Parable of the Rich Fool - 12

Grieving again to you from the pulpit here at beacon Baptist Church on the Sunday evening we have been enjoying our Sunday morning gatherings. Those who been able to come. That's been a particular blessing. My family enjoyed vacation at the Outer Banks this past weekend when were there. We often make a trend make a decision between watching the beacon service or attending a local server or church there. We have in the past supported Stillwater Baptist Church was chosen too far from where we stay. But with kind of got accustomed to the lifestream service when you have six adults and three children running around. It's a little bit easier to tune in. By lifestream and not have to get everybody together and get them to the church so I was able to enjoy worship with you last Sunday morning and enjoyed preaching very much as well as this morning but we had a wonderful week of vacation. Dan ab were there with us and Gabe and Karen there three so there were 10 of us say 10 of us six adults, three children and Abigail's with child the know us and our family are aware of that but one of the needed experiences of this week's vacation was we have birthdays we often celebrate during this week.

Gabe's birthday is June 6, Abigail's May 27 so we often celebrate birthdays. So Abigail went and got some cupcakes and I thought was a strange cupcakes for birthday but we were at the beach and she came and had a box and opened them up in her? Cupcakes so immediately I picked up on what was going on there so revealing of the gender of the baby that she's caring and were thrilled that card and I will be expecting our first grandson November. Thank you for praying for her and for us, encouraging her along the way. Many of you will follow her in her journey on Facebook. So thank you for that for the reminders to lease to me is I've been preaching primarily here on Sunday night to an empty auditorium is that our audience is not the people who come and gather and join in corporate worship. Our primary audience is God himself. It's a reminder to me of that.

It's because of him missed because of his call for us to come together, not for safety assembling of ourselves that we worship in come before him as a him that was on my mind this morning as pastor Barton was preaching from that great text in John 14 about Christ being the way the truth and the life. This hymn says we, oh Christ to you.

We come will Christ to you true son of God and man by whom all things consist in home all life began in you alone. We live and move and have our being in your love. You are the way to go.

Your blood are ransom paid in you.

We face our judge and maker unafraid before the throne, absolved we stand. Your love has met your laws demand you are the living truth. All wisdom dwells in you, the source of every skill. The one eternal true. Oh great I am in you. We rest short answer to our every quest you only our true life to know you is to live the more abundant life that earth can never give all risen Lord. We live in you and us each day your life renew. We worship you Lord Christ our Savior, your and our king to you our youth and strength adoringly.

We bring so fill our hearts that all may view your life in us and turn just a couple of announcements. It is a busy time.

Despite the fact that our regular schedules been so interrupted with this coven, 19 past work was away on vacation two weeks ago so I preach for him in the morning I was away this past Sunday Sebastopol tour preach for me here last Sunday night and so there's a lot of coming and going.

There are three church weddings starting this weekend.

Over the next five weeks so that is added to the busyness which is it's a delight to see God bringing young people together and I were thrilled to participate in that and officiate in those weddings, but as part of the busyness and I would appreciate your prayers for me have been asked to preach at Grace reform Baptist Church next Sunday night there pastor Stu Johnson is the lead Elder, there caring the lion share of the preaching responsibility there and he's got a be away on vacation so he's asked me to come and preach in his absence.

So I will be here next Sunday night been and that's the reason why. Thankful for a pastor the tour and he is so very capable preacher in his own right.

Want to listen to this passage in Ephesians 5 as I read it tonight. This is not my preaching text, but it's on my mind as I think about what should our response be to all the social unrest in the chaos that's all about us. How should we live, how should we be conducting our lives.

Ephesians chapter 5.

Swanson is therefore be imitators of God, as dear children and walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us in offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for Saints. Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor course adjusting which are not fitting but rather giving of thanks for this.

You know that no fornicator unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater as any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not be partakers with them for you were once darkness, but now you are light Lord walk as children of light for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth finding out what is acceptable to the Lord and having and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them for it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light of whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore, he says awake you who sleep arise from the dead in Christ will give you light see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wives redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is and do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the spirit speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God to God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ submitting to one another in the fear of God.

So there's some good instruction for us men work asking you those of you who are deacons to assemble with us on Tuesday night in the fireplace room for our monthly deacons meeting. We have been able to meet for several months were asking you to read two chapters in Jim Mark's book mere Calvinism read those two chapters, you'll have to allot time for that others. If you're so pages but it's excellent reading in were asking you to wear a mask as you come together just as an extra precaution and was somebody was in the service this morning and heard that announcement and said to me that they had a box of masks that they would give to us so if you don't have a mass don't scurry around trying to find one provide them on Tuesday night as we come together right now. Let's ask the Lord to bless our time here tonight. Father, we bow in your presence in we rejoice that we have audience with the God of heaven that your eyes are upon the righteous, and that your ears are open under our cry, you who sit enthroned in the heavens you created everything that we see you that sustain everything that you've created by the power of your own word, we acknowledge that you are the sovereign ruler over all the from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

What a reminder to see the consistency in the stars and the way you have created this world and to be able to say with the Psalmist from the rising of your son of the sun until it setting your name is to be praised. Our father we we worship you tonight.

We adore you we give you this sacrifice of praise we can't offer that to you with come to offer ourselves to you as living sacrifices were mindful our father that Jesus Christ came in not only provided a sacrifice, but he himself was the sacrifice that allows us to live our lives unto you because we were apart from him living our lives for ourselves. We had no interest outside of ourselves.

We were self-centered and self-seeking and all the things that we did. We thank you that your spirit has brought new life in us. We've been quickened to life we once were darkness, but we now are light in the Lord how we thank you for this transformation. How we thank you for spiritual lives in spiritual insight to be able to comprehend and understand the Scriptures, we are mindful tonight that we need the aid of your spirit to teach us and to instruct us and to change us into conformance more and more into the likeness and image of your dear son Wilbur, mindful of the turmoil in the up evil in our country that is spanning the from coast-to-coast Lord, how we pray that peace and stability would return to the streets of America and that you would right the wrongs that you would cause leaders during this time to be God-fearing and seeking after you and your own will, in these matters. What were seen before us a manifestation of the depravity of the human heart, what life looks like when it's live apart from you. Your word tells us that there is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof. His death so we asked our father that you have mercy on our land and bring renewal and bring revival bring an awakening that is desperately needed help the people of God to be the people of God is we've read from Ephesians chapter 5 that we would be imitators of you is your dear children, that we would walk in love, that we would walk in light that we would walk circumspectly and not live as fools, but would we would be wise redeeming the time, knowing that these days are indeed evil. Oh God, how we need you.

How we need you to rend the heavens and come down grade along and create a desperate law seeking after you in these matters.

We fear that the church needs awakened and we heed those words again as we read them tonight awake you lose sleep arise from the dread dead in Christ will give you light awake in your church make us good soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to represent you well in this world. In this chaos, and in this hopelessness, and in this despair. And in the fear and apprehension. It's all around us. Help us to be calm and help us to be peaceful and help us to be loving and help us to be light as we speak into the lives of people as you give us opportunity. Again, we thank you for this gathering of the saints in this way that you have ordained for our time.

We thank you for the technology that allows us to do this, 25, 30 years ago we we would've had the means to do this so we thank you that were living in the day and there are people who know how to access these things and you've taught us in you made these things available to us so Lord help us as we worship you tonight in here your word and help me as I preach and help us all to hear it with believing Hartson with a willing heart to be doers of the word and not hearers only exalt your son exalt the Lord Jesus Christ in our midst pushback darkness expose error and deceit wherever it is found in lead us in the way everlasting. We pray for our good and for your own glory sake, we pray.

Amen. Well, tonight I'd like to return you to the series that we began some months ago. This is the 12th message in this series on the parables. We are in Luke chapter 12 tonight considered a group of parables that were known as better-known as the kingdom parables and then we moved away from those in looked at a series of parables that are known as the parables of salvation tonight.

I want to begin to look at a couple of parables one tonight and then in subsequent weeks on the parables of folly in wisdom, folly and wisdom in our consideration tonight is Luke chapter 12 beginning at verse 13. My Bible has this heading. The parable of the rich fool hear the word of the Lord. Then one from the crowd said to him, teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me but he that is Jesus said to him man who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you and he said to them, take heed and beware of covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. Then he spoke a parable to them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully and he thought with himself saying, what shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops so he said I will do this, I will pull down my barns and build greater there I will store all my crops and my goods and I will say to my soul soul. You have many goods laid up for many years.

Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry. But God said to him fool, this night, your soul will be required of you, then whose will those things be, which you have provided so as C who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. The parable of the rich fool like to look at this parable under these headings. Tonight I'd like to look. Number one at the context then consider the warning that Jesus gives in the context of that warning he gives a whole life principle of life principle to live by. And then fourthly, a parabolic illustration. So think with me as we consider number one the context Jesus is teaching scribes and Pharisees, his disciples and multitudes of people are gathered in his Jesus's teaching a man interrupts the teaching of Jesus is an unnamed man and says that in verse 13, then one from the crowd said to him, teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. His request is a number of things.

It's number one. It's rude and it's entirely out of line and it's entirely out of line for number reasons that align number one because the man's heart was distracted. He was deceived he was, not considering the teachings of Christ Jesus had been teaching about very important things it said about warned about hypocrisy in the early verses of chapter 12. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. He says I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no ebb no more have have no more that they can do but I will show you whom you should hear fear him who after he is killed, has power to cast into hell yes I say do you fear him. Jesus was bringing the warning man ought to fear God because of his authority over their lives. He says there in verse eight. I also say to you whoever confesses me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God, but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God and anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. So here's this warning about the unpardonable sin about blaspheming the Holy Spirit serious matters. Jesus is teaching upon verse 11.

Now when they bring bring you into the synagogue and magistrates and authorities do not worry about how or what you should answer what you should say for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you want to say then this man breaks in and says the Jesus teacher or rabbi tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. He was entirely out of line because he totally was distracted by this concern of an inheritance and was unable to receive the teaching of Jesus. That was a far greater matter. So was that he was online in that regard, he was out of line. Secondly, in the regard that he wasn't interested in Jesus hearing this case he wasn't interested in laying his case before an arbitrator and somebody deciding about the fairness of his demand for his share of the inheritance. Notice what he he's asking of Jesus, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. Another words, I'm not interested in a fair hearing on not interested in my case being arbitrated.

I'm interested Jesus a new siding with me. He was out of line. In that regard as well.

For Jesus says verse 14 man who made me a judge or an arbitrator review what Jesus is alluding to is that there are local magistrates. There are places to take your case to be heard and decided Jesus didn't come to serve that purpose. What Jesus does do on this occasion. In this context is pivot and use this man's interruption in the question he brings to bring the teaching on and a warning about the danger of covetousness the danger of covetousness so that is briefly the context and then again the warning.

Here's the warning in verse 15. I want you to notice the pronouns. Verse 14 says, but he said to him are singular.

He sent to the man who asked Jesus to side with him over this dispute with his brother over inheritance. Jesus says to him man who made me a judge or arbitrator over you and then verse 15 says and he said to them, so Jesus turns and now he speaking to a multitude he's addressing the crowd is using this occasion to further his teaching and instruction and he said to them, take heed and beware of covetousness, take heed and beware of covetousness.

We need to heed.

We need to hear that need to heed that word beware there verse 15 take heed and beware of covetousness is a present imperative form of the verb is something that we ought to be ongoing lady engaged in. We need to observe to recognize to perceive to be on guard to take care look out for, avoid, flee from. That's the idea, take heed and beware of covetousness.

Here's a warning there's danger here Jesus is saying what kind of danger. What did I what what did I read your hearing in Ephesians chapter 5. Did you did you notice that list, how listen to this walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us in offering with of an offering and a sacrifice to God for sweet smelling aroma.

But fornicators, but fornication, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for Saints. He says in verse five for you for this you know that no fornicator unclean person know what, just my who was an idolater, has Annie inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God commands whose life is characterized by covetousness is not an air of salvation. Jesus is saying Paul is saying that here in Ephesians chapter 5.

Therefore, we have this warning beware. Take heed and beware of covetousness. How many warnings are there in the Scriptures how much teaching did Jesus do give concerning money.

Listen to what Paul says to Timothy in first Timothy chapter 6, first Timothy chapter 6 verse nine. Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful loss which do what drowned man in instruction and tradition. What what drowns men in destruction and person addition. The desire to be rich. The temptation to strive after that to live for that verse 10 for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. And then Paul gives this command, Timothy verse 17 command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor the trust in on certain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they may be rich in good works, ready to give willing to share storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may be, they may lay hold on eternal life money in itself is neutral. It's not innately wrong to have money.

Jesus is pronouncing a blessing on those who are rich. If they use and are wise in their stewardship of what God is given to them. It's the pursuit of those things. It is the giving of your life for those things. It is the love of money that is a root of all kinds of evil. You see the love of money causes people to forget God, the love of money causes people to trust in uncertain riches. Jesus said many things about the liabilities of having wealth and the problems that it can bring loving money causes people to be deceived. Mark chapter 4 verse 19 Jesus warns of the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things. What is this deceitfulness of riches, he says it has the potential to come in and choke out the word and it becomes unfruitful. So money can produce a deadly spiritual deception. It can be a barrier to people believing the gospel so this is a warning to take seriously to be on guard to be vigilant about continually again. It's a present imperative take heed and beware of covetousness, and then he gives what I've called a whole life principle of life principle to live by.

What is that he says one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things that he possesses us what life is about. No, this is a watershed issue. This is what divides this is what separates children of light from children of darkness.

This is what characterizes people who are unbelievers who are outside of Christ there living their whole life. According to this life principle. What is that the accumulation the gathering of things. That's what people live for. They gave this line.

Jesus said a man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. But this world says this is what a man's life consists of this is what you should be seeking. This is what you should me personally, this is what you should be lying for the accumulation of things. Look around you look at your neighbor's. When you're on vacation you're on vacation.

Yes, but knowing that you have to preach when you come back from vacation. You have to find time to get away think and pray and do some studying, which I don't mind doing so.

I was working on this thinking on this. Praying over this and in the parking lot of the resort which we stay like the second night we were there this huge F3 50 truck was in the parking lot. This man was from Texas and there was a huge, I mean a huge boat that he had looked up behind him and it took up what you you could park it in a parking spot. It was it was take it would've taken up for five parking spaces. There were three huge Evinrude motors on the back of that thing and you couldn't help but notice that I glanced over there and I noticed he was from Texas and there were people walking around that thing I'm I saw eight or 10 people just walking around in it with this one on half hour 45 minutes to an hour every time I glanced over there. There were people milling around what is all that what was all that about II don't mean but look look at this, look what I've got not know the man, but my guess is that he had probably had other boats, smaller boats didn't go as fast as maybe this but I don't know but this was a big boat not I don't about don't really have a desire on the boat so it didn't have any appeal to me other than it caught my attention and I noticed a lot of people were very enamored with this beautiful boat, but it's what people do for a bigger boat you I can enumerate but it's what people who do not know Christ are living their lives to accumulate things. It's the abundance of the things that one possesses. Now this word in this principle one's life does not consist in what, in the abundance of the things he possesses the word abundance translates a form of the verb that means to exceed to surpass to have more than enough for overflow in the word that's translated like a man's life is not the word that means biological life.

It is the word that means purpose, meaning, fulfillment. This is what Jesus is saying fulfilling, satisfying life that enjoys eternal peace and joy, hope and blessing from salvation is not attainable from the material world, no matter how much one possesses. That's life principle now there's a temptation just to move on, but I think it's worth stopping and thinking and asking and considering those who know you the best. Those who live in the closest to you.

Those who live in your home. Those who are your friends and relatives and neighbors and coworkers. What would they say if we were to ask them Joe or Mary or Nancy or whoever. Let me ask you did, are they living their lives to accumulate things to you that what you perceive about them or are they living their lives for some other purpose. It it's interesting to stop and think that through. Because my fear is too many of God's children too many of God's people are squandering away their stewardship because they bought into the libel world that this is really what life is about life is about accumulating gaming staff don't believe that my either. Jesus is telling the truth or the corner on the truth which is it is the words of Jesus. True that a man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things that he possesses. That's not what life meaningful life. Purposeful life is about. That's what Jesus is saying anything this to the crowd and he is saying that to us any saying that to professing Christians any saying that the loss people as well. That's not what life is about. Then we have the context we have the warning we have the life principle and then we have this parabolic illustration. Jesus going to illustrate what he is said about this warning about this principle in here. Verse 16 says then he spoke a parable to them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man yielded plaintiff to plentifully. Let's consider this paragraph is not often that the Bible calls somebody but here's a man. The Jesus characterizes as a fool and it is a parable about falling the folly of being preoccupied with riches another's wisdom here to be contrasted with the folly, but the emphasis on wisdom comes only at the end when the Lord says not to be rich in the things of this world bought the admonition is to be rich toward God. This man Jesus is portraying in this parable was a fool.

He was a fool, and he was called for by Jesus for I'm going to consider for reasons why this man is called a fool by Jesus. Reason number one. This man lived his life with no reference toward God this man in this parable, lives his life with no reference toward God. Some 14 once is the full has said in his heart there is no God.

I may have said that in his heart that doesn't eliminate the fact that God does exist. The fool says in his heart there is no God because he doesn't want to be accountable to God, but the fact that he says it in his heart doesn't change the fact that there is a God that holds him will and will hold them accountable to the left answer to, but the full is the manner the woman who lives their life with no reference toward got a look of this is characterized in the parable, the ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully and he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops notice the pronouns.

I mean my so he said I will do this, I will pull down my barns and build greater in there I will store all my crops and all my goods and I will say to my soul soul.

You have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry. He was a fool. He lived his life with no reference toward God wasn't willing to acknowledge God in his life boasted about how hard he worked. Notice how Jesus characterizes the ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully wonderful how to explain that how is it possible that the ground of any man yielded plentifully apart from God's good kind Providence in providing rain at the right time. Good soil, proper sunlight, proper temperatures. If God doesn't do that. I don't care how hard you work. I don't care how much knowledge you have about farming, you will have a bonnet you won't have a bumper crop this man enjoyed a bumper crop by he didn't acknowledge that God was the Plaza. That's the point.

Now he was a fool, he plowed the ground and planted the grain he had toiled the soil to gather the harvest he had done it himself. He says over and over again the wealth was seen as an he had no responsibility to anyone so he thought, which see that's not the way Jesus viewed the matter Jesus did not say a certain man worked very hard and accumulated to good fortune is not what Jesus says Jesus says the land of a rich man produced plentifully.

The man's prosperity was from God, who made the ground and prosper the harvest. Yes, the man and worked but apart from the blessing of God upon that work. He wouldn't of had the results that he did the rich man's blessing was from God, but he failed to see that he failed to acknowledge that he regarded the wealth as he is, rather than God's and therefore be what he misused it.

He thought it was all for him. He started taking no thought of anyone else, so he was a fool and that he did not acknowledge God.

He did not live his life in reference to God was all about him.

He was a fool and that he misused the wealth of God given to him. He thought I was all for his own pleasure.

All for his own benefit. Now I'm not.

I don't think that it would be right to fault the man in his business practice.

Perhaps he thought, you know what if I take my my harvest to the market, I might flood the market and the price may drop and I may get less for it than what I could get fortify stored weight for more opportune time to sell it. Note there's nothing wrong with doing that farmers do that all the time.

They watch the commodity markets they see what soybeans sell and forth what corner selling for and if it's at a good price when they harvested dill salad. But if more grain is coming to the market before they got there and the prices been suppressing is come down farmers have silos. They store their grain, a work they wait for the price to rise to sell others no problem with that problem is that it was all self-centered. All this was for himself the language is very deliberate to communicate that he thought within himself what shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops. He said I will do this, I will pull down my barns all build greater in there I will store up my crops and my goods and I will say to my soul soul. You have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease drink and be merry.

He was a fool.

He was a fool because he lived his life with a reference to God. He was a fool in that he misused his wealth. He wasn't a good steward of it. He wasn't. He didn't see himself is blessed of God, that he might bless others.

He thought the blessing of God was only to indulge himself. He was a fool and that he allowed three allow the concern for riches to eclipse the far more important concern that he should've had for his soul see this man had no concern for his soul. Fact he equated notice when he ties his material prosperity to the condition of the school. He said I will say to my soul. Verse 19 Saul, you have many gardens laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry. There is the philosophy of the world eat drink and be merry and it takes money and wealth, and prosperity in order to indulge in that hearing was living high on all his bumper crop and command drink and be merry. I pointed out to other times, the significance with the words but God and the contrast that comes when we see those words repeated often in Scripture.

And here's another another one of those. But God statements.

This man says in verse 19. I will say to my soul soul.

You have many goods laid up for many years.

Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.

Verse 20 says, but God but God said something contrary, God did not agree with his philosophy of life. But God said to him fool you are a fool. God said to him fool, this night, your soul will be required of you, then who will those things be, which you have provided say he was a fool, Jesus characterized him as a fool number one because he lived his life with no reference to God.

He was a fool number two because he misused his wealth. He was not a good steward of the blessings of God upon his life.

He was a fool, number three, and that he allowed his concern for riches to eclipse the far more important concern that he should have had for his soul and he was a phone number for because he was presumptuous about life itself. He thought he had many years.

He started up he was planning for the future.

Jesus says in this parable, you fool, this very night your life will be demanded of you. Your this very night your lot. Your soul will be required of you, then then who will get what you have prepared for yourself. You see, that's one of the concerns that rich people have that people who are rich don't have people are rich they want to control their riches, but they know that when they guide their ability to control it will be diminished. Yes, they can set up trusts and I can do this and I can do that but their concern is, will my kids will those who inherit my money will a scorn or will they waste it will will they not appreciate. That's the appeal that Jesus is making in this parable is an appeal to a higher level. He appeals to a very basic level fool, this night, your soul will be required of you, then hose will those things be, which you have provided your kids do it with a fight over will the government get a big horse. Not because you didn't plan. I remember years and years ago.

Listen to James Dobson teach and he was talking about playing a game of Monopoly with his family and was well into the middle the evening. Nine 10 o'clock and the game was going on. He was just enjoying himself. He was put in houses and he was collecting mortgage and the baby bankrupt.

His wife and his kids and they all gave upset ongoing L1 off the bed and there he was putting in. He was he was really hamming it up. He was taken her money and stick it in his pocket.

You know, in the silence of the late evening as he was putting the pieces of the game back in the box he started taking the money out of his pocket and put it back in said it dawned on me.

This is what life is about. Regardless of how much you accumulate. Regardless of what blessing you might know from God materially.

It all goes back in the box at the end of the day it all goes back in the box can't take it with you. So this man was a fool. Jesus is warning us about this. Everything you have one day will be left behind. It is yours now and is yours now to be a good steward of it to use it or abuse it. But one day you be separated from it and you will stand before God and give an account of your stewardship. Jesus has a punchline to the story is an unexpected twist. Just when this man imagined himself to be set for life. God took his life. God took his life after he finished making his self-centered plans.

God said to him, this very night your soul is required of you.

The word fool refers to someone who's mindless somebody relaxed since somebody who is ignorant somebody who's destitute of knowledge and truth.

This man had forgotten two things he had number one foolishly forgotten God. God was not in his plans he had in equated God.

He had put God into the equation of his life he had factored God in and factored and thought about God and the blessing and thought about God and his stewardship doing thought about that he would mean God someday. It forgotten about God. Number two. He'd forgotten about his own mortality. He was gonna live forever. That one day he would die, and none of us know when that will be. Here's the point. There is no bigger fool than he who does not prepare for the life to come.

There is no greater fool than the man who lives his life solely for this life and makes no preparation for the next.

Again I'm I said this is a parable concerning folly and wisdom.

We've seen the folly and how it's been depicted by Jesus in this parable.

What about the wisdom notice what he says in verse 20. Again, God said to him full this night your soul required of you, then whose will those things be, which you have provided so is he who lays up treasure for himself. See that's is this that was this man's number one fundamental flaw.

He was laying up treasures for him self and he was not rich toward God.

Not rich toward God out of how do we how was a man or woman rich toward God. But we can be rich in faith. We can be rich in good deeds as I read to you there in first Timothy chapter 6, if we are in Christ we are rich, we rejoice in. Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor. Then we through his poverty might be made before in Christ were rich. We need to rejoice in that richness. So the question is how are you living your life. Are you living your life is a fool. I must say that means with me with a mean spirit. I simply am asking the question that Jesus raises in the parable is depicting a full and a full lettuce for the possessions of things he's looking for himself and the question is who are you living for.

Are you living for your self or are you living for the Lord, are you using that which is given to you to advance his kingdom to invest in others to lay up treasures in heaven, or are you simply mimicking the world. Yes, there's a place for savings.

Yes, there's a place for making provision for retirement. Yes, there's yes yes yes you know the warning I'm talking about the Christian life is a life of what moderation, moderation, enjoying the things that God is given to us.

But at the same time knowing that were stewards of it and the way in accounting of our life and that which is entrusted to us. It's easy to be molded by this world and to imbibe the philosophy of this world and to be pursuing the accumulation of things and more things and more thing.

The older we get, the wiser we should be more instruction we've received from the word of God, the better we ought to be only one life will should soon be passed only what's done for Christ will last. Listen to these words from Robert Murray McShane when this passing world is done when this passing world is done when his son Kian radiant son. When I stand with Christ on high, looking more life's history, then Lord shall I fully know. Not till then how much I will when I stand before the throne dressed in beauty. Not my own when I see the as thou art love the with on sinning heart then Lord shall I fully know. Not till then. How much I/O chosen not for good in me waking up from wrath to flee hidden in the Savior side by the spirit sanctified. Teach me Lord on earth to show by my love how much I/O often. I walked beneath a cloud dark as midnight's gloomy shroud, but when fear is at its height, Jesus comes in all his light, blessed Jesus, bid me show doubting Saints how much I/O when the praise of heaven. I hear loud's thunders to the year loud as many waters noise sweet as harps, melodious voice, then Lord shall I fully know. Not till then. How much I/O shall we pray father, thank you for your word. Thank you for its warnings. Thank you Fritz instruction. Thank you for the clarity of the words of Jesus, help us, that we might be men and women who have not followed the path of folly living our lives for the accumulation of things. The abundance of things Lord if you've given us an abundance help us to know it's not for self indulgence. Help us to know that it's to invest in eternal matters is to invest in the Gospels and what to invest in the kingdom is to lay up treasures in heaven help us to be wise and good stewards for our good and for your own honor and glory. I pray in Jesus name, amen know me the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

A man