INTRO.- ILL.- A newspaper in Kansas, trying to correct a mistake that had occurred in a previous issue, carried the following item: “We wish to apologize for an error in the wedding story in last week’s paper. Due to a typesetter’s mistake we said, ‘THE ROSES WERE PUNK.’ What we intended to say, ‘THE NOSES WERE PINK.’” They tried to correct an error and only made it worse!
ILL.- When the janitor of the First Security Bank, Boise, Idaho, accidentally put a box of 8,000 checks worth $840,000 on a trash table, a nightmare occurred.
The operator of the paper shredder dumped all the contents into his machine, cutting them into quarter-inch shreds and dumping them into a garbage can outside the bank. The bank supervisor said, “I want to cry!” (I’ll bet he wanted to do more than that!)
Most of the checks had been cashed at the bank and were waiting shipment to a clearing house. Their loss would result in a bookkeeping nightmare because most of them were still unrecorded. The bankers could not know who paid what to whom.
THE SOLUTION: Reclaim the shredded pieces and reconstruct each check! COULD YOU IMAGINE?! So fifty employees worked in two shifts for six hours a day, inside 6 rooms, shifting, plucking, matching, and pasting checks back together.
Don’t you wonder what happened to that janitor and the person who did the paper-shredding?
Big mistakes that people make. And all of us make mistakes in life.
Rom. 3:23 “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
One preacher paraphrases that verse this way: We all fail in some form or another. Or it could be: We all make mistakes and some make bigger ones than others.
Can you remember the dumbest mistake you ever made? You probably can but I suspect you don’t want to talk about it.
ILL.- It’s like the fellow who spit out the window of his car, only to discover that his window was rolled up. The only thing that might have made it worse was if he had spit tobacco.
That’s a dumb mistake all right. Of course, if that was the worse mistake any person ever made, it wouldn’t be that bad. I’d take that one any day over some of the dumb things I’ve done.
Brethren, we might admit to a few minor mistakes, but we certainly don’t like to admit to major ones! Or not extremely embarrassing ones! And certainly not costly ones!
ILL.- For example. A New York newspaper once published an advertisement of a magazine that was just being published. By the error of both the printer and the proofreader, the cost of the year’s subscription was given as ten (10) cents! Can you believe it?
Thirty-thousand readers of the newspaper sent in their dimes for a year’s subscription and the newspaper had to stand good for the mistakes. AND THAT ONE LITTLE MISTAKE COST THEM A BUNCH OF MONEY!
ILL.- An extremely costly mistake was made by General Motors one time in which they had to recall 4.9 million vehicles to check for faulty carburetors and exhaust systems. THE POSTAGE ALONE FOR SENDING THE REGISTERED LETTERS COST THEM MORE THAN FOUR MILLION DOLLARS!
BIG MISTAKES THAT PEOPLE MAKE!
Brethren, one important thing to remember about any mistakes that we make in life is they are generally not fatal. AND THEY CAN BE FORGIVEN IN CHRIST!
PROP.- Our text in Luke 12 (the parable of the rich fool) tells us about some big mistakes that people make in life.
1- In planning for himself, he forgot his neighbor
2- In considering his goods, he forgot the giver
3- In providing for his body, he forgot his soul
I. IN PLANNING FOR HIMSELF, HE FORGOT HIS NEIGHBOR
V. 17 With a good crop coming in, the man said, “What shall I do?” As in, “What shall I do with my money?” “How shall I spend my money on me?” It sounded like he wasn’t thinking about anybody but himself.
ILL.- The beggar was dirty and hungry. As the lady passed by she gave him a quarter. “Tell me,” she said, “How did you get so destitute?” “Well, ma’ am,” the beggar said, “I was just like you one time, always giving vast sums of money to the poor.”
Obviously, that woman wasn’t giving vast sums of money to the poor. Of course, if we give anything to the poor, we are doing something. But I doubt seriously that any of us will ever give away too much money.
Any time we think only about ourselves, our wants, our needs, etc. Or what we want to do and never consider anybody else then we are in trouble! We are in trouble with the Lord, because He wants us to think of others!
Prov. 11:24-26 “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, (thinking only of himself), but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. People curse the man who hoards grain (selfish), but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.” (meaning someone who is thinking of others and willing to share)
ILL.- Two friends met for dinner in a restaurant. Each one requested fish and after a few minutes the waiter came back with their order. Two pieces of fish, a large one and medium-sized one, were on the same platter.
One of the men proceeded to serve his friend. Placing the medium-sized piece of fish on a plate, he handed it across the table to his friend. His friend said, “Well, you certainly do have a lot of nerve!”
“What’s the matter?” asked the other man. “Look at what you’ve done! You’ve given me the smaller piece of fish and you kept the big one for yourself.”
The man responded, “Well, how would you have served the fish?” The angry man said, “If I were serving, I would have given you the bigger piece.” “WELL,” replied the man, “I’VE GOT THE BIGGER PIECE, DON’T I?”
Brethren, to be honest about this, any time we want the bigger piece of anything it is because we are thinking only of ourselves! There are many people who always want the bigger piece!
Brethren, the Christian way of life is supposed to be unselfish, thinking of others and how we can help them and bless them.
The apostle Peter characterized Jesus in Acts 10:38 as one “who went about doing good” to others. If we claim to follow Christ then we must follow Him in doing good to others.
Rom. 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
Rom. 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
Gal. 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Phil. 2:4 “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Paul is saying that we are not to be selfish with our lives. Yes, we should take care of our interests, our lives but also help other people with their concerns, burdens, etc.
ILL.- Charles Kingsley said, “If you want to be miserable, think much about yourself, about what you want, what you like, what respect people ought to pay you, and what people think of you.”
ILL.- Eugene Bertin said, “It is when we forget ourselves that we do things that are remembered.”
ILL.- A certain man was being conducted on a tour of the next world. On reaching the nether regions he was greatly surprised to find the people all seated at a banquet table loaded with appetizing food. On the wall was the one law that was strictly enforced. EVERYONE MUST USE THE KNIVES AND FORKS PROVIDED BY THE MANAGEMENT.
But the tools of service had such long handles that no one could get a bite of food near his mouth. They were all starving to death. And that was hell!
In the celestial city our visiting friend also found the people seated at banquet tables loaded with the same food and they were holding the same long-handled forks. But they were having a delightful time! THEY WERE FEEDING EACH OTHER! AND THAT WAS HEAVEN!
Brethren, heaven on earth is when we think of others. Hell on earth is when we think only of ourselves.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make in life is selfishness.
II. IN CONSIDERING HIS GOODS, HE FORGOT THE GIVER
V. 18 The rich fool thought about his material goods, but not about the Giver of the goods!
ILL.- Prearcher H.A. Ironside was in a crowded restaurant one day. Just as Ironside was about to begin his meal, a man approached and asked if he could join him. Ironside invited the man to have a seat. Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer. When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, "Do you have a headache?" Ironside replied, "No, I don’t." The other man asked, "Well, is there something wrong with your food?" Ironside replied, "No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat."
The man said, "Oh, you’re one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow and I don’t have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!"
Ironside said, "Yes, you’re just like my dog. That’s what he does too!"
James 1:16-17 “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
All good things come from God our Father. All good material, physical, and spiritual things come from God.
Sometimes we just don’t look at things correctly. We are blind to the goodness of God.
ILL.- Back in about 1987, I believe it was, I went to Duluth, MN, to run Grandma’s Marathon. No, it was not a marathon for Grandma’s! Grandma’s was a delicatessen, which was the main sponsor of the marathon. We met some friends in Duluth who had attended the church in Iowa when I preached there. Now the couple was living Fergus Falls, MN, and they drove all the way across the state to be with us when I ran the marathon because we hadn’t seen one another in many years.
While we were talking my friend Galen said, “That’s a nice car you’re driving.” It was a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass wagon, just a few years old with few miles on it. I proceeded to tell Galen about all the trouble I’d had with it.
And after I finished Galen told me about an old Dodge that he had just bought which had something like 85,000 miles on it. I thought to myself that I would never buy a car with that many miles on it because I figured with that many miles it was about wore out. Galen went on to tell me how most of the miles were highway miles that the car was a good car and “a blessing from the Lord.” In fact, Galen put it this way, “It’s a good car. God gave it to me.” Galen had actually bought the car but he felt as though God had given it to him.
Now get the picture: Here I am complaining about a fairly new car and Galen has an old car with a lot of miles on it and he considers it to be a blessing from God!
Brethren, I got humbled real fast and learned a good lesson on being thankful for what I had.
But don’t we all tend to be this way? We take many of our blessings for granted and/or we gripe about the ones we have, forgetting about how good God has been to us!
Here’s something else to think about.
I Cor. 4:7 “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”
LB “What are you so puffed up about? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if all you have is from God, why act as though you are so great, and as though you have accomplished something on your own?”
Paul is saying that everything we have is a gift from God! Some people don’t think so, however.
ILL.- My mother used to have a boyfriend named Ralph Lee. He passed away a couple of years ago when he was about 91 years old. Ralph was a millionaire. He had worked all his life to make money and often, 7 days a week. There was nothing wrong with Ralph working hard all his life and making some money. But the sad thing was, I don’t think he ever recognized where it came from! He was like a lot of people who say, “I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve got. Nobody gave me anything!”
NOT TRUE. Every good thing comes from God and we should never forget it. WE SHOULD NEVER FORGET HIM, OUR GREAT GIVER!
ILL.- Someone put it this way: “Not only count your blessings, but consider their source as well.”
Ps. 103:1-2 “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, AND FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS.”
In considering your goods, don’t forget the Giver.
III. IN PROVIDING FOR HIS BODY, HE FORGOT HIS SOUL
V. 19 The man said, “I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’”
All this rich fool was thinking about was the “here and now,” not the hereafter.
ILL.- A preacher said to one of his deacons, “Someone said that you went to a ball game this morning instead of coming to church.” “That’s a lie,” said the deacon, “and here’s the fish to prove it.”
Many people miss church for various reasons. Often, it is simply because they are wrapped up with life and its luxuries.
James 4:13-14 “Now, listen you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
James compares our lives to a mist that appears in the sky and then suddenly it is gone! Life is short! No matter how long we live on earth. James is saying that most people get all wrapped up in making plans for their lives but they forget about preparing for the next life!
There is a life after this life and it is eternal! It will never end! Are we making plans for that life?
ILL.- He brushed his teeth twice a day and with a nationally advertised toothpaste.
- The doctors examined him twice a year.
- He wore his rubbers when it rained.
- He slept with the windows open to get fresh air.
- He stuck to a diet with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits.
- He gave up his tonsils and traded in several worn-out glands.
- He golfed but never more than 18 holes at a time. (didn’t want to overdo it. Moderation in all things)
- He got at least 8 hours of sleep every night.
- He never smoked, drank, nor lost his temper.
- He did his “daily dozen” daily (meaning his exercises).
- He was all set to live to be a hundred years old.
His funeral will be held Wednesday. He is survived by 18 specialists, four health institutes, six gyms and numerous manufacturers of health foods and antiseptics. He made just one mistake: HE FORGOT GOD!
That man was like so many other people in our world.
They think about the body, enjoying the pleasures of this life, but they forget all about the fact that some day they are going to die. THEN WHAT?
ILL.- I think of people like Oprah Winfrey who is worth about a billion dollars. She can do anything he wants, go anywhere she wants and she can say anything she wants. She’s got it made in the material sense. BUT SOME DAY HER LIFE IS GOING TO BE OVER JUST LIKE YOURS AND MINE. THEN WHAT?
The more money and material goods people have, the more they can do without God! But that’s foolish thinking and living!
Haven’t you ever noticed how most children are interested in God and Jesus? And how clearly they seem to see the importance of faith? Then as times goes on it seems that our vision becomes clouded from or distorted to the things of God. We get all excited about the things of this life: going places, doing things, playing, having fun, to the point that we tend to lose sight of the more important things in life, such as loving God and serving Him.
Prov. 11:4 “Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.”
There is a hell to be shunned and a heaven to be gained, but it won’t happen unless we keep our priorities in proper order and our eyes on the Lord!
One of the biggest mistakes that anybody can make in this life is to get all wrapped up in this life and forget about their soul.
CONCLUSION-----------------------------------------
ILL.- Two men and a youth, Arnold Dobson, Harold Most and his son Harold Jr., perished in the summer heat of Death Valley. Deputies found their bodies 7 miles, 14 miles and 17 miles from their abandoned car. The deputy said, “They were kind of strung out like a line and the heat had turned them black.”
In leaving their car to seek help, the three had tragically headed in the wrong direction, going toward a ranch house they had passed 30 miles back. But just a mile in the other direction was a grove of willows and a spring!
Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in John 4:13-14, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst...” Jesus is the water of life! Make no mistake about it.
The waters of this life do not satisfy nor are they lasting! BUT JESUS SATISFIES AND HE IS LASTING!
So many people are heading in the wrong direction in life. They keep on looking for pleasure from this world and they will eventually end up dead. But if they would just turn and head the other direction, where the living water can be found, they would find true satisfaction and eternal life!
The biggest mistake that people make is not in following Jesus Christ! We need to keep on heading in his direction and point others to Him!
