Main Idea: If we plan for our future comforts, yet fail to plan for the life to come, we will reap the consequences for all eternity.
Invitation to Christ: I am excited about todays message! I believe that God is even now speaking to some hearts.
Today, some of you are going to make a decision that may have to stand the test of eternity. The decision that you make is going to be the most important decision that you will ever make in your life!
In just a few moments, you are going to have an opportunity to surrender control of your life to Jesus Christ if you have never done so. It does not matter what age group you fall in -- if you have not made this important commitment -- today will be your opportunity.
At the end of my sermon, we are going to have a special time of prayer where you will be able to commit your life to Jesus. After that commitment time, I am going to ask that you make your decision public by stepping out from where you are seated, and coming forward, take my hand so that I can pray for you. It is my prayer that nothing will hinder you from making this decision today.
It is going to take all the courage that God can give you to do this, but, I am confident that He will give you that
courage you need! So for the next few minutes, I need to ask a favor from everyone here. I am going to ask that you not whisper, or talk to your neighbor, or distract them in any way, or leave the sanctuary unless you absolutely have to. What we do in the next few minutes may help someone, or hinder someone -- and I am sure that you will want to be a help, and not a hinderance.
I am sure that many of you here today have thought about planning for your future, as I have. Young people, you may be thinking about your plans after high school -- whether or not you should go to college, or start a career, get married and start a family.
If you are in my age group, perhaps you have started your career, and have set some goals for your future about moving up in your workplace, building a dream home, raising some children, saving some money for some really nice things.
Perhaps, you are a little older than I -- you are planning for the time when you will retire. You are looking forward to spending more time with your loved ones, and grandchildren.
Perhaps today, you know that your time is short -- you have come to the place in life where you can enjoy one day at a time -- you are reaping the benefits of the plans you made in the past.
Many times we see the importance of planning for our future, but fail to see the importance of planning for an even
more important future than the one in this life. God’s Word says it best when it says: “...For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” If we plan for our future comforts, yet fail to plan for the life to come, we will reap the consequences for all eternity.
As the old saying goes, you only pass through this life one time, or as the Bible says, “it is appointed for men to die
once, but after this the judgment.” The questions of today is this: “Have you invested in an eternal savings plan -- you may need to take advantage of it sooner than you think!”
Let us look at the parable of the rich man who failed to plan for eternity.
This parable is about...
I. A MAN WHO HAD BIG PLANS IN LIFE (vv. 16-18)
1. This man reminds me of some people that I have met in our day -- so caught up in the “here and now” that they neglect spiritual matters
(1) “I have got plenty of time for God latter!”
(2) “When I am ready, I’ll come back to church!”
2. I think this man may have even had good motives for planning the way he did
(1) “I have my family to think of!”
(2) “I have too kids to put through college.”
3. We have a tendacy of just seeing what is right in front of us, and not thinking about the things of eternity
(1) Why do we do that? -- Because we have a tendacy to choose ourself and not choose God! It is what the Bible
calls sin. We chose ourselves and neglect God
(2) Read Romans 3:10-12
4. The greediness in this mans heart however indicated that he had a bigger problem -- a spiritual problem
This parable is about...
II. A MAN WHO WAS LONGING FOR FULFILLMENT (v. 19)
1. This man was looking for something that would give him security, satisfaction and peace -- a sense of purpose
(1) “If only I could get just a little more money in the bank, I would feel secure”
(2) John D Rockafeller “Just a little bit more”
2. Although we may spend our entire lives trying to accumulate more things, the only way to find complete satisfaction is to become rich toward God by gaining Christ
3. Perhaps today you are looking for security, satisfaction and peace -- a sense of purpose for your life?
(1) You can find those things only in Christ.
(2) John Baker illustration
4. The bad thing about trying to find fulfillment in life apart from Christ is this: you can lose it all
This parable is about...
III. A MAN WHO LOST EVERYTHING (v. 20)
1.“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
2. The man spent his entire life planning for his retirement -- yet unexpectedly death came and took it all away!
3. “...For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
(1) Share obituaries from newspaper
4. You say “preacher, this sure was a depressing sermon, I want some good news this morning!”
IV. I’LL BE GLAD TO GIVE YOU THE BEST NEWS I KNOW OF (LOCK-IN)
1. God loves you and wants you to know where you will spend eternity -- he wants to give you purpose in your life!
(1) John 3:16
2. “What must I do to know that I will spend eternity with God and find fulfillment in life?”
(1) Repent -- repentance means a change of dirrection -- a change of mind and heart -- a decision to stop going
your way, and start going God’s way “except you repent, you shall likewise perish”
(2) Believe -- “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” Believing means to stop trusting in everything else, and only trust
in Christ”
[1] “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself...”
[2] Jesus came to this earth, lived a sinless life and died on the cross to bear our sins (He didn’t pretend
he died, he really did)
[3] The grave couldn’t hold him -- on the third day he came back to life
[4] Now he sits at God’s right hand waiting to forgive us of all of our sins
(3) Commit -- to know Jesus is not just to know all about him, it is to be committed to Him
