- A barber in a small town was busy cutting hair one day when the local cop walked in to get a haircut. And the barber was feeling a bit generous that day, so he said to the cop... "Since you do such a good job protecting us, and watching over us... today’s haircut is free." The cop said he appreciated that, and the next day when the barber showed up at his shop, there were a dozen donuts waiting for him.
In walks a local florist. The barber tells him how much he appreciates all the work that he has done around town, planting bushes and flowers and making the town look real nice, so he gives him a free haircut. The next day, the barber shows up at his shop and there are a dozen flowers waiting for him.
In walks the local preacher, the barber tells him how he is feeling generous that day, and how much he appreciates all his hard work with the children and taking care of the needs of the people, so the preacher gets a free haircut.
The next the barber shows up at his shop, and there are a dozen preachers waiting there for him.
- Isn’t that the mark of our society. The insatiable desire for more. When we get a little bit, we want a little bit more. When we get ahead, we want to get ahead a little bit more. Solomon describes us perfectly when he wrote... "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." That is us. We are never satisfied with our income. Instead, we desire more security, better investments, more hours on the job, more, more, more. But it’s all meaningless.
- If we know that it’s meaningless, then why do we still find ourselves struggling with that overwhelming desire to place all of our worth in the money and wealth we acquire. What do we have to do to gain a life that is filled with contentment, instead of the burning desire to make more, to get more, to accumulate more. What will it take to be free, to have contentment in our life. To have that calmness in our mind and in our soul that is truly satisfied with what we have, with the portion that God has already given us.
- Well, for that answer lets take a look at a parable that Jesus told which is recorded in the book of Luke 12:13-21. Jesus is right in the middle of teaching his disciples. But as he is talking with his disciples, thousands of people gather around to listen to his words (12:1). He begins by talking about the need to acknowledge God above all else. And in the midst of his teaching, someone from the crowd pipes up and asks Jesus a question... Lk 12:13
- You see this sort of question was normally asked of the great and respected rabbis, so this man obviously recognized that Jesus had authority, and so probably with his brother standing right there, he asks this question. But, upon hearing the question, Jesus responds not by answering it, but by answering the motive behind the man’s question. And what was his motive, what was in his heart when the question was asked? Well, Jesus makes it clear, when he responds this way...
- Lk 12:14-15
- What’s in your heart? In the depth of your heart, in the place that only God can see. When all of your titles (minister, elder, deacon, teacher) are stripped away. When all of our flowery words that we have learned to say in order to gain approval, when all of our exterior motions are proven meaningless... what is in the depth of your heart. What is it that you desire more than anything else?
- For many, the depths of our heart will reveal this desire for abundance. This desire to have bigger homes, fancier cars, better jobs, wealthier farms, this desire to accumulate and obtain, and cling to the possessions of this world. A desire for just a little bit more. Maybe we are quick to deny this, but let us think about our lives for a moment.
- Why do we feel the need to spend extra hours at work instead of extra hours at home? Why do we feel the need to elevate people who have wealth over people who have none? Why do we feel the need to spend more on things that moth and rust destroy, instead of on things that are eternal? Why do we place our trust and hope in the investments we make and the money we save for a rainy day, and the cushion in our checkbook, instead of trusting in a God who knows the very number of hairs on our head.
- Ask yourself this morning, what is in the depths of your heart? What is your desire, your motive? What is it that you truly want in life? What is it that you want more of?
- And so, upon revealing the motives of this man’s heart. Jesus tells a parable, a story with an eternal message. And this is the parable he told them... Lk 12:16-21.
- Jesus paints a clear picture. It’s a picture of many people in our world, people you know and people I know. The person pictured in this particular parable was a man of the fields. A man who had acquired great wealth and was trying to decide what to do with the abundance. And so, with the wisdom of the world. The wisdom that says more is better, the wisdom that trusts in physical wealth, with this wisdom guiding him... he decided to build bigger barns and store all of the abundance he had acquired. And in his fallen wisdom he told himself... "Take life easy, eat drink and be merry."
- The picture Jesus paints is that of a farmer. But, the bigger picture is that of a person who in the desire of his heart wants financial, physical security. Who wants in the desire of her heart, more wealth and more comfort. It is the picture of the person who has convinced themselves that just a little bit more money, just a little bit more security, just a little bit more comfort will make me happy, satisfied, and content. Just a little bit more, but never enough.
- Who is Jesus painting a picture of? Me. I am in this parable. My name may not be in there, but at times, my heart is. When the bills are crunching down on me, when the payments need to be made, why is it that I find it difficult to give a portion back to God. Back to his work, to his church. Or when I see someone in need, why do I deceive myself into thinking that I can not afford to help them in their time of need. You see I am in this parable. Jesus is talking about me. And I don’t like it very much. I don’t like it at all.
- It’s a picture of a person who has forgotten that all the things of this world, all the possessions I have and all the possessions you have... your money, your house, your cars, your farm, your furniture, all of it really doesn’t belong to us. It all belongs to God. He has allowed us to have these things, but we forget that. We think it is ours, and so we hoard it, we cling to it, we trust in it.
- But God says to this lost farmer, and he says to us... "You FOOL!" "You FOOL!" Powerful words from a powerful God. In Psalm 14:1, David writes, "The fool says in his heart, ’There is no God.’" Now when David writes this, he is not referring to the person who doesn’t believe in God, we call them an atheist. That’s not who he is referring to. Rather, he is referring to the person who lives their life as if there is no God. They don’t acknowledge him with their choices, with their lifestyle. Their life in no way reflects God.
- That is what this farmer is, he is a fool. And that is what I am sometimes... a fool. I live, and breath, and do things that don’t acknowledge the God who has given me all that I have. It is his, not mine, the wealth I have as large or as small as it may be, is not mine, but is God’s. He has lent it to me. And for me to trust in it, to desire more of it, to hoard it, for me to not share, to not give back, for me to use it for self-serving purposes, is to live my life as if there is no God. That makes me a fool! Are you a fool? Are you?
- What do you want more of? What do you trust in? Is your money, your job, your farm, your wealth more important than God? Have you forgotten that everything you have is not really yours, but God’s. And the one who gives, is the one who can take in the blink of an eye.
- The fool of Jesus parable had forgotten God. But he would not forget for long. Because that very night, his life would be taken and as he stands before the great and powerful God, all of the crops he had acquired would not be with him. All of the wealth he accumulated, he could not take with him. And Solomon’s words would become reality,
"Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand."
- A life of contentment is found only in things we can take with us when this life is over. If the desire of our heart is to gain more of this world than we will never be satisfied and we will never be content. We will always want more, but will never get enough. But true contentment, contentment in our heart and in our soul is found only in those things that do not perish, that are eternal. A life of contentment can only be found when we live our life for the one who transcends this physical world, who can offer us eternal riches, and not merely physical riches.
- A few weeks ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to go up to Peoria to attend a Peoria Christian School banquet held at the Holiday Inn. It was a very fancy occasion, not something my wife and I are used to going to. We are more the potluck kind! And the special speaker at the banquet is a man who you may have heard of... his name is Cal Thomas. He is a christian columnist who writes editorials in over 500 newspapers across the country, and has authored a number of books. Throughout his speech he was commenting on the state of our educational system in America.
- And at one point of the speech he made comments concerning the wealth of our country. And he rather bluntly stated that we in America have become fat. Not physically, but rather we have accumulated too much stuff. A tv for every room, a car for every member of the family, pools and satellites, computers and designer clothes. We have become fat in America. We have consumed more than is good for us, and I think he was on to something.
- But something interesting happened in the middle of his speech. As he was talking and saying these things, a sound was heard in the crowd... a groaning sound. It caused Mr. Thomas to stop his speech momentarily as he peered through his bifocals, he then continued. But the groaning continued, and continued, until finally it was apparent that something was terribly wrong with somebody in the crowd.
- Upon seeing this, Mr. Thomas stopped his speech and asked someone to call 911, somebody in the crowd was having seizures. Within minutes the paramedics arrived, and let me tell you by the time they arrived, all 800 of us in that banquet hall were completely silent. All thoughts, all prayers focused on this person who at the age of 30 or so, was flirting with life and death. Complete silence, except one sound. It was a beautiful sound... in the table next to us was a group of women had begun quietly and softly humming
"Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus, just to take him at his word. Just to rest upon His promise; Just to know, ’Thus saith the Lord.’ Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er! Jesus, Jesus precious Jesus, o for grace to trust Him more!"
And as the paramedics attended to this sick man in the middle of this fancy banquet hall, they just kept humming, verse after verse after verse.
- Well when the paramedics cleared out. Mr. Thomas stepped back up to the podium and he said something to this effect,
"When the barns are full (ironic in light of our passage) and everything is going our way, we never know when we are one breath away from eternity! We could be brushing our teeth, driving our car, eating our dinner."
- He’s right, we never know when we are one breath away from eternity. The foolish farmer had forgotten this truth, but we musn’t. And when that moment comes, what will you take with you. Your clothes, your money, your job, your wealth, your positions.... will you be able to take all of those things that you want more, more, more of. NO! When that moment comes all you can take with you is your relationship with Jesus Christ. And if you don’t have one this morning, then when that moment comes, you will have nothing. So take it from a wealthy farmer who faced eternity with nothing... contentment is not found in more of this world... contentment is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Are you content... or do you want more?
