Latest / HBCWestminster / 2.14.21 Luke 12:13-21 Pastor Danny Gardner

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2.14.21 Luke 12:13-21 Pastor Danny Gardner · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  If you have your Bibles, you can open to Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12, verses 13 to 21 is our text. Our title this morning is The Rich Fool Acted Foolishly. The Rich Fool Acted Foolishly. If you're able to stand in honor of reading of God's word, I would ask you to do that now. I'm going to read our text. We'll pray and begin. In verse 13, someone in the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. But he said to a man, Who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?
• 0:29
  He said to them, take care and be on your guard against all covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. And he told them a parable saying, the land of a rich man produced plentifully. He thought to himself, what shall I do?
• 0:45
  I have nowhere to store my crops. And he said, I'll do this. I'll tear down my barns and build larger ones. And there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, fool, this night your soul is required of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Would you pray with me? All to you.
• 1:17
  Lord Jesus, our singing, our preaching, our giving, our families, our friends. Lord, all things are from you and through you and to you. And so we pray today, Lord, this morning, all to you. And it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
• 1:42
  Amen. Thank you, church. You can be seated. What we've said from the beginning of our study about 18 months ago that the gospel of Luke is the gospel for the whole world. This is the gospel for whom the world has had no gospel. The gospel of Luke is the best news for the worst people, the lowest of the low. The gospel of Luke proves that Jesus came for sinners, for the outcast, for the Roman centurions, for prostitutes, for criminals.
• 2:09
  We said last week that from the moment Christ pronounced his judgment on the Pharisees and lawyers, they actively sought to destroy him.
• 2:16
  They claimed to be wise, but they were fools. They claimed to have knowledge, but they did not. They claimed to speak for God, but they did not. And as a violent mob broke out, you'll recall from last week, headed by those conniving pharisaical lawyers, Jesus began a sermon. In the midst of the violent mob, the violent crowd, Jesus began a sermon of warnings by simply saying first, last week, beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
• 2:46
  In your dealings with the world, Jesus said, in your friendships with outsiders, in your outreach to unbelievers, even within your own heart, be careful of the dirty zombie underwear of hypocrisy. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, make sure you go back and listen to last week's sermon. Otherwise, that statement will make no sense. Today, we read Christ's second warning in the form of a parable where he says, watch out for greed.
• 3:11
  We see this morning once again that our enemy does not care how he defeats us as long as we lose. Let me say that again. Our enemy, your enemy, church, the devil himself does not care how he wins as long as you lose. Last week, we studied the deceitfulness of false religion. This week, the deceitfulness of...
• 3:35
  riches. And as I just said, our title this morning is the rich fool acted foolishly, but it could also be titled the downfall of the materialist. You could also title this the affliction of the affluent. You think, well, affluence is an affliction. Riches are an affliction. You may recall Perchick and the fiddler on the roof telling Tevye, money is the world's curse. And you may recall Tevye's response by saying,
• 4:05
  Well, if money is the world's curse, then may the Lord smite me with it and may I never recover. I always like that line. The truth is, church, we are wealthy people. Every single one of us. I know that no one claims to be rich. I certainly do not. But we cannot help but be struck by the modern conveniences that every one of us has. Possessions which at any other age in history were unheard of.
• 4:33
  My second son, my middle son Zach, turned 16 last month in January. He's been saving the last couple of years. He bought his first car. He worked hard, saved all of his money. He bought a 2005 Honda, and I'm really proud of him for doing it. His car is nice, but it's a 20-year-old Honda. You know, it's a high schooler's car. Can you imagine what Henry Ford would have done?
• 5:00
  If he could drive, if Zach could drive that car back in time a hundred years.
• 5:06
  What would Henry Ford have thought as he was making the Model A, the Model T? As he's making the Model T, what would he have done if he could have seen the 2005 Honda that my son now owns? I mean, he would have freaked out how fast it can go. I mean, airbags, all of that stuff, a stereo. You know what I mean? He would have freaked out. This is incredible. This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Can you imagine what men like Rockefeller?
• 5:36
  Vanderbilt would have thought of indoor plumbing. J.P. Morgan, the wealthiest man in the world in the late 1800s, what he would have thought about indoor plumbing, what every one of us has, it would have never even occurred to them. You imagine how staggered they would be if the pharaohs, if Louis XIV, if Charlemagne could just walk around in a modern kitchen.
• 6:05
  They'd be blown away a blender a blender would have freaked them out Coffee pots an oven a microwave, right? Can you imagine that we are? Undeniably church the wealthiest people who have ever lived One pastor has said this the problem is not lack of possessions. We have possessions
• 6:30
  The problem is that we have so many possessions that those possessions have begun to possess us. He says we are consumers being consumed by our consumption. And in verse 13, we find that someone in the crowd interrupts Jesus.
• 6:53
  Anytime Jesus has been preaching, maybe you've got one of those red letter Bibles. You can see there that for verse after verse, chapter after chapter, they've been read, read, read, read, read. Anytime you see a little blip of black, someone else is speaking, take note because somebody just interrupted him. And when that happens, it doesn't usually go well. It's like when you're sitting there in class or...
• 7:15
  You've got a work meeting and the speaker has finally concluded his presentation and at the end he asks Are there any questions and you've been waiting for this moment because you know, you're at the very end You've been waiting for this moment all day You've been counting down the seconds until you can retreat to the out of doors You can enjoy the sunshine or until you can drive home and be reunited with your family And then just as he is about to say, okay, then you're dismissed that one guy
• 7:42
  Right? Everybody knows that one guy raises his hand and asks some off the wall question that only applies to him. And we find in verse 13, that's exactly what happens to Jesus. Verse 13, someone in the crowd said to Jesus, teacher.
• 8:03
  Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me and you're gonna notice here It's not even a request so much as a command. He doesn't even say would you please tell him would you be willing to tell him? He just says teacher Jesus tell my brother Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me and you may even try to give the guy the benefit of the doubt by thinking Well, surely there's some context that justifies the man's request But look back at the context
• 8:32
  Jesus in the middle after a lunch where he pronounces woes on the Pharisees and woes on the lawyers is suddenly thrust out into a violent mob this crowd of many thousands of people even tens of thousands of people are trampling one another the pharisaical lawyers are hoping that in the midst of that crowd in the frenzy that they are stirring up and even leading the charge of that Jesus will be caught up in the crowds
• 8:57
  Killed, destroyed, finished. That's their hope. Jesus begins to preach about the leaven of the Pharisees, about hypocrisy. His sermon.
• 9:08
  He says, the Father sees and knows everything and has the authority to cast people into hell. He says, make sure that you're confessing the Son. Align your life with him. And he will, if you confess him on earth, he will confess you in heaven. He talks about listening to the Holy Spirit. I mean, this is serious stuff. That's the sermon he's just preached. And while all of that is happening, this guy in the midst of the crowd isn't paying attention to any of that stuff. There is no context which justifies the man's statement.
• 9:37
  While Jesus has been preaching, while the Pharisees have been seeking to destroy him, this guy has been daydreaming about his money. This interrupting man I think thought very lowly of Jesus to bring such a request before him. I think the man thought very lowly of the crowds to selfishly monopolize the teacher's time.
• 10:01
  If his father had died, then he obviously thought very lowly of his family to make such a demand, which apparently was contrary to his father's will. If his father had not yet died, then he was even worse. This man cared more for money than he did his own flesh and blood. And Jesus replies in verse 14 by saying, man, man. You know, we use this word all the time, man. Man?
• 10:32
  You know, I mean, I think that's kind of how Jesus is saying it. This was not a sympathetic term. He was not trying to endear this man to himself. This was a discouraging term. It says, if the man standing before Jesus should have known this already, should have thought better of bringing his case to Christ. In fact, it is the same word used in Romans chapter 9 and verse 20 when it says, but who are you, O man?
• 10:59
  Who are you? You see there, who are you, oh man, to talk to God that way, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, why'd you make me like this? Shall the clay complain to the potter and say, why did you make me this way? You made me wrong. Who are you, oh man? This is a disparaging term meant to put the man in his place. Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you? What does this request have to do with anything that I came here to do?
• 11:28
  I did not come to be a family lawyer, to be an inheritance lawyer. Do you see what he's saying? Like, that's not what I came to do. It sure sounds a lot like this man was telling Christ what to do. And instead of being put in his place, Jesus instead put the man in his place. But you're going to notice that Jesus was actually a good teacher rather than just rebuking him outright, which he could have done. And in fact, that's exactly what he wanted Jesus to do to his brother.
• 11:58
  He wanted a public reprimand, right? But rather than doing that to the man, Christ instead gives a lesson. He teaches a lesson to the man in such a way that he hopes would most encourage and enhance a godly response. Christ told a parable which exposed the man's problem, but in kind of a general sense when he says in verse 15, take care, take care, be on guard, be on guard against all kinds.
• 12:28
  of covetousness. That word covetousness is a compound word in the Greek, pleion, exia, pleion, exia. Pleion means numeric numbers, okay? Exia or exo means a lusting after.
• 12:47
  Be careful about covetousness. Be careful about lusting after numbers is literally what he says. It can also be translated, be careful about thirsting after numbers because that thirst will be continual. It will never be satisfied. It is a thirst which will never be quenched. That's an interesting idea. I mean, the idea there of pleonexia, the idea there is like drinking salt water.
• 13:16
  Like those guys who are life rafts and adrift at sea. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. That's the idea. That if I took a drink of this water, I'm so thirsty. I'm dying of thirst. But if I drink that water, it will make me even more thirsty. And that's what Jesus says about greed, about covetousness. Solomon said something similar in Ecclesiastes chapter 5 and verse 10.
• 13:44
  Solomon said, he who loves money will not be satisfied with money. Did you catch that? Simple statement. It's pretty profound. He who loves money will never be satisfied with it. He who loves wealth will never be satisfied with his income. It is vanity. And so Christ says to be vigilant against the corrosive nature of all kinds of covetousness, that inordinate desire for riches, grasping, scheming after money.
• 14:14
  He does not say you'll notice that the sin is having wealth. That's not what he says. It is not a sin to have wealth. In fact, there are many wealthy women and men in the Bible who are commended. It's not about money. It's about what you do with the money. It's not about what you have. It's about instead what has you. That's his point. And he says very clearly, be on your guard against all kinds of covetousness. But look at the end of verse 15.
• 14:41
  for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions and that is really the key to understanding the text this morning your life cannot be summed up in what you own that is not where you'll find your value and the rich fool attached the value of his life to the value of his possessions and instead he should have understand that understood that our value comes not in what we own but in who owns us
• 15:09
  Do not find your identity, your value in what you own, church, but rather find your identity and value in who owns you. That is the point of the sermon. Let's observe a few ways that the rich fool acted foolishly. You're going to notice first that he failed to recognize where his wealth had come from. He failed to recognize where his wealth had come from. Notice verse 16. Jesus told them a parable saying,
• 15:40
  The land of a rich man produced plentifully. The land produced plentifully. The man didn't produce anything at all. The land produced a bountiful crop. In the midst of election years, it is really funny to just watch pockets of people who think different ways.
• 16:10
  Right across states, across our nation. You see those maps that are colored blue and red and purple and whatever. You try to figure out why is it that all of these on the outside, all of these on the coasts are typically think one way, but all of these in the middle typically think another way. Why do middle Americans typically think the same way? You ever wonder why? It's usually the bread basket.
• 16:33
  Right? The crop producers, the farmers, the middle guys. Why is it that the middle guys are the most conservative? Why is it the middle guys, for the most part, obviously there are exceptions, but why are the middle guys usually the ones that have the highest amount of Christians per capita in all of these small towns in middle America? Why is that? If you ask people on either coast,
• 16:56
  They will probably accuse middle Americans of being uneducated, unintelligent, unenlightened. But we know that's not true. We live in states like that, right? We are middle America. Uneducated? What are you talking about? Unenlightened? Right? That doesn't make any sense. Unintelligent? They're incredibly intelligent. That has nothing to do with it. The reality is that the reason that so many people in the middle claim Christianity is that they know the source of their income. Farmers.
• 17:27
  typically understand in a very clear way where the crop comes from. They know that they've got a little bit to do with it, but mostly they understand that they are completely dependent upon the Lord to produce. When Hallie was pregnant with our youngest son, Chase, our middle son, Zach, who I just mentioned, turned 16 not long ago.
• 17:53
  was five years old, four years old when she was pregnant. He was five when Chase was born.
• 17:57
  When he was four years old he was sitting next to Hallie in church and our old church had a like a thing like a little indicator like a number system digital number display that if Your child was having a hard time in the nursery or other places if your child Needed attention needed you your parent to come and get him to come pick him or her up They would put your child's number up there on the display and it was just a very discreet way of saying Hey your kid needs some attention come get him and so
• 18:23
  all of these numbers were flashing up there you know over the course of weeks this kid needed help this kid needed help but zach began to notice that thing and that the numbers would change and so he leaned over to his mom this is four-year-old zach leaned over to his mom mommy what are those numbers for and hallie explained well that's that's to let parents know that their kid needs to get picked up it's to let the kids right parents know your kid needs to come and be picked up and he said oh okay
• 18:51
  And so you could tell his little gears were just spinning, right? He's thinking about pregnant mommy, right? We're going to have a baby boy. We've talked to him. You're going to be not only a younger brother, but also an older brother. What a special thing that is. You're going to have a little brother as well. And so, you know, whatever. And pretty soon, you know, the baby will be ready and he'll come. And so he just leaned over to his mommy and he said, mommy.
• 19:11
  When will our baby's number go up there? When will our baby be ready? He fully thought, he really did. He thought that those babies, I don't know what he thought as a four-year-old, but that those babies were being born in the church nursery. And that's how the parents knew to come pick them up. He said, when will our baby be ready? He had no concept, right? He had no clue about where babies come from. He had no clue at all. And that is what this guy was doing with his wealth.
• 19:39
  He had no clue of the source. It's like a four-year-old trying to understand childbirth. He got all of this money from the land. He got all of this crop from the land and he thought he had something to do with it. He had neglected the source of his income. That's first. But second, the second way that he acted foolishly is that he did not understand the purpose of that wealth. So not only did he not understand the source, but he didn't understand the purpose either. Look at verse 17. He thought to himself, what shall I do?
• 20:09
  I have nowhere to store my crops. And he said this, I will do this. I will tear down my barns. I will build larger barns and there I will store all my grain and my goods. He thought that his wealth was to store up and save. In fact, twice it says, I'm going to store it. I'm going to store it. I'm going to store it. And rather than to use, you notice something interesting in these two verses. This man's just been given an abundance of wealth.
• 20:35
  And as the man sat on that stockpile of wealth, his response was completely selfish. Did you catch that in the verse? In fact, in these two verses, verses 17 and 18, he uses the word I five times and he uses the word my four times. There is no consideration at all for others. He never gave charity, sacrifice, generosity.
• 21:01
  even a fleeting glance. It never even occurred to him that maybe the reason the Lord had blessed him financially was for him to go then and bless others. Never even occurred to him to do that. Listen to 1 Timothy 6 and verse 17. Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant, nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
• 21:30
  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. Let me read again the really key portion of that. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous and willing to share. Church, the reality is the Lord has not given us our wealth for us. He has given us our wealth for others. I've told you before that our office manager, Lori,
• 21:58
  uh lori wentz who is doing a great job church she's just so good at her job she is such a delight to have on staff really so so so helpful so sweet spirited as well loves the lord loves this church she loves old movies she loves hallmark movies and we kind of poke fun at her you know during staff lunches and whatever we'll be quoting all of these off the wall movies from the 80s 90s she's never seen any of them she just kind of shakes her head she has no idea you know what movies we're quoting
• 22:23
  but then you know she'll talk about some hallmark movie that pastor sam has never heard of right it's really fun but she and i were talking about hello dolly hello dolly the musical with barbara streisand the other day and i was just recalling from that movie hello dolly a statement that hello dolly's uh you know dolly the main character whatever you know barbara streisand's late husband used to say when he would say money is like manure money is like manure it's only useful if it's spread around
• 22:52
  Money is like manure. It's only useful if it's spread around. If you just pile it all up, right? It's not going to do anything, but money is like manure. It's useful if it's spread around. And so Lori and I, the other day at lunch, we're laughing about that during staff lunch.
• 23:06
  And she says, you know, that's the statement that Walter Matthau in that movie, Hello Dolly, that's the statement that he makes where that's what makes her, Barbara Streisand, realize that that is who she should be with. And I thought, Laurie, how weird is the movie where Walter Matthau is the love interest? I just thought that is, that's a weird movie right there, right? But money is like manure, church. She said it pretty well.
• 23:32
  It's only useful if it's spread around. This guy had no idea what his money was for. It was not for him. It was supposed to be for others. Notice third, how did he act foolishly? He saw his wealth as his security and as his opportunity for ceasing to be productive. Look at verse 19. I will say to my soul, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, be merry.
• 24:01
  His plan was just to hit cruise control. I mean, literally, he's talking about retirement. That's how we would define retirement, right? That's it. Relax, eat, drink, be merry.
• 24:14
  Sufficient of yourself you are independently wealthy you have enough you don't have to work anymore Just relax, you know, you can imagine Jesus telling this parable and the guy getting all excited, right? He hears that and he's like that's exactly what I want to do. How did he do that? What were his invest? What was his investment portfolio like right? I mean was he invested in stocks? Bonds securities. Did he go cryptocurrency right? Maybe he invested in Bitcoin, right? Maybe that was it and so it just soared, you know, how do I do that?
• 24:44
  Can I give you an aside here church? Listen, make sure you hear this. There's nothing wrong with retiring. There's nothing wrong with that But there is something wrong with ceasing to be productive if your goal in retirement if you're at that Station in life now where you're thinking about retiring if your goal in retirement is to do nothing then you're missing it That's not what retirement is for. That's what this guy thought it was for but this guy was a fool if your goal in retirement
• 25:11
  is to work harder than ever for the good of Christ's body and for the advancement of the gospel, then God bless you. Retire. If your goal is to retire so that instead of devoting yourself, devoting your life and the best portion of your days to your work, and instead devoting the best portion of your days to the kingdom of God, then God bless you. Retire as soon as possible because honestly, we need you. The church needs you. And there is this weird trend in the church. And of course, there are exceptions to this.
• 25:41
  But people tend to be very heavily involved in their 30s and their 40s, maybe even into their 50s. But once they hit their 60s, 70s, and 80s, a lot of people in the church just kind of think, I've served my time. Let the younger people do it. Right? I mean, I'm done. I'm done. I just want to disappear. I want to fade into the background. I just want to focus on myself. That's what I want to do. But that is not what the Bible says to do. And I just encourage those in the church who are older, retire. Yes. And then work hard.
• 26:11
  You are more vital than ever to the health and daily functions of the church. And I don't just mean the church. I mean this church. You are more vital than ever. Help us. Help us on the board. Honestly, help us with spending plans. Help us understand what we should do financially.
• 26:30
  Help us with counseling. If you're like, man, I'm not good at any of those things. I want to retire. I want to be good. I want to do something good for the church. You know what we could use more of? Just people to encourage our body. You know how discouraging 2020 and 2021 have been? People are low, low. Help us just to encourage our people. Listen to 2 Timothy 1.5. I've been reminded of your sincere faith. This is Paul commending Timothy, young Timothy.
• 26:59
  I'm reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. And I am persuaded now lives in you the ministry that his grandma had on him. Timothy, the young pastor, protege of the Apostle Paul, his grandmother had a huge influence. Be that kind of grandma. Listen to Titus 2, verse 3.
• 27:24
  Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way that they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children. Learn to love their husbands and children. You want to know what you should do in your older retirement years, in your golden years, whatever you want to call them? Don't just walk off into the sunset. We need you.
• 27:48
  Teach the younger women how to love their husbands, how to do what is good, how to raise their children. Titus chapter 2 verse 6, similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled in everything. Set them an example by doing what is good. He did not understand what retirement was for. He was not supposed to cease to be productive. He was not supposed to just relax, eat, drink, and be merry. Notice fourth, he presumed. He presumed. Also in verse 19, notice the two words,
• 28:19
  Many years. You have ample goods laid up for many years. This guy had no idea how much time he had left. He actually presumed two things. Number one, he assumed, he presumed that he would possess his wealth in the future, that his wealth would never disintegrate, that his 401k would just last forever, but we know better. He also presumed, second, that he would even be alive in the future. He had no idea that that very night the Lord would require his soul. A woman's husband was about to die.
• 28:51
  He asked her to withdraw $50,000 from their account. And he said, put it inside the casket with me. I want $50,000 to take with me wherever I'm going next. Take $50,000 and put it inside the casket with me. And so she agreed. And time passed, the man passed away. At the funeral service, his wife walked up and placed a wooden box inside the casket with her husband's body. When she sat back down, her friend...
• 29:17
  leaned over and asked if she really put $50,000 inside the casket. Did you really do that? Did you really just now put $50,000 in there? The woman said, yes. Yes. She said, I'm a Christian woman. I have kept my word. There was a pause. She said, now all my husband has to do is find a place to cash a check. She didn't put $50,000 in cash in there. She put a check for $50,000. Now all he's got to do is find a place to cash a check.
• 29:48
  Perhaps a church, a more sanctified version would be found in James chapter four, where it says, now listen, you who say today or tomorrow, we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, we'll make money. You don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You're a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
• 30:09
  Your steam, your vapor, he says. And many of us, church, the reality is that many of us live as though tomorrow will be exactly like today. But none of us is guaranteed another breath. All of us will one day stand before the Lord and give an account. And so I would encourage us to live today in light of that day. Finally, last, this man misunderstood the meaning of life.
• 30:34
  and how life was to be obtained. He didn't know what life actually was. Look at verse 20, but God said to him, fool, this night your soul is required of you and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? This night, he didn't understand what life actually was and Satan would love for you to believe that this life is all about how much you can get.
• 30:56
  Alexander Bruce has said, if this life is all that there is, then the more the better. But it is so much more than that. And Satan would love for you to think that this is all there is. He would love for you to redefine life. He would love for you to respond like Eve did. When he looked at Eve on that day and said, you will surely not die. And she thought, well, okay, if I'm not going to die, then I might as well eat the fruit. But she didn't understand what he meant by death. Spiritually speaking, she died that day.
• 31:26
  Satan's strategy then and now was to deceive the woman and us into redefining life. Listen again to 1 Timothy 6. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. Don't be duped, church. We are not to live for this life, but for the life to come.
• 31:54
  And notice the conclusion is given in verse 21. We don't even have to come up with a conclusion. Jesus gives us one. He says, so is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. The point of the message church is to be rich toward God. That's what we want. We don't want earthly riches. We want heavenly riches. We don't want earthly bank accounts. We want to send that money forward. That's what we want. And so how can I become rich toward God?
• 32:19
  How can I become rich toward God? Two recommendations. First, be prepared financially. Be prepared financially. It is important. The Lord has entrusted you with your finances, however large or small. Maybe you've got a massive savings account retirement plan. Maybe it's massive. Maybe it's seven, eight, nine digits long. Who knows? I don't know how many. Maybe you've got a very small one. Maybe what you've got is a hundred dollars rather than a hundred million dollars.
• 32:46
  However large or small, the Lord has entrusted you with your finances, just like he has entrusted you with your family, with your house, with your material possessions. And they all belong to him, and he expects a return on his investment. He expects a return. So whatever you've got, whether it's ten talents, five talents, or one talent, he expects a return on his investment. And so don't be sloppy with his stuff.
• 33:17
  It's his stuff and so manage it Well, you may have heard the story of a man named Stefan Thomas He's become pretty famous in the last month or so ten years ago Stefan Thomas was given 7,000 bitcoins 7,000 as a thank you for a presentation he did on what he thought was the future of cryptocurrency and at the time
• 33:40
  Bitcoins had very little value, but he's given these 7,000 Bitcoins. And so he stuck them onto a password protected digital wallet for safekeeping. No one thought anything about it. He didn't even think anything about it until recently when Bitcoin value soared. Today, Bitcoins are worth about $45,000 each. And he has seven.
• 34:05
  thousand of them if you do the math that works out to 315 million dollars he has locked away on this digital wallet password protected the problem is church he can't remember the password he can't remember it that little digital wallet iron clad whatever gives him 10 password attempts and after 10 attempts it erases the memory it erases it
• 34:34
  He has so far last night. Thus I heard he has used eight of those password attempts He has two more he's afraid to use them because if he gets it wrong two more times it evaporates 300 million dollars evaporating into the air Church sloppiness Cost him 300 million dollars sloppiness. Don't be sloppy with the Lord's money
• 35:03
  Saving plans are important. Investments are important. Retirement plans, living trusts, wills. These are things that we should have. We are adult Christians. These are things that we should look into. Let us not be sloppy. The Lord has entrusted those things to us. Make sure that he gets a return on his investment. Ensure that the spiritual impact of the money the Lord has entrusted you with outlives you. There is nothing wrong, church, with leaving an inheritance for your kids.
• 35:32
  In fact, Proverbs commends the man who leaves an inheritance for his children's children. That's Proverbs 13, 22. It actually commends the man who does that. The wise man leaves an inheritance for his children's children. And if you're not sure about how to do this, there are all kinds of Christian resources. Allow me to recommend two. The first one you've probably heard of, Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University.
• 35:57
  Right. It's good. I've been through it. I employ many of the financial strategies that he recommends getting out of debt, being financially viable. How do I do that? How do I get out of credit card spending? How do I pay off my house early? How do I retire? How do I live today? How do I live unlike anybody today? How do I live differently today so that I can live differently tomorrow? Right. I mean, that's a lot of the stuff that he says. It's very, very good stuff. Another one is called compass.
• 36:23
  Compass finances God's way. That's another really good one similar ideas getting out of debt becoming financially viable Not so that you can spit it on yourself so that you can be a giver So that you can support missionaries so that you can support the church I mean, that's what we all want to do We want to be givers and this guy says here are some strategies to employ that will help your family to be able to do that Get out of debt
• 36:47
  So that using your treasure on earth, you can begin to lay up treasure in heaven. That's first. Be prepared financially. But second, be prepared spiritually. This man was not prepared spiritually. His soul was not ready to meet the Lord. And we know, church, that promise of James 4 is true. We're a vapor. None of us is guaranteed another breath. We are like steam that comes up off of the top of a cup of coffee. It is here for a moment and it vanishes. That is our life.
• 37:17
  And so live today in light of that day before you even prepare yourself financially. Make sure you are prepared spiritually to stand before the Lord and church. Let's pray. God, thank you. Thank you for this reminder. Last week to be on guard against hypocrisy, but this week to be on guard against the deceitfulness of riches. God.
• 37:40
  We know that money is not the problem. The love of money is. And so, Lord, I pray that we would be wildly, desperately in love with you and that the money that you entrust us with, we would use for your glory, for the advancement of your kingdom, that we would lay up treasures for ourselves in heaven and not on earth because here it cannot be kept. Lord, I pray that we would be ready to stand before you in judgment. I pray at any moment, if the vapor vanishes and our lives end, that we will be prepared to stand before you.
• 38:10
  washed in the blood of Jesus, that we would hand you everything that you've given us, that we would hand you and you would say, well done, good and faithful servant. And it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.