THE RICH FOOL
A very pleasant good morning to each one in this listening
audience. How thankful we should all be to be on this side of
eternity, with time and opportunity to serve the Lord. It is my
constant prayer that we might in some small measure be of help to
you who are listening. It is my continual desire to increase my
knowledge of God's Word and thus to encourage you, the listener, to
do the same. For indeed one day we must stand before the presence of
the Creator of this Universe and be judged according to His Word.
Upon one occasion one of the multitude asked a question of our
Lord, "Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me."
Jesus responded, "Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all
covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of
the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:14-15).
Covetousness is spoken of often in God's Word, as a shortcoming
in the lives of mankind. One cannot please Jehovah and be a covetous
person. Covetousness might be attempting to obtain more than is
rightfully ours. It is equally wrong for one to hold on to more than
is rightfully his. The Lord said, "Keep yourselves from all
covetousness." He follows this with the statement, "A man's life
consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesses."
A man's worth cannot be measured by the land registered in his
name, the stocks or bonds in his account, or the money deposited in
the bank under his name. The worth of a man is determined by what he
is and not by what he has. Many, many, people have failed to
distinguish between gold and "fool's" gold. Between the things of
real value and the empty riches of materialism.
Unfortunately many a tomb stone over the head of a wealthy
person should read, "This man was a success, but a failure."
Jesus then addressed His audience to a striking parable. "The
ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he
reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not
where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull
down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my
grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much
good laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be
merry. But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy
soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared,
whose shall they be? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself,
and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:16-21).
It is not often that we hear of a rich or even a wealthy man
being referred to as a fool. How sad it is that the majority of
people have come to feel that a man's bank account is the measure of
his wisdom. If one can make money, then he is a wise man. But, here
Jesus tells us about a rich fool.
There is no indication that he was a fool because he was rich.
Often we hear someone say, "You know the Lord taught that money is
the root of all evil." But that is not so. 1 Timothy 6:10, states,
"For the love of money is the root of all evil." The idea that it
is wrong for a child of God to make money is contradicted by God's
Word. Paul said, "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let
him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he
may have to give to him that needeth" (Ephesians 4:28).
There is no indication that this man was a fool in moral
weakness or evil character. From the parable, we conclude that he
was a good citizen, a good worker, respected by those around him. He
was not a fool because he wasted what he had, nor was he a spend
thrift. He does not seem to be a pleasure seeker. He wasn't lazy nor
idle. He was a good worker, making his money honestly.
Notice, the Lord said that the ground of a certain rich man
brought forth plentifully. Can you think of any more honest way to
secure wealth than through tilling the soil. This man's ground was
fertile and he saved its harvest.
Why was he a fool? Let us look at the narrative a little
closer. Hear him as he talks to himself, "What shall I do, because I
have no where to bestow my fruits." He is at a loss to know what to
do with himself. It seems that he has no further aims than just to
work and to save. This has been the disappointment of many a wealthy
person. They look for and search for wealth, but they find no
satisfaction therein. They have not learned how to use what they
have. Money is neither moral nor immoral, but rather stored up human
power. And when man comes to the point that he knows not how to
harness this power, he is of all men most miserable.
But, listen to him further: "I will, I will, I will, my grain,
my goods, I will." This man was a true egotist. He saw no one but
himself and considered no one but himself. He had no concern for
anything or anybody else. He had reached the conclusion that his
purpose in life was "to eat, drink, and be merry." How often do we
see those around us who have this same philosophy of life!!! Get
money; then eat, drink, be merry. THOU FOOL!! So says our Lord.
This man was a practical atheist. He left God entirely out of
his calculations. The Lord then asks him, "The things which thou
prepared, whose shall they be?" Thus all of his labors were in vain.
The Lord concludes the parable, "So is he that layeth up treasure
for himself, and is not rich toward God."
What would you think of a man who went into business with a
silent partner. This man took the profits of the business and used
them to his advantage, never dividing with his partner? the law of
the land would say that he is in an embezzler. That is exactly what
the Lord said of this rich fool. He was in business with the Lord.
Though the land might have been in his name, the cattle might bear
his brand, the seeds bought in him name; yet, God was a partner. And
may we never forget this. For without God's earth, God's seasons,
God's rain, God's sunshine, God's reproducing seeds; man can do
nothing. We are all partners of the Lord, whether we wish to
acknowledge it or not. The grave problem is that so many become
embezzlers, stealing from the Lord that which is rightfully His.
The cattle on a thousand hills belongs to God and the hills
underneath them. The rain, the sunshine, the fertility of the soil,
all belong to God. When it came time for this man to divide he
refused to acknowledge any partner, and as an embezzler or a thief
must pay in punishment, so this man was destined to pay eternally
facing God, his partner, unprepared.
This man, though rich, was a pauper. Why?? Listen to Christ
again, "Lay not up for yourselves treasure upon the earth, where
moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and
steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through
nor steal. For where your treasure is there will your heart be also"
(Matthew 6:19-21). What good will wealth and riches do as you stand
before the Lord in judgment?
It is said that when J. P. Morgan died the offices of his
companies were closed, but one of his employees the day of the
funeral went to the office and found another employee cleaning up.
The conversation turned toward the question, how much had this
millionaire or billionaire been worth. The man then said to the
porter, "I wonder how much J. P. left," to which the answer was
given, "I suppose he left it all." What good is it going to be if a
man or woman gains for himself or herself great wealth, but is not
rich toward God, thus losing their soul? Did not Christ say, "For
what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
(Matthew 16:26).
Every person is poor toward God who does not fulfill the
purpose of our existence. Have you ever stopped and asked yourself
the question: Why am I here? Why was I born? What is my purpose? If
you (or I) have failed to answer these questions correctly, it
matters not whether we have a million dollars or one dollar, we
would be as much a fool as was this rich man.
The man is a fool who thinks that he can succeed without
serving his purpose for existence.
Please allow me to be brutally frank this morning. Have you
been a fool? You have if you have thought that you could get by
without being a servant of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The
Hebrew writer states, "It is appointed unto man once to die and
after that the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). This is the one appointment
which you will not miss. Neither shall I. We shall all be there.
There might many appointments which we make and fail to keep. But,
not this one. What good will the few miserable possessions which we
now have be worth when God examines our truth worth, "for a man's
life consisteth not of that which he possesseth." All of us are here
by the mercy of God, and the man who refuses to serve the Lord Jesus
Christ is cheating his partner, Jehovah God. We were brought into
this business of life by Jehovah, and if we fail to fulfill our
reason for existing we have truly embezzled Him. If I, or you, my
friends, think we can get by without serving Jehovah, then are we
truly fools.
Before our time escapes, let us notice what is involved in this
service to the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Christ demands our
hearts; he demands our allegiance; our very life. Do you believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? You know, you must if you would
be saved. Jesus Himself said, "Except you believe that I am He, ye
shall die in your sins" (John 8:24). The Hebrew writer states,
"Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing unto God"
(Hebrews 11:6). Faith in Christ will lead one to repent of sins. In
Acts 17:30, we read, "And the times of this ignorance God winked at;
but now commandeth all men every where to repent." Faith in Christ
must be confessed with the mouth. Romans 10:10, states, "for with
the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation." The believer, who has repented
of past sins, confessed his or her faith in Christ, will then be
buried with the Lord in baptism for the remission of sins. Christ
Himself said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved"
(Mark 16:16).
The man or woman who goes through life without having done
these is simply rejecting the authority of Christ Jesus. That person
is a fool. And it matters how much we have accumulated of this
earth's possessions; nor how much power one might gain. Truly, "a
man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he
possesseth." However successful you may be, if you are not rich
toward God your life is an utter failure. In God's own words you are
the FOOL.
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