Fools Gold
When I was young my uncle invited us to his land in Oregon. He had a cabin and little creek and hills behind the cabin. It was so pretty.
He had a gold claim on that land and it was assayed to be good enough to work and make money. For a few days, we panned for gold on the creek. My uncle gave us little jars and we found a little gold dust. It was so cool especially for an impressionable little kid like me back then.
Then my mom, brother and I, we walked up the road up the hills. We saw white quartz and little bits of shiny gold on the quartz! We knew it was iron pyrite on the quartz but it still was so pretty! We picked up so many rocks. I had a t-shirt inside my hoodie and I took it off and tied the sleeves and filled the t-shirt with these rocks.
My uncle took us to a river in oregon and we panned for gold there too. He had a small sluice box and he was able to find 3 flakes of gold. He told us that each flake was probably $5 dollars and he showed a jar with many flakes that he had found (may have been an oz of gold).
Before leaving, we ended up not having room for them all so we threw them down. They were pretty but ultimately they were worthless!
At night we would look out the window of the cabin and we could see eyes looking back at us. They were deer of course and they were just as curious about us as we were of them.
To this day I still would like to go back to that same location and spend a week RV camping out of there and gold panning. It made such an impression on me that I’ll never forget.
So what did we find up there? We found fools gold. It had no value really. The only value was the experience for me really.
The only reason I would want to go back would be the beauty and the nostalgia, since there
really isn’t much of any gold to find on that property.
I mean, sure it was beautiful, but if I wanted to really dig for gold it would not be there.
These days people go looking for value in all the wrong places.
There are a lot of things that people feel are important to them and not important to them.
Finding Real Treasure:
Matt 13:44 (finding treasure)
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
If you find a real treasure, it’s like you can’t live without it! You’ll do anything to get it.
In this case, this man found a treasure but he knew he couldn’t just take it. To get it, he had to buy the field. It was worth selling all that he had to raise enough money to buy the field to get it.
When faced with heaven or hell, some people carelessly float through life and never stop to think about how to get one while avoiding the other.
If you really want one thing and really don’t want the other, take a moment and if you don’t know the answer, do your due diligence and figure it out! Your eternity is at stake.
Matt 13:45,46 (pearl of great price)
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
This merchant knew that if he bought the pearl, he could sell it for much more.
He stood to make a sizable profit if he bought it.
If something valuable is there in front of you, and could even make you rich, do you seize the opportunity, or do you just turn and walk away?
Jesus is so much more than a valuable pearl. He could save your soul from hell and give you a home in heaven. That’s worth more than all the pearls ever!
Salvation is more than you could ever afford, and yet Jesus’ Salvation is a gift, you only need to accept/receive/take it, you don’t even have to work for it.
Finding Fools Gold:
Luke 12:16-21 (the folly of things)
16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. 19 And I will say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”?’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’ 21 Such is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.”
This person put his trust in false value. Things. You can’t take it with you.
He neglected what was really important, and that was: having a relationship with God!
Someday, we will all face God.
Do you have the right perspective when it comes to God and things?
When you see God will you realize that you spent all your time gathering things or did you not spend any time seeking God’s face and praying and reading your Bible, getting to know Him and building that relationship?
Have you looked and examined your heart to see if Jesus was who you trust in?
It’s weird how rich people think they don’t need anything and don’t realize that they need Jesus so much!
Matthew 7:24-27 (wise man built his house upon the rock)
24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”
Are you buying a stairway to heaven with money? … Riches are fools gold!
Are you Science-ing your way to heaven? … Science is fools gold!
Are you working your way to heaven? … Works are fools gold!
Are you trying to be good enough to get to heaven? … Trust in self is fools gold!
Are you trying to be smart enough to get to heaven? … Smarts are fools gold!
Are you trying to be a victim enough to get to heaven? … Victimhood is fools gold.
Are you trusting in various made up religions? … Imaginations of man are fools gold.
Jesus is the Only Way!
Acts 4:12 (There is only one way to heaven - the real gold!)
And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.”
Are you fooled by the value of what you have?
Revelation 3:17-20 (rich man needs nothing?)
17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have no need of anything,” and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
Some people have trusted in the stock market. Sadly, many go suicidal when it crashes. You can’t trust in the stock market. Even today, with the housing market in China, it’s precarious and could crash at any time and bring down the whole economy. There’s no trusting is that! Everything, all things, will become worthless if that happens. Trust in God alone!
Are you holding on to pretty things that are utterly worthless that you’ll just throw away like the rocks we had? They won’t buy your way to heaven.
Only trusting is Jesus, the Savior, can save you! He’s the real Gold! (Coke is the real thing?)
Do you have a relationship with Jesus? Is your house built upon the Rock?
You only have one go at this, there’s no redo. Will your house go crash with great destruction?
1 Corinthians 18 (cross foolishness or gold?)
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
The world thinks Jesus and religion are all nonsense and foolishness!
However, saved people realize the value and worth of Jesus for their eternity and to them Jesus is more precious than Gold!
Isn’t it weird to see that one group thinks the cross is foolishness and the other that the cross is the most precious thing ever, more precious than gold?
Whenever you see such a vast dichotomy, don’t ya think it’s worth trying to understand why that is? So many can’t even notice or understand the difference and incompatibility.
What is the difference between pyrite and real gold - oh that’s easy!
What is the value of the cross? It is the difference between being saved or not being saved? He was the sacrifice and the substitute that paid for our sins!
There are so many people that have never opened a Bible or listened to a Sermon - totally ignorant of such things - and when you ask them if they are going to heaven, they think they know the answer! I mean it is an easy answer to us, shouldn’t it be easy to them?
What’s the chances that their answer will be correct? Pretty much Zero!
They’ll say they are a good person, even though they know they are not.
They will give every answer but the right one! They are missing the reason for the cross!
Why won’t they do a little research and find out what the right answer is?
1 John 2:15-17 (this world is fleeting)
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
The things of this world are passing away! Why invest in things that are passing away? You’ll have nothing!
The most important decision a person will ever make and yet they don’t put any research time into it to find out?! Seems crazy doesn’t it?
Are you missing the reason for the cross?
The cross is more precious than gold, to us, it is the power of God! (1 Cor 18 says)
Trust in Jesus for your Salvation - He’s more precious than gold!
Extra Conclusion Verses (probably won’t use these):
Matt 13:47-50
47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
