WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.720 Our scripture reading this evening, the passage that David's going to come and speak to us from is Luke chapter 12, verses 13 to 21. 00:00:11.160 --> 00:00:16.379 Someone in the crowd said to him, teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 00:00:16.899 --> 00:00:23.679 But he said to him, man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you? 00:00:24.339 --> 00:00:27.900 And he said to them, take care and be on your guard against all covetousness. 00:00:27.899 --> 00:00:31.419 For one's life does not consist in the abundance of one's possessions. 00:00:32.299 --> 00:00:37.100 And he told them a parable saying, the land of a rich man produced plentifully. 00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:39.820 And he thought to himself, what shall I do? 00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:42.460 For I have nowhere to store my crops. 00:00:43.079 --> 00:00:44.859 And he said, I'll do this. 00:00:45.219 --> 00:00:47.780 I'll tear down my barns and build larger ones. 00:00:47.980 --> 00:00:50.899 And there I will store all my grain and all my goods. 00:00:51.459 --> 00:00:56.259 And I will say to my soul, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. 00:00:56.259 --> 00:00:58.879 Relax, eat, drink, be merry. 00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:03.979 But God said to him, fool, this night your soul is required of you. 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:07.299 And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? 00:01:08.259 --> 00:01:13.620 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God. 00:01:14.259 --> 00:01:14.659 Amen. 00:01:14.780 --> 00:01:16.359 This is God's holy word. 00:01:16.359 --> 00:01:18.359 Amen. 00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:19.359 Amen. 00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:25.859 Well, we turn this evening to Luke chapter 12 and verses 13 through 21 to those verses 00:01:25.859 --> 00:01:29.579 that Chris read for us a moment or two ago. 00:01:30.340 --> 00:01:38.420 There's an old saying that goes, where there is a will, there is a quarrel. 00:01:38.420 --> 00:01:47.760 And certainly where inheritance is concerned, many of us know that family disputes are not unknown. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:56.719 Sometimes the squabble over who gets what can be undignified, sometimes ugly. 00:01:56.719 --> 00:02:06.579 It seems that in some circumstances, greed, covetousness has the capacity to cut through family relationships 00:02:06.579 --> 00:02:09.240 like a hot knife through butter. 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:19.039 And here in Luke chapter 12, we are introduced to a man who it appears was in the midst of just such a family dispute. 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:28.099 In order to find some kind of acceptable solution to his quarrel, he decides to ask Jesus to sort it out. 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:33.699 Accommodators ask the question, why does he ask Jesus? 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:36.639 Why does he bring this problem to him? 00:02:37.459 --> 00:02:43.219 Perhaps it was because he saw Jesus as a rabbi, and that's how he addresses him here, his teacher. 00:02:43.219 --> 00:02:49.840 But, of course, there were no secular courts or judges in those days. 00:02:50.539 --> 00:02:51.620 That's what people did. 00:02:51.699 --> 00:02:55.060 They took their disputes to a rabbi or teacher. 00:02:57.139 --> 00:02:59.439 And yet I think there's more to it than just that. 00:03:00.060 --> 00:03:03.020 If you look or read through the Gospel of Luke, 00:03:03.020 --> 00:03:09.280 I think you would be astonished at the frequency of occasions 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:14.960 where Jesus is found speaking about possessions and wealth. 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:21.139 Jesus was someone who spoke a great deal about the subject of money. 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:25.800 It was a repeated emphasis of his teaching ministry. 00:03:25.800 --> 00:03:28.719 And I think in Luke's Gospel in particular, 00:03:29.460 --> 00:03:35.280 we find Jesus speaking about money and riches time and time again. 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:42.939 He speaks relentlessly about these issues related to stewardship and material wealth. 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:50.500 Eleven of Jesus' 39 parables are directly about money and wealth. 00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:57.680 And I think that may be part of the reason that this man brought his question and request to Jesus. 00:03:58.620 --> 00:04:01.219 Someone in the crowd said to him, verse 13, 00:04:01.219 --> 00:04:06.560 Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 00:04:07.960 --> 00:04:09.520 What is this man saying? 00:04:09.939 --> 00:04:11.659 Well, he's saying to Jesus, 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:15.879 Jesus, please help my brother with this. 00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:17.300 Talk to my brother. 00:04:18.040 --> 00:04:20.579 Sort him out on this matter. 00:04:21.180 --> 00:04:25.079 All your talk about money, generosity, and wealth, Jesus, 00:04:25.459 --> 00:04:28.199 I've got the very person you need to speak to. 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:31.680 My brother really needs to hear this. 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:36.360 Tell him to share the inheritance with me. 00:04:37.699 --> 00:04:46.879 And Jesus' reply makes it clear he has absolutely no interest in being an arbiter between this man and his brother. 00:04:47.539 --> 00:04:52.779 Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter over you? 00:04:52.779 --> 00:05:00.119 And Jesus categorically refuses to rule to make any kind of judgment on this issue. 00:05:00.859 --> 00:05:05.679 He makes it clear that he's not prepared to be used in this way. 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:11.459 This man effectively was trying to manipulate Jesus to get what he wanted. 00:05:11.459 --> 00:05:16.939 Lots of people approach Jesus in this kind of way. 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:23.479 As if he can be used to further our own goals and ambitions. 00:05:23.819 --> 00:05:28.519 If he can be used to serve us rather than we serve him. 00:05:29.099 --> 00:05:32.339 Yes, you know, I'm interested in the Christian faith. 00:05:32.779 --> 00:05:37.379 But Jesus, tell my boss to give me a raise. 00:05:37.819 --> 00:05:40.359 Sort out that person who's giving me grief. 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:42.420 Attend to the needs of my family. 00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:44.840 Yes, Jesus, I'm thinking of following you. 00:05:45.060 --> 00:05:47.000 But do this first for me. 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:49.879 Tell this to happen or that to happen. 00:05:51.340 --> 00:05:58.080 But friends, Jesus does not come to fit in or to endorse our agendas. 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:02.720 He comes to bring an entirely new agenda altogether. 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:06.480 He doesn't come to fit in with us and our goals. 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:11.800 He comes that we might place our lives in his hands. 00:06:12.939 --> 00:06:15.480 And this man, as I said, was using Jesus. 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:19.280 Or seeking to use Jesus rather than serve him. 00:06:20.040 --> 00:06:23.300 And so Jesus gives him short shrift in verse 15. 00:06:23.300 --> 00:06:24.300 He said to them, 00:06:24.300 --> 00:06:25.100 Take care. 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:28.560 Be on your guard against all covetousness. 00:06:28.980 --> 00:06:33.860 For one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. 00:06:35.220 --> 00:06:39.580 And Jesus here lays bare the root of the matter. 00:06:39.860 --> 00:06:44.040 He is warning us here about the danger of a covetous heart. 00:06:44.280 --> 00:06:49.500 And thinking that money and wealth will really satisfy us. 00:06:49.500 --> 00:06:57.300 Jesus wants us to understand that nothing in this world, nor everything in this world, 00:06:57.639 --> 00:07:02.759 can ever fill the eternity-shaped needs of the human heart. 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:08.860 In the simplest of terms, human beings are made for fellowship with God. 00:07:09.339 --> 00:07:13.040 Therefore, nothing else will truly satisfy us. 00:07:13.040 --> 00:07:15.520 Augustine's famous words, 00:07:15.900 --> 00:07:17.379 You have made us for yourself, 00:07:17.960 --> 00:07:22.620 and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you. 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:27.460 Here is the great diagnostic word of our Savior. 00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:34.820 Life is not measured by barns, by bank balances, or by the size of one's estate. 00:07:35.400 --> 00:07:40.080 Life, real life, the life that matters, is something far deeper than that. 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:43.199 It is the life of the soul before God. 00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:46.560 And covetousness is its mortal enemy. 00:07:47.359 --> 00:07:49.500 For covetousness is idolatry. 00:07:49.979 --> 00:07:53.120 It's the heart saying to material things, 00:07:53.620 --> 00:07:54.639 You are my God. 00:07:55.139 --> 00:07:56.459 In you will I trust. 00:07:56.899 --> 00:07:58.659 And by you I will be satisfied. 00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:02.620 And so in order to drive his point home, 00:08:02.919 --> 00:08:06.339 Jesus goes on to tell this famous story, parable, 00:08:06.599 --> 00:08:08.759 about a certain rich man. 00:08:08.759 --> 00:08:16.259 It's a graphic warning about allowing covetousness, greed, and material idolatry 00:08:16.259 --> 00:08:20.420 to blind us to what is really important in this life. 00:08:21.399 --> 00:08:26.480 Let's look a little more closely at this man in Jesus' warning parable. 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:28.680 Three things. 00:08:28.779 --> 00:08:29.740 First thing is this. 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:35.740 Look at the success he enjoyed in verses 16 through 17. 00:08:35.740 --> 00:08:40.860 The man in Jesus' story enjoyed great success. 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:41.919 He was wealthy. 00:08:42.039 --> 00:08:42.840 He was affluent. 00:08:43.139 --> 00:08:44.060 He was prosperous. 00:08:44.759 --> 00:08:46.820 Not only was he a great landowner, 00:08:47.279 --> 00:08:51.560 but it transpires that his land produced a bumper crop. 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:53.639 He told them a parable saying, 00:08:53.940 --> 00:08:56.840 The land of a rich man produced plentifully. 00:08:56.840 --> 00:09:00.720 A wealthy man who's farming business, 00:09:01.180 --> 00:09:02.820 a tremendous success. 00:09:03.080 --> 00:09:04.780 Left with a huge surplus. 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:07.100 What a nice problem to have. 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:09.680 And the big question he faced was this. 00:09:09.980 --> 00:09:11.980 What will I do with all of this? 00:09:12.379 --> 00:09:14.680 How is he going to use this great wealth, 00:09:14.800 --> 00:09:17.200 this great blessing that he had received? 00:09:17.680 --> 00:09:20.280 How would he cope with this great success? 00:09:20.279 --> 00:09:20.679 Success. 00:09:22.259 --> 00:09:25.860 Now, I suppose most of us here would disown the title, 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:29.159 wealthy or rich, successful perhaps. 00:09:29.819 --> 00:09:33.120 We might point others to our bank statement, 00:09:33.659 --> 00:09:34.500 our overdraft. 00:09:34.759 --> 00:09:36.519 We might claim poverty. 00:09:37.339 --> 00:09:40.259 We might point to other people who have bigger houses 00:09:40.259 --> 00:09:43.819 or bigger cars, better jobs, higher incomes, 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:46.879 and say, well, those are the rich and successful people. 00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:51.299 But the reality I think we need to face 00:09:51.299 --> 00:09:56.639 is that we are materially rich people. 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:01.179 We live in a wealthy and affluent society. 00:10:02.220 --> 00:10:06.279 Our society's existence is rooted in wealth creation 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:07.860 and the power to spend. 00:10:09.220 --> 00:10:13.039 At the very heart of the life of our cities and towns 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:16.740 are the shopping centers and retail parks. 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:22.480 One social commentator calls cathedrals and temples 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:25.200 of this worldly significance. 00:10:25.960 --> 00:10:28.639 The spirit of our consumer age, 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:31.360 summed up by the bumper sticker, 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:34.480 Veni, Vidi, Visa. 00:10:35.179 --> 00:10:38.539 I came, I saw, I shopped. 00:10:39.820 --> 00:10:41.759 Geographically and historically, 00:10:42.299 --> 00:10:44.320 we're amongst the richest human beings 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:45.960 that have ever lived. 00:10:46.060 --> 00:10:48.620 Here in the West, we've witnessed a staggering 00:10:48.620 --> 00:10:51.140 increase in wealth and prosperity 00:10:51.140 --> 00:10:54.220 over the past 80 years or so. 00:10:55.240 --> 00:10:56.500 Maybe some here, 00:10:56.980 --> 00:10:58.500 I'm not going to point them out, 00:10:58.900 --> 00:11:00.900 who might recall rationing during 00:11:00.900 --> 00:11:03.180 and just after the Second World War. 00:11:03.400 --> 00:11:05.420 I'm not included in that group, 00:11:05.780 --> 00:11:06.680 I'm pleased to say. 00:11:06.679 --> 00:11:10.199 But I can't remember my granddad telling me 00:11:10.199 --> 00:11:11.939 how he was a young boy in Nottingham, 00:11:12.579 --> 00:11:14.339 probably before the First World War, 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:16.519 second youngest of 13. 00:11:16.939 --> 00:11:20.239 He went to school without any shoes. 00:11:20.979 --> 00:11:21.559 So poor. 00:11:22.899 --> 00:11:26.459 And today, in comparison with so much of the world, 00:11:26.839 --> 00:11:28.399 we are wealthy people. 00:11:29.179 --> 00:11:31.259 In comparison with our forebears, 00:11:31.459 --> 00:11:33.379 we live lives of incredible luxury. 00:11:33.379 --> 00:11:35.620 We have more food than we can eat. 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:37.399 We have more clothes than we can wear. 00:11:38.139 --> 00:11:39.960 Our wealth opens up for us 00:11:39.960 --> 00:11:41.779 a vast array of choice, 00:11:42.039 --> 00:11:44.159 choices beyond most people in this world. 00:11:45.259 --> 00:11:46.820 Choices that can keep us 00:11:46.820 --> 00:11:48.600 from using our resources 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:50.220 in a way that is honoring 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:52.460 and pleasing to God. 00:11:53.559 --> 00:11:54.899 And so Jesus' words here 00:11:54.899 --> 00:11:57.440 about the dangers inherent in wealth, 00:11:57.580 --> 00:11:59.220 riches, material success, 00:11:59.480 --> 00:12:01.840 are directly applicable to us. 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:05.320 Jesus' story of the rich man is our story. 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:08.519 And it's a warning not just to other people, 00:12:09.160 --> 00:12:12.500 to Richard Branson or Bill Gates, 00:12:13.160 --> 00:12:14.100 but to us. 00:12:15.259 --> 00:12:18.899 In our materially wealthy and affluent society, 00:12:19.580 --> 00:12:22.040 the grave spiritual danger exists 00:12:22.040 --> 00:12:25.340 that money and possessions and things 00:12:25.340 --> 00:12:26.840 become our gods, 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:29.280 absorbing our devotion, 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:33.039 sucking from us time, effort, energy. 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:35.419 We think we possess them, 00:12:36.299 --> 00:12:37.240 but in reality, 00:12:37.419 --> 00:12:39.819 they possess and own us. 00:12:40.959 --> 00:12:42.519 The real test of where 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:44.879 our allegiance and loyalty lies 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:47.079 is revealed in what we do 00:12:47.079 --> 00:12:49.939 with what God has given to us. 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:52.779 It's not a sin to be rich, 00:12:53.019 --> 00:12:54.419 not a sin to be wealthy 00:12:54.419 --> 00:12:56.699 or materially successful. 00:12:56.700 --> 00:12:59.860 The big question is how we are using 00:12:59.860 --> 00:13:01.140 our wealth. 00:13:01.680 --> 00:13:03.379 What are we doing with the resources 00:13:03.379 --> 00:13:05.000 that God has given us? 00:13:06.300 --> 00:13:07.360 What did this man do? 00:13:08.560 --> 00:13:10.440 That brings us to the second thing here 00:13:10.440 --> 00:13:11.920 I want you to notice. 00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:13.900 From the success he enjoyed 00:13:13.900 --> 00:13:16.620 to the selfishness he displayed 00:13:16.620 --> 00:13:18.460 in verses 17 through 19. 00:13:19.640 --> 00:13:20.700 Faced with the problem, 00:13:21.620 --> 00:13:22.320 inverted commas, 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:24.440 of what to do with this bumper crop, 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:26.720 we're told of his plans. 00:13:27.260 --> 00:13:29.360 He thought to himself, 00:13:30.020 --> 00:13:31.440 what shall I do? 00:13:31.760 --> 00:13:35.060 For I have nowhere to store my crops. 00:13:35.140 --> 00:13:35.640 And he said, 00:13:35.760 --> 00:13:37.000 I will do this. 00:13:37.380 --> 00:13:39.820 I will tear down my barns 00:13:39.820 --> 00:13:41.280 and build larger ones. 00:13:41.560 --> 00:13:43.900 There I will store all my grain 00:13:43.900 --> 00:13:44.940 and my goods. 00:13:45.020 --> 00:13:46.780 And I will say to my soul, 00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:48.660 soul, you have ample goods 00:13:48.660 --> 00:13:49.840 laid up for many years. 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:52.440 Relax, eat, drink, and be merry. 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:55.440 Now, you can't help but notice 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:57.780 that these three short verses 00:13:57.780 --> 00:13:58.740 are shot through 00:13:58.740 --> 00:14:00.900 with personal pronouns. 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:04.600 Here was a man who thought 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:06.540 of himself, 00:14:07.060 --> 00:14:08.920 of his own happiness and ease. 00:14:09.540 --> 00:14:11.140 God, other people, the poor, 00:14:11.620 --> 00:14:14.020 simply didn't enter into any of his plans. 00:14:14.540 --> 00:14:15.640 Didn't enter the equation. 00:14:16.440 --> 00:14:18.420 He talks only about my crops, 00:14:18.780 --> 00:14:19.620 my barns, 00:14:19.820 --> 00:14:20.500 my grain, 00:14:20.500 --> 00:14:21.600 my goods. 00:14:22.600 --> 00:14:24.899 No concern or responsibility 00:14:24.899 --> 00:14:26.500 for anyone else 00:14:26.500 --> 00:14:28.039 but himself is revealed. 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:30.559 And his big mistake 00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:31.500 is that he does not understand 00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:34.120 that his wealth and possessions 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:36.480 are merely on loan. 00:14:37.539 --> 00:14:39.399 These things are a gift from God. 00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:41.759 Yes, this man may have plowed 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:42.980 the fields and scattered, 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:45.480 but it was God who sent the sun and rain, 00:14:45.659 --> 00:14:47.139 and it's God who had blessed him 00:14:47.139 --> 00:14:48.539 with this bumper crop. 00:14:49.199 --> 00:14:50.919 But he fails to see 00:14:50.919 --> 00:14:52.720 that he is but a steward 00:14:52.720 --> 00:14:54.779 of what God has given him. 00:14:55.220 --> 00:14:56.500 His whole existence 00:14:56.500 --> 00:14:58.460 is centered on himself 00:14:58.460 --> 00:15:00.600 and the horizons of this life. 00:15:00.759 --> 00:15:01.840 And that is the power 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:03.000 of money and wealth. 00:15:03.139 --> 00:15:04.720 It is a dangerous thing. 00:15:07.199 --> 00:15:08.120 It's an old fable 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:10.039 about a rich man 00:15:10.039 --> 00:15:12.200 who went to visit a rabbi, 00:15:12.319 --> 00:15:13.840 and the rabbi took the rich man 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:14.519 by the hand. 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:15.639 He led him to the window. 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:16.860 He said, 00:15:16.899 --> 00:15:17.539 Look out there. 00:15:17.899 --> 00:15:18.460 He said, 00:15:18.539 --> 00:15:19.679 A rich man looked out 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:20.360 into the street. 00:15:21.100 --> 00:15:21.600 The rabbi said, 00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:22.139 What do you see? 00:15:23.220 --> 00:15:23.919 The man said, 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:25.879 Oh, I see men and women 00:15:25.879 --> 00:15:26.480 and children. 00:15:28.740 --> 00:15:30.259 The rabbi took him by the hand 00:15:30.259 --> 00:15:32.199 and he led him to a mirror. 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:34.259 Now what do you see? 00:15:35.460 --> 00:15:36.620 Now I see myself, 00:15:36.699 --> 00:15:37.379 the man replied. 00:15:38.939 --> 00:15:39.620 The rabbi said, 00:15:39.620 --> 00:15:40.060 Behold, 00:15:40.940 --> 00:15:42.399 In the window there is glass, 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:44.820 and in the mirror there is glass. 00:15:45.899 --> 00:15:46.960 The glass of the mirror 00:15:46.960 --> 00:15:48.600 is covered with a little silver, 00:15:49.620 --> 00:15:51.560 and no sooner is the silver added 00:15:51.560 --> 00:15:53.879 than you cease to see others 00:15:53.879 --> 00:15:56.360 and see only yourself. 00:15:58.039 --> 00:15:59.179 And that is the danger 00:15:59.179 --> 00:16:01.799 of money and wealth 00:16:01.799 --> 00:16:03.039 and material things. 00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:04.959 They become for us 00:16:04.959 --> 00:16:06.459 a rival God, 00:16:07.179 --> 00:16:07.939 an idol, 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:10.159 a means by which 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:11.779 we serve not God 00:16:11.779 --> 00:16:13.500 or other people, 00:16:13.959 --> 00:16:16.419 but we simply serve ourselves. 00:16:17.439 --> 00:16:18.219 It's one of the ways, 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:18.559 isn't it, 00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:21.039 that money is portrayed 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:21.860 in the New Testament. 00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:22.480 Elsewhere, 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:23.120 Jesus says, 00:16:23.219 --> 00:16:23.919 You can't serve 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:25.519 both God and mammon. 00:16:25.980 --> 00:16:26.299 Money. 00:16:26.299 --> 00:16:29.799 We live in a society 00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:31.659 where mammon rules. 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:33.419 Money, riches, 00:16:33.579 --> 00:16:34.079 and wealth 00:16:34.079 --> 00:16:36.279 are seen as the ultimate good, 00:16:36.539 --> 00:16:37.679 the ultimate goal. 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:41.359 Call us to worship. 00:16:42.319 --> 00:16:43.240 Mammon calls us 00:16:43.240 --> 00:16:44.659 to bring our tithes 00:16:44.659 --> 00:16:45.559 and our offerings 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:46.819 and to surrender 00:16:46.819 --> 00:16:48.139 our lives to Him, 00:16:48.539 --> 00:16:49.659 to believe His promises. 00:16:51.139 --> 00:16:52.579 And as we become more 00:16:52.579 --> 00:16:53.819 wrapped up in ourselves, 00:16:53.939 --> 00:16:55.819 we give little thought 00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:56.580 to others. 00:16:58.060 --> 00:16:58.540 And yes, 00:16:58.620 --> 00:17:00.240 this kind of selfishness 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:02.140 that we see 00:17:02.140 --> 00:17:03.500 in our own culture 00:17:03.500 --> 00:17:04.820 can be cloaked 00:17:04.820 --> 00:17:06.240 in very religious 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:07.700 and spiritual terms. 00:17:09.120 --> 00:17:10.480 The prosperity gospel, 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:11.140 for example, 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:12.440 has many devotees, 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:14.680 those who believe 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:15.400 that it's not only 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:16.559 a blessing to be rich, 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:17.720 but conversely, 00:17:17.720 --> 00:17:18.940 it's a sin to be poor. 00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:20.880 You know, 00:17:20.940 --> 00:17:22.500 the song that they sing, 00:17:23.360 --> 00:17:23.960 O Lord, 00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:25.539 won't you buy me 00:17:25.539 --> 00:17:27.259 a Mercedes Benz? 00:17:27.779 --> 00:17:28.599 Just be thankful 00:17:28.599 --> 00:17:29.859 I haven't tried to sing that. 00:17:30.879 --> 00:17:31.819 That attempt 00:17:31.819 --> 00:17:33.099 to establish 00:17:33.099 --> 00:17:34.259 a connection 00:17:34.259 --> 00:17:35.960 between material wealth 00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:37.240 and God's blessing 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:38.619 is one that I think 00:17:38.619 --> 00:17:39.519 is offensive, 00:17:40.519 --> 00:17:41.519 biblically speaking, 00:17:42.019 --> 00:17:42.740 indefensible. 00:17:43.539 --> 00:17:44.819 Because the so-called 00:17:44.819 --> 00:17:45.980 prosperity gospel 00:17:45.980 --> 00:17:47.519 is nothing short 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:48.359 of idolatry. 00:17:48.859 --> 00:17:49.819 It is the worship, 00:17:50.220 --> 00:17:50.960 not of the God 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:51.440 and Father 00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:52.720 of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:17:52.860 --> 00:17:54.200 but mammon itself. 00:17:56.600 --> 00:17:57.500 Because real men 00:17:57.500 --> 00:17:58.200 and women of God 00:17:58.200 --> 00:17:58.900 do not pray 00:17:58.900 --> 00:18:00.420 for a Mercedes Benz. 00:18:00.740 --> 00:18:01.940 Apologies to any of you 00:18:01.940 --> 00:18:02.460 who are driving 00:18:02.460 --> 00:18:03.680 a Mercedes Benz tonight. 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:05.680 They pray for endurance. 00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:08.299 Real men and women 00:18:08.299 --> 00:18:08.799 of God 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:09.440 do not seek 00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:10.960 a life of opulent luxury. 00:18:11.299 --> 00:18:12.000 They seek a life 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:12.539 of holiness. 00:18:13.420 --> 00:18:14.200 Real men and women 00:18:14.200 --> 00:18:14.660 of God 00:18:14.660 --> 00:18:15.799 do not make it 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:16.259 their ambition 00:18:16.259 --> 00:18:17.460 to look like millionaires. 00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:18.360 They make it 00:18:18.360 --> 00:18:18.779 their ambition 00:18:18.779 --> 00:18:19.740 to look like Jesus. 00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:22.660 Real men and women 00:18:22.660 --> 00:18:23.059 of God 00:18:23.059 --> 00:18:23.700 do not lay up 00:18:23.700 --> 00:18:24.259 for themselves 00:18:24.259 --> 00:18:25.299 treasure on earth. 00:18:26.460 --> 00:18:26.819 Instead, 00:18:26.940 --> 00:18:27.399 they store up 00:18:27.399 --> 00:18:28.200 treasure in heaven. 00:18:29.899 --> 00:18:30.559 How we give 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:31.500 towards God 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:32.700 and towards others 00:18:32.700 --> 00:18:33.740 is a test 00:18:33.740 --> 00:18:35.839 of what is in our hearts, 00:18:36.619 --> 00:18:37.259 a measure 00:18:37.259 --> 00:18:38.680 of who or what 00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:39.859 is important 00:18:39.859 --> 00:18:40.779 or significant 00:18:40.779 --> 00:18:42.079 in our lives. 00:18:43.859 --> 00:18:44.639 And our giving 00:18:44.639 --> 00:18:47.420 and our relationship 00:18:47.420 --> 00:18:48.119 to money 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:50.879 are in a strange way 00:18:50.879 --> 00:18:53.779 at the heart 00:18:53.779 --> 00:18:54.739 of Christian life, 00:18:55.599 --> 00:18:56.279 the life 00:18:56.279 --> 00:18:57.239 of discipleship. 00:18:58.399 --> 00:18:59.099 I think that's why 00:18:59.099 --> 00:19:00.119 Jesus spoke about it 00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:00.619 so often. 00:19:01.679 --> 00:19:03.379 It's a reality check 00:19:03.379 --> 00:19:04.399 on the depth 00:19:04.399 --> 00:19:05.599 of our faith in God, 00:19:05.659 --> 00:19:06.679 our love for God 00:19:06.679 --> 00:19:07.539 and for others. 00:19:07.819 --> 00:19:09.159 How do we use 00:19:09.159 --> 00:19:09.699 what God 00:19:09.699 --> 00:19:11.159 has given to us? 00:19:13.019 --> 00:19:14.239 Is generosity 00:19:14.239 --> 00:19:15.179 our habit 00:19:15.180 --> 00:19:17.860 or does compassion 00:19:17.860 --> 00:19:19.600 take a backseat 00:19:19.600 --> 00:19:20.840 to our own 00:19:21.840 --> 00:19:23.299 selfish desires? 00:19:24.500 --> 00:19:25.920 The success 00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:26.580 he enjoyed, 00:19:26.660 --> 00:19:27.560 the selfishness 00:19:27.560 --> 00:19:28.740 he displayed, 00:19:29.740 --> 00:19:30.779 and then thirdly here, 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:31.480 the shock 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:32.920 he received 00:19:32.920 --> 00:19:33.880 in verses 20 00:19:33.880 --> 00:19:34.720 and 21 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:36.519 because Jesus' 00:19:36.740 --> 00:19:37.360 story comes 00:19:37.360 --> 00:19:38.220 to this dramatic, 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:39.160 sudden, 00:19:39.620 --> 00:19:40.620 shocking conclusion. 00:19:40.619 --> 00:19:42.639 and you'll notice 00:19:42.639 --> 00:19:44.279 this great contrast 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:45.739 between what the rich man 00:19:45.739 --> 00:19:46.799 says to himself 00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:48.419 and what God 00:19:48.419 --> 00:19:49.559 says to the rich man. 00:19:50.019 --> 00:19:50.859 The comparison 00:19:50.859 --> 00:19:51.759 is stark, 00:19:52.159 --> 00:19:52.819 long, 00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:53.519 drawn-out 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:54.099 statement 00:19:54.099 --> 00:19:54.919 of the man 00:19:54.919 --> 00:19:55.519 with all his 00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:56.379 elaborate plans 00:19:56.379 --> 00:19:57.959 and projects 00:19:57.959 --> 00:19:59.819 and then the short, 00:19:59.959 --> 00:20:00.739 piercing clarity 00:20:00.739 --> 00:20:01.519 of God's Word. 00:20:02.779 --> 00:20:04.000 God said to him, 00:20:04.239 --> 00:20:04.459 fool, 00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:05.439 this night 00:20:05.439 --> 00:20:05.919 your soul 00:20:05.919 --> 00:20:06.779 is required of you. 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:08.599 The things you have prepared, 00:20:08.859 --> 00:20:09.679 whose will they be? 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:11.279 so is the one 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:12.240 who lays up treasure 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:12.940 for himself 00:20:12.940 --> 00:20:14.259 and is not rich 00:20:14.259 --> 00:20:15.140 towards God. 00:20:16.700 --> 00:20:18.340 Notice the language here. 00:20:18.820 --> 00:20:19.880 Not you will die, 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:22.039 but your soul 00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:24.100 is required of you. 00:20:25.019 --> 00:20:26.380 The soul is on loan 00:20:26.380 --> 00:20:27.100 from God 00:20:27.100 --> 00:20:27.980 and the loan 00:20:27.980 --> 00:20:29.380 is now being called in. 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:31.200 It's time to settle 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:33.500 accounts with God. 00:20:34.340 --> 00:20:35.060 And all his 00:20:35.060 --> 00:20:36.680 carefully laid plans 00:20:37.259 --> 00:20:37.680 collapse 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:39.620 in a moment. 00:20:40.680 --> 00:20:41.860 His bigger barns 00:20:41.860 --> 00:20:42.900 will never be built. 00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:44.200 His precious goods 00:20:44.200 --> 00:20:45.539 will pass to others. 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:46.980 The soul that he tried 00:20:46.980 --> 00:20:47.539 to soothe 00:20:47.539 --> 00:20:48.539 and satisfy 00:20:48.539 --> 00:20:50.500 with material comforts 00:20:50.500 --> 00:20:51.820 now stands naked 00:20:51.820 --> 00:20:52.820 before the judge 00:20:52.820 --> 00:20:53.560 of all the earth, 00:20:53.740 --> 00:20:55.100 his folly exposed 00:20:55.100 --> 00:20:56.220 for all to see. 00:20:59.259 --> 00:20:59.820 What was it 00:20:59.820 --> 00:21:00.920 that made this man 00:21:00.920 --> 00:21:02.060 such a fool? 00:21:03.140 --> 00:21:03.740 Of course, 00:21:03.799 --> 00:21:04.580 as many of you know, 00:21:04.700 --> 00:21:05.480 fooling the Bible 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:06.980 doesn't mean to say 00:21:06.980 --> 00:21:08.140 that someone is stupid 00:21:08.140 --> 00:21:09.940 or intellectually challenged. 00:21:11.160 --> 00:21:12.520 It relates to someone 00:21:12.520 --> 00:21:13.320 who's out of touch 00:21:13.320 --> 00:21:14.320 with the reality 00:21:14.320 --> 00:21:15.500 that is out of touch 00:21:15.500 --> 00:21:16.980 with the reality of God. 00:21:17.780 --> 00:21:18.540 Here is the person 00:21:18.540 --> 00:21:19.660 who ignores God, 00:21:19.820 --> 00:21:20.940 who rejects God, 00:21:21.060 --> 00:21:22.360 who said in his heart, 00:21:22.560 --> 00:21:23.580 there is no God. 00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:25.560 And it's an outlook 00:21:25.560 --> 00:21:26.500 that rejects 00:21:26.500 --> 00:21:27.520 and ignores God 00:21:27.520 --> 00:21:28.720 because money 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:29.800 has made this man 00:21:29.800 --> 00:21:30.220 a fool, 00:21:30.580 --> 00:21:31.360 blinding him 00:21:31.360 --> 00:21:32.680 to what was really, 00:21:33.060 --> 00:21:33.780 really important. 00:21:33.779 --> 00:21:36.399 He was a fool 00:21:36.399 --> 00:21:37.639 because for all his wealth, 00:21:37.859 --> 00:21:39.359 all his material success, 00:21:39.879 --> 00:21:41.440 he wasn't the master 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:42.319 of his own life. 00:21:43.579 --> 00:21:44.399 God cancels 00:21:44.399 --> 00:21:45.240 all his schemes 00:21:45.240 --> 00:21:45.960 at a stroke. 00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:46.859 Tonight, 00:21:47.139 --> 00:21:48.139 your soul is required 00:21:48.139 --> 00:21:48.500 of you. 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:49.379 The madness 00:21:49.379 --> 00:21:50.440 of materialism, 00:21:51.519 --> 00:21:53.160 we cannot take it 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:53.779 with us. 00:21:54.700 --> 00:21:55.720 This man saved 00:21:55.720 --> 00:21:56.299 and lived, 00:21:56.619 --> 00:21:57.039 worked out 00:21:57.039 --> 00:21:58.039 all his priorities 00:21:58.039 --> 00:21:59.460 as if this life 00:21:59.460 --> 00:22:00.639 was all that there is. 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:03.180 Stored up everything, 00:22:03.180 --> 00:22:04.259 thought he would be happy. 00:22:04.420 --> 00:22:05.380 I'm sure he was. 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:08.420 God says to him, 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:08.940 you fool, 00:22:09.640 --> 00:22:10.420 now who will get 00:22:10.420 --> 00:22:11.420 what you have prepared 00:22:11.420 --> 00:22:12.840 for yourself? 00:22:13.799 --> 00:22:15.640 All that he had trusted in, 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:17.340 all that he had invested 00:22:17.340 --> 00:22:18.420 his life in, 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:20.539 all of it disappeared 00:22:20.539 --> 00:22:21.700 at a stroke. 00:22:23.060 --> 00:22:23.500 And friends, 00:22:23.560 --> 00:22:24.180 that's what money 00:22:24.180 --> 00:22:25.560 and material wealth can do. 00:22:26.320 --> 00:22:28.160 It can suck us in 00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:29.039 and blind us 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:30.220 to the great realities 00:22:30.220 --> 00:22:31.420 of heaven and hell. 00:22:32.220 --> 00:22:33.060 Because the money 00:22:33.059 --> 00:22:33.639 we spend 00:22:33.639 --> 00:22:34.240 in ourselves 00:22:34.240 --> 00:22:35.519 cannot go with us. 00:22:36.179 --> 00:22:37.240 Paul tells Timothy, 00:22:37.579 --> 00:22:38.679 1 Timothy 6-7, 00:22:38.839 --> 00:22:39.740 we brought nothing 00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:40.639 into this world 00:22:40.639 --> 00:22:41.619 and we cannot 00:22:41.619 --> 00:22:42.559 take anything 00:22:42.559 --> 00:22:43.779 out of the world. 00:22:44.940 --> 00:22:46.460 How much did he leave, 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:47.279 people ask? 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:49.500 The answer must be, 00:22:49.879 --> 00:22:50.940 he left it all. 00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:53.879 The old hymn, 00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:54.359 Guide Me, 00:22:54.399 --> 00:22:55.399 O Thou Great Jehovah, 00:22:56.179 --> 00:22:57.279 was once printed 00:22:57.279 --> 00:22:58.159 with a mistake 00:22:58.159 --> 00:22:59.919 in one of the lines. 00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:01.840 the misprint read, 00:23:02.980 --> 00:23:04.640 Land my safe 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:06.720 on Canaan's side. 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:08.019 Friends, 00:23:08.080 --> 00:23:08.820 that's one prayer 00:23:08.820 --> 00:23:10.700 that will never 00:23:10.700 --> 00:23:11.759 be granted. 00:23:13.019 --> 00:23:13.880 I received a letter 00:23:13.880 --> 00:23:15.840 a few years ago 00:23:15.840 --> 00:23:16.940 from a colleague 00:23:16.940 --> 00:23:18.140 who told me 00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:19.279 of a family friend, 00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:20.740 phoned him 00:23:20.740 --> 00:23:21.740 from England 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:23.380 asking if he could go 00:23:23.380 --> 00:23:24.360 and speak to her brother. 00:23:24.359 --> 00:23:25.079 He was a very 00:23:25.079 --> 00:23:26.740 successful eye surgeon. 00:23:27.579 --> 00:23:28.479 I'm just going to read 00:23:28.479 --> 00:23:29.259 the words that he 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:30.319 wrote in his letter. 00:23:31.139 --> 00:23:31.859 She explained 00:23:31.859 --> 00:23:32.619 that he was recently 00:23:32.619 --> 00:23:33.539 discovered with an 00:23:33.539 --> 00:23:34.699 extensive malignancy 00:23:34.699 --> 00:23:35.219 in his liver, 00:23:35.639 --> 00:23:36.359 was on his way 00:23:36.359 --> 00:23:36.859 from London 00:23:36.859 --> 00:23:37.399 to Houston 00:23:37.399 --> 00:23:38.039 for treatment. 00:23:38.679 --> 00:23:39.379 She was deeply 00:23:39.379 --> 00:23:39.959 distressed 00:23:39.959 --> 00:23:40.799 about his health 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:41.539 and in particular 00:23:41.539 --> 00:23:42.839 his spiritual state. 00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:43.639 I agreed, 00:23:43.740 --> 00:23:44.679 I took a New Testament, 00:23:44.899 --> 00:23:45.599 I went to his 00:23:45.599 --> 00:23:47.219 temporary U.S. residence. 00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:48.119 As I knocked 00:23:48.119 --> 00:23:49.279 and entered the apartment, 00:23:49.579 --> 00:23:50.319 he was clearly 00:23:50.319 --> 00:23:50.939 distraught, 00:23:51.079 --> 00:23:51.919 demoralized 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:53.460 by his terminal illness. 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:54.600 As I entered, 00:23:54.700 --> 00:23:55.360 he broke down, 00:23:55.460 --> 00:23:56.460 he began to cry, 00:23:56.700 --> 00:23:57.800 I sat next to him, 00:23:57.940 --> 00:23:59.340 I put my arm around him, 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:00.779 I asked if I could pray. 00:24:01.660 --> 00:24:02.100 Afterward, 00:24:02.140 --> 00:24:02.840 he explained 00:24:02.840 --> 00:24:04.279 what was troubling him most 00:24:04.279 --> 00:24:06.080 was the wicked irony 00:24:06.080 --> 00:24:07.660 of this turn of events. 00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:09.460 He'd spent the best years 00:24:09.460 --> 00:24:10.279 of his life 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:11.500 working and saving 00:24:11.500 --> 00:24:12.580 and at the pinnacle 00:24:12.580 --> 00:24:13.380 of his career 00:24:13.380 --> 00:24:14.539 when he was preparing 00:24:14.539 --> 00:24:16.000 to enjoy the fruits 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:16.660 of his labor, 00:24:17.300 --> 00:24:18.320 the shocking discovery 00:24:18.320 --> 00:24:18.960 of cancer 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:19.920 had ruined 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:20.860 all his plans. 00:24:21.740 --> 00:24:22.679 I found it so difficult 00:24:22.679 --> 00:24:23.519 to comfort him. 00:24:23.879 --> 00:24:25.219 His mind was absorbed 00:24:25.219 --> 00:24:26.199 in the thought 00:24:26.199 --> 00:24:27.459 of the deceitfulness 00:24:27.459 --> 00:24:28.219 of the world 00:24:28.219 --> 00:24:29.099 which had played 00:24:29.099 --> 00:24:29.939 a prank of fate 00:24:29.939 --> 00:24:30.519 upon him. 00:24:32.079 --> 00:24:32.839 I was reminded 00:24:32.839 --> 00:24:33.459 of the words 00:24:33.459 --> 00:24:34.479 of the Persian poet 00:24:34.479 --> 00:24:35.119 Hafez, 00:24:35.699 --> 00:24:37.359 do not expect faithfulness 00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:38.099 from this world. 00:24:38.719 --> 00:24:39.379 She is the bride 00:24:39.379 --> 00:24:40.419 of a thousand husbands. 00:24:41.199 --> 00:24:42.059 It's in our nature 00:24:42.059 --> 00:24:43.379 to shatter our dreams. 00:24:43.579 --> 00:24:44.519 James the Apostle 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:45.179 advised, 00:24:45.439 --> 00:24:45.979 now listen, 00:24:46.099 --> 00:24:47.059 you who say today 00:24:47.059 --> 00:24:47.839 or tomorrow 00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:49.079 we will go to this 00:24:49.079 --> 00:24:49.779 or that city, 00:24:49.899 --> 00:24:50.779 spend a year there, 00:24:51.019 --> 00:24:51.779 carry on business 00:24:51.779 --> 00:24:52.439 and make money. 00:24:52.679 --> 00:24:52.919 Why? 00:24:53.039 --> 00:24:54.059 You do not even know 00:24:54.059 --> 00:24:55.199 what will happen tomorrow. 00:24:55.859 --> 00:24:56.659 What is your life? 00:24:56.719 --> 00:24:57.279 You're a mist 00:24:57.279 --> 00:24:58.039 that appears 00:24:58.039 --> 00:24:58.879 for a little while 00:24:58.879 --> 00:24:59.659 and then vanishes. 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:02.979 Wise are those 00:25:02.979 --> 00:25:03.779 who beat the world 00:25:03.779 --> 00:25:05.179 at its own deceptive game. 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:07.379 They give rather than grab, 00:25:07.859 --> 00:25:09.439 lay down rather than take up. 00:25:10.039 --> 00:25:10.799 They do not believe 00:25:10.799 --> 00:25:11.359 its lies 00:25:11.359 --> 00:25:12.359 are not led astray 00:25:12.359 --> 00:25:13.919 by its allurement 00:25:13.919 --> 00:25:15.579 of mirage upon mirage. 00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:16.839 Blessed are those 00:25:16.839 --> 00:25:17.679 who act before 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:18.420 they are robbed 00:25:18.420 --> 00:25:19.680 of all they have. 00:25:20.299 --> 00:25:21.060 They invest 00:25:21.060 --> 00:25:21.940 what they can 00:25:21.940 --> 00:25:22.900 while they can 00:25:22.900 --> 00:25:24.519 where no thief 00:25:24.519 --> 00:25:25.380 can reach, 00:25:26.320 --> 00:25:27.440 especially the greatest 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:28.380 of all bandits, 00:25:29.019 --> 00:25:29.700 death itself. 00:25:31.580 --> 00:25:32.600 This dear man 00:25:32.600 --> 00:25:33.640 was caught off guard 00:25:33.640 --> 00:25:35.920 because he had not prepared 00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:37.640 for the inevitable. 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:39.860 Beside comforting him 00:25:39.860 --> 00:25:41.000 and feeling sad for him, 00:25:41.060 --> 00:25:42.080 there was very little 00:25:42.080 --> 00:25:42.799 I could do 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:44.120 other than earnestly 00:25:44.120 --> 00:25:44.960 plead with him 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:46.440 in this trying hour 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:47.079 of his life 00:25:47.079 --> 00:25:48.220 while there was still time 00:25:48.220 --> 00:25:50.500 to flee into the arms of God. 00:25:51.640 --> 00:25:52.360 Seek the Lord 00:25:52.360 --> 00:25:53.579 while he may be found. 00:25:54.620 --> 00:25:55.620 Call upon him 00:25:55.620 --> 00:25:57.279 while he is near. 00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:01.140 The striking thing 00:26:01.140 --> 00:26:01.759 about the man 00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:02.740 in Jesus' parable 00:26:02.740 --> 00:26:04.700 was that according 00:26:04.700 --> 00:26:05.539 to the values 00:26:05.539 --> 00:26:06.420 and perspective 00:26:06.420 --> 00:26:07.299 of our world, 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:08.660 he was no fool. 00:26:10.340 --> 00:26:10.779 In fact, 00:26:10.819 --> 00:26:11.740 he was very wise 00:26:11.740 --> 00:26:12.640 and very prudent. 00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:14.920 But what Jesus 00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:16.040 is telling us here 00:26:16.040 --> 00:26:16.500 is something 00:26:16.500 --> 00:26:17.800 absolutely revolutionary 00:26:17.800 --> 00:26:20.759 because it's the very opposite 00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:22.560 of what our culture 00:26:22.560 --> 00:26:23.660 and society 00:26:23.660 --> 00:26:25.320 screams at us 00:26:25.320 --> 00:26:26.360 day in and day out. 00:26:27.580 --> 00:26:28.400 The world says 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:29.140 store up, 00:26:29.500 --> 00:26:30.080 accumulate, 00:26:30.540 --> 00:26:31.780 look after number one. 00:26:31.900 --> 00:26:32.560 Jesus says 00:26:32.560 --> 00:26:33.980 empty your barns, 00:26:34.220 --> 00:26:34.840 give it away, 00:26:35.160 --> 00:26:36.140 look out for others. 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:38.020 The world tells us 00:26:38.020 --> 00:26:39.000 that to be someone 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:40.240 you have to grab 00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:41.560 for all you can get. 00:26:41.559 --> 00:26:43.359 Jesus says 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:44.299 to find yourself, 00:26:44.539 --> 00:26:45.759 you must lose yourself. 00:26:46.759 --> 00:26:47.700 The world says 00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:48.539 be assertive, 00:26:48.659 --> 00:26:49.659 push yourself forward. 00:26:50.639 --> 00:26:51.179 Jesus says 00:26:51.179 --> 00:26:52.259 to obtain real honor, 00:26:52.339 --> 00:26:53.419 you must humble yourself. 00:26:54.819 --> 00:26:55.819 The world says 00:26:55.819 --> 00:26:56.779 indulge yourself, 00:26:56.980 --> 00:26:58.179 satisfy your desires. 00:26:59.359 --> 00:26:59.940 Jesus says 00:26:59.940 --> 00:27:00.919 to find real joy, 00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:02.059 you must repent 00:27:02.059 --> 00:27:03.039 and believe the gospel. 00:27:04.099 --> 00:27:04.980 The world says 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:05.539 push your way 00:27:05.539 --> 00:27:06.579 to the top of the tree. 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:07.259 Jesus says 00:27:07.259 --> 00:27:09.000 to exercise real power, 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:10.279 you must be a servant. 00:27:11.559 --> 00:27:12.980 The world says 00:27:12.980 --> 00:27:13.480 accumulate, 00:27:13.819 --> 00:27:14.179 grab, 00:27:14.359 --> 00:27:15.500 store it up for yourself. 00:27:16.539 --> 00:27:17.359 Jesus says 00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:18.339 to have real riches, 00:27:18.639 --> 00:27:19.639 you must give. 00:27:20.639 --> 00:27:22.000 Empty your barns 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:23.440 and follow me. 00:27:25.099 --> 00:27:26.079 And that's the way 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:27.039 the gospel works. 00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:28.899 Jesus came 00:27:28.899 --> 00:27:29.399 with all his 00:27:29.399 --> 00:27:30.359 spiritual riches. 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:32.240 He gave them away. 00:27:33.319 --> 00:27:34.339 Remember Paul's words 00:27:34.339 --> 00:27:36.000 to Corinthians 8, 00:27:36.059 --> 00:27:36.299 9, 00:27:36.379 --> 00:27:37.059 you know the grace 00:27:37.059 --> 00:27:38.319 of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:40.000 though he was rich, 00:27:40.819 --> 00:27:41.819 yet for your sakes 00:27:41.819 --> 00:27:42.599 became poor, 00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:44.039 that you through 00:27:44.039 --> 00:27:44.859 his poverty 00:27:44.859 --> 00:27:47.139 might become rich. 00:27:48.419 --> 00:27:49.399 Jesus Christ 00:27:49.399 --> 00:27:50.279 gave up everything 00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:51.480 that we might enjoy 00:27:51.480 --> 00:27:52.079 the wealth 00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:53.019 and riches 00:27:53.019 --> 00:27:54.559 of a relationship 00:27:54.559 --> 00:27:55.319 with God. 00:27:56.659 --> 00:27:57.879 And the world says, 00:27:59.039 --> 00:27:59.339 Jesus, 00:27:59.599 --> 00:28:00.259 you're a fool. 00:28:00.259 --> 00:28:03.180 But in the foolishness 00:28:03.180 --> 00:28:03.920 of the cross, 00:28:05.099 --> 00:28:05.920 Jesus conquered 00:28:05.920 --> 00:28:06.720 through losing. 00:28:07.339 --> 00:28:08.079 He gained 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:08.819 through giving. 00:28:09.420 --> 00:28:10.400 He received honor 00:28:10.400 --> 00:28:11.160 and glory 00:28:11.160 --> 00:28:12.099 through shame 00:28:12.099 --> 00:28:13.079 and through disgrace. 00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:15.259 Jesus' life, 00:28:15.420 --> 00:28:15.619 death, 00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:16.480 and resurrection 00:28:16.480 --> 00:28:18.160 proved the very truth 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:19.400 of what he is saying here. 00:28:20.180 --> 00:28:21.079 He had no money. 00:28:21.940 --> 00:28:23.299 He had no earthly power. 00:28:23.720 --> 00:28:24.660 He had no home, 00:28:24.740 --> 00:28:25.440 no publicity, 00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:26.440 no advertising, 00:28:26.440 --> 00:28:27.440 no big organization 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:28.920 behind him. 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:30.799 And yet he became 00:28:30.799 --> 00:28:32.259 the most influential man 00:28:32.259 --> 00:28:34.220 to ever walk this earth. 00:28:36.220 --> 00:28:37.620 What are you going to do 00:28:37.620 --> 00:28:39.360 with Jesus tonight? 00:28:41.860 --> 00:28:42.779 I don't know if you know 00:28:42.779 --> 00:28:43.500 the story about 00:28:43.500 --> 00:28:44.600 the junior devils 00:28:44.600 --> 00:28:46.840 having their final exam 00:28:46.840 --> 00:28:48.779 before a senior devil. 00:28:49.700 --> 00:28:50.799 And the great question 00:28:50.799 --> 00:28:51.500 was this, 00:28:51.980 --> 00:28:53.259 what are you going to say 00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:54.360 to human beings? 00:28:54.480 --> 00:28:55.320 What will you whisper 00:28:55.319 --> 00:28:56.359 into their minds 00:28:56.359 --> 00:28:57.599 to divert them 00:28:57.599 --> 00:28:58.339 from faith 00:28:58.339 --> 00:28:59.419 in Jesus Christ? 00:29:01.200 --> 00:29:02.179 The first devil said, 00:29:02.259 --> 00:29:03.000 I plan, sir, 00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:03.619 to tell them 00:29:03.619 --> 00:29:04.460 there is no God. 00:29:05.259 --> 00:29:06.579 The devil master said, 00:29:06.639 --> 00:29:07.599 they will not believe you. 00:29:08.220 --> 00:29:09.200 Their work tells them 00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:11.579 that every single human being, 00:29:11.679 --> 00:29:13.460 no matter how he disguises it, 00:29:13.679 --> 00:29:14.599 knows deep down 00:29:14.599 --> 00:29:15.359 there is a God. 00:29:16.839 --> 00:29:18.240 The second one came in 00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:19.539 and he said, 00:29:19.599 --> 00:29:20.480 we've heard one answer. 00:29:20.539 --> 00:29:21.240 What is your answer? 00:29:21.319 --> 00:29:21.519 He said, 00:29:21.539 --> 00:29:22.259 I'm going to tell them 00:29:22.259 --> 00:29:23.220 that there is no judgment. 00:29:23.220 --> 00:29:25.400 The senior devil said, 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:26.700 we've tried that many a time, 00:29:27.059 --> 00:29:28.019 but we know that we can 00:29:28.019 --> 00:29:28.839 never silence 00:29:28.839 --> 00:29:30.400 the guilty consciences 00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:31.720 that remind them, 00:29:31.799 --> 00:29:32.740 that break into their 00:29:32.740 --> 00:29:33.779 settled lives 00:29:33.779 --> 00:29:34.640 to disturb them 00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:35.360 and tell them 00:29:35.360 --> 00:29:36.220 that there is a judgment. 00:29:36.420 --> 00:29:37.140 It won't work. 00:29:39.240 --> 00:29:40.839 The third junior devil came in. 00:29:41.860 --> 00:29:43.259 The master devil said to him, 00:29:43.339 --> 00:29:44.740 have you got a better plan 00:29:44.740 --> 00:29:45.940 than to tell them 00:29:45.940 --> 00:29:46.880 there is no God 00:29:46.880 --> 00:29:48.819 or tell them 00:29:48.819 --> 00:29:49.740 there is no judgment? 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:52.200 And this one said, 00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:52.940 sir, 00:29:53.579 --> 00:29:55.039 I plan to tell them 00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:56.539 there is no hurry. 00:29:58.019 --> 00:29:58.480 And that, 00:29:58.599 --> 00:29:59.440 the master said, 00:29:59.980 --> 00:30:00.980 will work. 00:30:01.839 --> 00:30:02.819 There is no hurry. 00:30:03.120 --> 00:30:03.779 Take your time. 00:30:04.319 --> 00:30:05.460 No need for urgency. 00:30:07.380 --> 00:30:07.859 Friend, 00:30:08.019 --> 00:30:08.819 do not delay. 00:30:09.960 --> 00:30:11.259 Do not put off 00:30:11.259 --> 00:30:12.339 giving your life 00:30:12.339 --> 00:30:13.299 to Jesus Christ 00:30:13.299 --> 00:30:15.299 because none of us 00:30:15.299 --> 00:30:16.160 are promised tomorrow. 00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:18.500 one day your soul 00:30:18.500 --> 00:30:19.840 will be required of you. 00:30:22.600 --> 00:30:23.980 One day you will see 00:30:23.980 --> 00:30:24.940 and understand 00:30:24.940 --> 00:30:25.920 the deceitfulness 00:30:25.920 --> 00:30:26.840 of this life. 00:30:27.740 --> 00:30:29.240 This life that can never 00:30:29.240 --> 00:30:30.660 satisfy the human soul. 00:30:31.560 --> 00:30:32.600 And you will see it 00:30:32.600 --> 00:30:33.140 in heaven 00:30:33.140 --> 00:30:34.400 or you will see it 00:30:34.400 --> 00:30:35.040 in what the Bible 00:30:35.040 --> 00:30:35.820 calls hell. 00:30:37.640 --> 00:30:38.080 Yes, 00:30:38.080 --> 00:30:39.360 Jesus Christ spoke 00:30:39.360 --> 00:30:40.140 a great deal 00:30:40.140 --> 00:30:40.880 about money 00:30:40.880 --> 00:30:41.600 and wealth 00:30:41.600 --> 00:30:42.580 and possessions, 00:30:42.759 --> 00:30:44.060 not because he wanted it 00:30:44.060 --> 00:30:44.740 for himself. 00:30:44.740 --> 00:30:46.599 Jesus doesn't want 00:30:46.599 --> 00:30:47.099 your money. 00:30:48.140 --> 00:30:49.140 He wants far more 00:30:49.140 --> 00:30:49.680 than that. 00:30:50.539 --> 00:30:51.920 He wants your whole life. 00:30:53.420 --> 00:30:54.799 His astonishing claim 00:30:54.799 --> 00:30:55.620 is that you are 00:30:55.620 --> 00:30:58.480 only truly rich 00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:00.859 when he is most valued, 00:31:01.400 --> 00:31:03.220 when he is Lord, 00:31:03.319 --> 00:31:04.279 when he is master. 00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:06.460 Because then money 00:31:06.460 --> 00:31:07.160 and possessions 00:31:07.160 --> 00:31:07.960 and things 00:31:07.960 --> 00:31:09.120 begin to lose 00:31:09.120 --> 00:31:10.279 their powerful grip 00:31:10.279 --> 00:31:11.660 on our hearts. 00:31:12.620 --> 00:31:13.900 They lose their hold 00:31:13.900 --> 00:31:14.880 on our lives. 00:31:15.740 --> 00:31:16.580 For Jesus says, 00:31:16.759 --> 00:31:17.900 when I come into your life, 00:31:18.040 --> 00:31:19.100 I'll set you free. 00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:21.180 Give your life away to me 00:31:21.180 --> 00:31:21.940 and you will have 00:31:21.940 --> 00:31:22.660 real life, 00:31:22.880 --> 00:31:23.759 eternal life. 00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:27.920 The missionary martyr 00:31:27.920 --> 00:31:29.160 Jim Elliot once wrote, 00:31:30.400 --> 00:31:31.220 he is no fool 00:31:31.220 --> 00:31:32.580 who gives 00:31:32.580 --> 00:31:33.840 what he cannot keep 00:31:33.840 --> 00:31:35.300 to gain 00:31:35.300 --> 00:31:37.080 what he cannot lose. 00:31:38.120 --> 00:31:39.220 Give your life, 00:31:40.019 --> 00:31:40.600 your soul 00:31:40.600 --> 00:31:41.580 to Jesus Christ 00:31:41.579 --> 00:31:42.179 this evening. 00:31:43.599 --> 00:31:44.439 And so be able 00:31:44.439 --> 00:31:45.159 to declare 00:31:45.159 --> 00:31:46.179 with the hymn writer, 00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:49.339 riches I heed not, 00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:51.819 nor man's empty praise, 00:31:52.559 --> 00:31:54.019 thou mine inheritance, 00:31:54.740 --> 00:31:56.099 now and always, 00:31:56.879 --> 00:31:58.399 thou and thou only, 00:31:58.819 --> 00:32:00.720 first in my heart, 00:32:01.879 --> 00:32:02.919 high King of heaven, 00:32:03.919 --> 00:32:04.699 my treasure, 00:32:05.419 --> 00:32:06.500 thou art. 00:32:06.500 --> 00:32:08.319 let's pray together. 00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:17.140 God, our Father, 00:32:17.299 --> 00:32:18.420 we pray that you would 00:32:18.420 --> 00:32:19.559 keep us from being 00:32:19.559 --> 00:32:21.660 blinded and deceived 00:32:21.660 --> 00:32:23.160 by the lies of this world 00:32:23.160 --> 00:32:25.539 that make us think 00:32:25.539 --> 00:32:27.180 that this world 00:32:27.180 --> 00:32:27.799 is everything, 00:32:28.539 --> 00:32:30.500 that money and possessions, 00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:32.819 while good things, 00:32:33.599 --> 00:32:34.920 are not everything. 00:32:34.920 --> 00:32:37.740 you are everything. 00:32:38.640 --> 00:32:39.539 Help us to 00:32:39.539 --> 00:32:41.360 give our lives 00:32:41.360 --> 00:32:41.920 to you 00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:43.480 through our Lord 00:32:43.480 --> 00:32:44.320 Jesus Christ. 00:32:45.160 --> 00:32:46.500 Help us to enjoy 00:32:46.500 --> 00:32:48.740 a true inheritance 00:32:48.740 --> 00:32:50.600 and real riches, 00:32:51.259 --> 00:32:53.140 not in ourselves, 00:32:53.700 --> 00:32:55.060 but in him. 00:32:56.300 --> 00:32:57.039 Lord, help us 00:32:57.039 --> 00:32:57.880 to live for you, 00:32:57.980 --> 00:32:58.900 to use what you have 00:32:58.900 --> 00:32:59.580 given us 00:32:59.580 --> 00:33:01.320 to honor you, 00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:02.240 to serve you, 00:33:02.960 --> 00:33:03.900 and to serve others. 00:33:03.900 --> 00:33:05.100 Help us to love you 00:33:05.100 --> 00:33:06.940 and to love our neighbor 00:33:06.940 --> 00:33:08.220 as ourselves. 00:33:08.980 --> 00:33:10.259 And so live faithfully 00:33:10.259 --> 00:33:11.720 as your disciples 00:33:11.720 --> 00:33:12.900 in this world. 00:33:13.860 --> 00:33:15.420 We pray it in Jesus' name. 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:16.340 Amen.