet ski,
he had all the stuff.
But in the end,
he lost what mattered.
And so we see a path
to an empty soul.
It starts with this selfish heart
and a covetous spirit,
and it creates
a self-centered life.
A self-centered life.
See, what started
as something
that kind of was just
under the surface,
now is shaping
how this man lives.
Look in verse number 16.
And he spake a parable
unto them, saying,
the ground of a certain rich man
brought forth plentifully.
And he thought within himself,
saying,
what shall I do?
Because I have no room
where to bestow my fruits.
Now what we know about this man
from these first few verses
is this,
he was prosperous.
He had an abundant harvest.
And from the outside,
he looked like
an absolute success story.
The world would look around
and say,
man, I don't know what
he's putting on his field,
but it's growing.
I mean, he's got the best food
at the market,
and we want to be involved
with him.
We want to invest here,
and his investments
are paying off,
and he's got all the things
that he wants.
But I think when we read
through these verses,
and we won't take down
to read the rest of them,
Jesus is inviting us
to see something.
This conversation
is happening
within his own head.
He's talking to himself.
He's preaching a sermon
to himself.
Yeah, he had a lot
going for him,
but what he doesn't have
is that he doesn't ask God
what he should do.
God's the one blessing.
Hey, the rain,
it rains on the just
and the unjust.
He might have been
a good farmer,
but you know what he still
needed?
Rain.
He still needed
the right temperatures.
He still needed
the right season.
He still needed
a lot of things
to work for him,
but he doesn't ask God
what he should do.
He doesn't thank God
for his harvest.
He doesn't consider
helping others.
I mean,
he has an overabundance.
He can't even store it all.
Instead of saying,
hey, how can I help
my neighbor around him?
You know what I need?
Bigger barns.
Really, the idea is this.
His only concern
is what to do
with his own abundance.
My fruit,
my barns,
my goods.
And in these few verses
right here,
11 times the word
I or my is mentioned.
That's what it's about.
God is never mentioned
in his conversation.
Eternity is never considered.
Other people are
way out of the question.
And so he's preaching
the sermon to himself
and he has an epiphany,
a little light bulb
over his head in verse 18.
This will I do.
I'll just build bigger barns.
You know,
these barns are old anyways.
I'll just get newer ones.
And we look at it and say,
well, that's just
good business, preacher.
I mean,
he's just doing
the right thing.
I mean,
it's good business planning.
He's bigger barns
and increase of storage.
And really,
he's just preparing
for the future.
What's wrong with that?
Well, here's what's wrong.
It's not about the barns.
It's about the heart.
That's what Jesus
is showing us
in this story.
See,
this man saw
his prosperity
as something
to possess,
not something
to steward.
Listen,
we're just stewards.
Everything we have,
I'm pretty sure
James told us
every good gift
and every perfect gift
is from above.
It comes from God.
And we begin
to think to ourselves
if we're not careful
like this,
man,
hey,
I worked hard for this.
This is my stuff.
No,
we're just the steward
of all the blessings
God has given us
in our life.
And he viewed it as,
no,
they're mine.
He never considered
the harvest
was a gift from God.
He never considered
the abundance
might come
with responsibility.
No,
instead,
we see in verse 19,
he assumed
that the blessings
of his life
existed purely
for his own comfort.
Eat,
drink,
and be merry
because that's what
life is all about.
That's what he thought.
And I would just tell you
to look around
outside this,
in this world,
that's what people
still think life's about.
And the reason
this is such a serious
warning is because
it very easily
creeps into our own life.
We say things like this,
well,
I deserve this.
Listen,
I'm not,
I'm not trying
to be mean.
I like going on trips.
I like eating good food.
I like stuff.
God's not against that.
But he wants our heart.
And maybe some of the blessings
that we have,
God gave them to you
and they weren't supposed
to stop there.
They were supposed
to go there
and go to somebody else.
That God wants to use you.
And here's this man's
fatal assumption.
He believed
he controlled tomorrow.
That's what he thought.
James tells us that
at the end of James chapter 4.
He said,
what?
You're here now
and you're gone.
Your life's just a vapor.
Like,
we just assume
we're going to be here tomorrow.
I know this is not fun
to think about,
but we're not promised tomorrow.
We don't control tomorrow.
I mean,
this man assumed
he had many years
ahead of him.
He believed his wealth
had completely secured
his future,
so he was done.
He was retiring.
This is not against retirement,
but it's against
living for yourself.
Listen,
you can retire
and still be a blessing
and a useful person
in the kingdom of God.
Sometimes people retire
and they just kind of
go off the rocker.
No, no,
we're supposed to still
serve the Lord.
All those blessings,
the fact you can't retire
is because God
allowed that to happen.
But he forgot
that one truth
that we must all remember,
that life is fragile.
See,
a selfish heart
and a covetous spirit
and a self-centered life,
it will always land you
in spiritual bankruptcy.
Verse number 20,
But God said unto him,
Thou fool,
this night shall thy soul
be required of thee.
Then who shall those things be
which thou hast provided?
See,
up to this point
in the parable,
the only voice we've heard
is the rich man
talking to himself,
patting himself on the back,
encouraging himself.
But now God speaks.
And everybody around this man
said,
Wow,
you're the best businessman
I know.
I mean,
teach me your secrets,
write a book
on how to be
a successful farmer.
Ten steps to
being a successful farmer.
But when God evaluates
this man's life,
the verdict is shocking.
He said,
Thou fool.
I want to remind us
what scripture describes
as a fool.
A fool is not somebody,
we may say fool
like they lack intelligence.
That's not what a fool is
in the Bible.
It's not somebody
that lacks intelligence.
A fool is somebody
who lives
as if God doesn't matter
or he doesn't exist.
Psalm 14,
The fool hath said
in his heart,
There is no God.
That's what a fool is.
This man may have not
verbally denied God,
but he lived
as if God
had nothing
to do with his life.
He planned his future
without God.
He measured his success
without God.
He built all the security
that he had
without God.
And he was planning
and building
and drawing
up the blueprints
for all these bigger barns
because he thought
he had all these years
and God said,
You got one night.
And that's it.
In a single moment,
all the plans collapsed.
All the barns
meant nothing.
All the stored grain
meant nothing.
All the financial security
meant nothing.
Because while he gathered
and he stored
and he accumulated
all these things
throughout his life,
he neglected the only thing
that mattered,
his soul.
And Jesus gives us
the final warning there
in verse 21.
He says,
So is he that layeth up
treasure for himself
and is not rich
toward God.
Notice Jesus
doesn't condemn wealth.
Nowhere in this parable.
Even in the final warning.
The sin wasn't
that this man
was rich.
The sin was
that he was rich
towards himself
and poor towards God.
That's the sin.
That he thought,
you know,
as long as I'm
a good person,
as long as I'm
doing good things,
then hey,
God's going to
just let me in.
But if you go back
to the Sermon on the Mount,
the very first thing
Jesus says is,
Blessed are the poor
in spirit.
You know what that,
you know what he's saying?
Blessed are those
that realize
they're spiritually bankrupt.
Because when you realize
you're spiritually bankrupt,
here's what you do.
You cry out to God.
That's what changes
your life.
That's where
true wealth is found.
Blessed are the poor
in spirit,
for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
See,
this man had it
all backwards.
As long as I get everything,
God's got to let me in.
He's got to,
you know,
he wouldn't turn me away.
I'm successful.
I do all the right things
in the world's standards.
Listen,
he had invested
everything in the earth
and nothing in eternity.
And that is a dangerous
place to be.
See,
here's the big idea.
The success
in the eyes of the world
doesn't guarantee
success in the eyes of God.
this man that interrupted
was so worried
about all his possessions,
all his inheritance.
He needed it.
Jesus,
tell him to give me
what's mine.
But you can have
full barns
or a full bank account,
a full retirement plan,
and still stand before God
with an empty soul.
And the tragedy
was that was true
in this man's life.
That his soul
was empty.
And Jesus said,
I came to seek
and to save
that which was lost.
But when you place
your trust in the wrong things,
you don't think you're lost
because,
I have this and this.
And if I have good things,
then God has to love me.
Listen,
God's love isn't based
on your material blessings.
Just because you have things
doesn't mean God loves you.
That's a biblical principle.
And the reason he found himself there
is because he let that selfish heart
morph into a covetous spirit.
And it shaped the way
he lived his life.
His life wasn't about other people.
It was about himself.
That's not how Jesus lived.
Jesus came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister,
to serve,
and to give his life
a ransom for many.
And if we're going to live on mission
like Jesus did,
you know what we should do?
Minister.
Serve.
Maybe God's blessed you financially.
God's blessed you in other areas.
You know what he wants you to do?
Share it.
Help others.
Point others to Christ.
And Jesus tells us
this story right here
so none of us end up
where this man was.
So as you go into this week,
I want you to remember
this simple truth.
The question is not
how full your barns are.
The question is,
are you rich towards God
or rich towards yourself?
What's your trust in?
Where's your security?
Is it in all the abundance
of things you have?
Well, guess what?
You can't take those with you.
We've all heard a little saying,
you've never seen a hearse
pulling a U-Haul.
You don't take it.
All the Egyptian pharaohs,
they thought,
I'm going to take all this stuff with me.
Still sitting in those tombs over there.
People just steal it.
That's not what matters.
And Jesus is going to get into this
here in a minute.
He's going to show us
the same truths in the Sermon on the Mount
in these next few sermons.
That where our treasure is,
there where our heart be also.
Brother Garrett preached it
last Sunday.
So the real question is,
what are you living for?
Have you prepared for eternity?
Are you thinking,
man, I've got plenty of time.
I'm living my life.
Eat, drink, and be merry.
I mean, I've got so many things.
I'll worry about that later.
Now Jesus says,
you need to worry about it right now.
That's what matters.
Would you stand with your heads bowed
and with your eyes closed?
Amen.