Introduction
- This is a Parable of Christ's.
- It is a warning to us all.
GOD READS OUR SECRET THOUGHTS
- Christ tells us the man's inward thoughts; he is quickly talking to his own soul.
- The thoughts are read by God as easily as if they were written in a book:
Illustration: a TV screen or a computer
- The Bible makes this clear:
- The way they are described: Genesis 6:5
- "The Lord knoweth...": Psalm 94:11
- The Psalmist's words: Psalm 19:14
- The Prophet's words: Ezekiel 11:5
DOCTRINE: God knows all our secret thoughts.
- This is reflected in different passages:
ACHAN - WIFE OF JEROBOAM - JUDAS - PHARISEES - ANANIAS + SAPHIRA.APPLICATION: We should be thankful other people cannot read our thoughts - but we need to know that God can.
Q. : What does God see in your mind?
PROSPERITY AND SUCCESS CAN BE DANGEROUS
- The popular idea is that 'poverty is bad and wealth is good'.
- The Bible shows that wealth can be more dangerous than poverty: 'Take their ease.'
He was preparing for a long life of worldly ease - without God in his life.
- Do you recall Agur's words in Proverbs 30: 7-9?
"Neither poverty nor riches". His wise fear: "Lest I be full and deny thee...".OBSERVE: This is what the man here does - he prepares for happiness without God.
- Happiness without God is a lie:
- It is stealing God's blessings:
- It is abusing God's patience:
- It is provoking God's anger.
ILLUSTRATION: The man who owned grain.
- It can take the form of ambition - an urge to 'get on' without God:
ILLUSTRATION: What Philip de Nerie said to a clever young man (p.91).
GOD MAY CALL US OUT OF THIS LIFE SUDDENLY
- What a word this is! "God said unto him, Thou fool...!" Could anything be worse than God calling us "fools"?
- It is not allowed to us to call one another "fool", except in a gentle way: See Matthew 5:22 (Explain).
APPLICATION: Beware of using angry words.
- But God does, as Judge, call some people fools:
- Psalm 14:1 - of those who deny God.
- Proverbs 14:16: "rageth and is confident"
- Ecclesiastes 5:3: "a fool's voice is known..."
OBSERVE: Proverbs speaks often of fools = those who despise God and his ways.
- The reason why this man was a fool:
- he was not ready to die. Explain.
- he was blind to the fact that he was shortly to lose his SOUL.
- he imagined his earthly goods would last for a long time.
OBSERVE: Sudden death, if we are not saved by Christ's blood, is sudden hell.
APPLICATION: Have you got more wisdom than this man or not?
THE WISE PERSON IS RICH TOWARDS GOD
- See what the LESSON is that Christ takes from all this: v.21.
- So, we need to be "rich towards God".The meaning is:
- It begins when you obey the gospel of Christ: "rich in faith".
- The Christian is "laying up treasure in heaven": his good works.
- In a word, it is love to God and to Christ.
DOCTRINE: There are 2 kinds of riches: one kind is earthly; one is heavenly.
Q. : Which kind do YOU have?
CONCLUSION
Look at Christ: "- thought he was rich - became poor - that we might be rich"
(2 Corinthians 8:19).