TEXT: Luke 12:16-21; James 4:13, 14
TITLE: WHAT IF TOMORROW WERE TO BE CANCELLED?
Imagine this scene (scenario) if you would: It is evening, and you have just finished supper. You decide to sit in your recliner and relax for a few moments. You and your family tune into the Cosby show for some reruns and humor. Suddenly, right in the midst of your laughter, you hear a voice from the news center saying, “we interrupt this program to bring you a very important announcement. TOMORROW HAS BEEN CANCELLED.”
How ridiculous, you may say, but is it? For you see, that announcement comes to millions of people in the course of every day life.
For all you and I know, this announcement could be for you and me today.
In the past year how many do you know who have heard those same words, YOUR TOMORROW HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
For many of you, who are sitting here today and listening as I preach, this announcement has almost become a reality in your life. A near heart attack, a near fatal accident, brushing death with cancer or pneumonia – those things and others have almost brought the announcement – YOUR TOMORROW HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
Every one of us is only a breath away from this announcement, that our tomorrow has been cancelled.
James tells us that we should live our lives with the realization that our plans, our very lives, are not certain. What seems to us so stable and sure is what we have “in this present world.” Yet what we have in this “present world” may crumble and fall today.
To many people this is the “real world.” To them there is no other world. To them this is all that life has to offer.
Most people say – “Yes, it’s the real world and you only go around once so you’d better grab all the gusto you can get.”
The tragic thing is, that we Christians often buy into this philosophy. But according to God’s Word, it’s a lie. This is not the real world; there is a world beyond this one, a world where there is no pain, sickness, or tears. A world with gates of pearl and streets of gold. A world where death is not allowed to exist.
Be careful how you get attached to this present world.
If we get too friendly, too attached – possessive of our possessions to the point that they possess us – then we become a friend to this world and an enemy of God.
I ask you, WHAT IF TOMORROW WAS CANCELLED?
Tomorrow was cancelled for this rich man in Luke’s gospel chapter 12. This is a parable that Jesus is sharing but for many this parable has become a reality.
The world’s philosophy is “Take care of number one!” Notice the repeated word “my” which points to this man’s ingrained selfishness.
He was concerned only about himself and nobody else. He didn’t care to help the poor and needy. He wanted to get all he could in this life for himself so he could just sit back and enjoy it.
This man had success, satisfaction and security. What more could he possibly want. You could say that as far as this world was concerned he had it made, he was enjoying life.
We need to be careful about having a false confidence in things or in people.
2 Kings 18:21 – “Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.”
Job 15:31 – “Let him not trust in futile things, deceiving himself, for futility will be his reward.”
Psalm 30:6 – “Now in my prosperity I said, ‘I shall never be moved.’”
Psalm 18:11 – “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his own esteem.”
Obadiah 1:3 – “The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, ‘who will bring me down to the ground?’”
Jesus made it clear that life does not come from an abundance of things, nor does true success or security. This man had a false view of both life and death.
There are a lot of people that are like this rich man. In this world they feel secure, invincible, that they will live to be 100 years old. They refuse to think of death; they refuse to think of eternity; they refuse to think of judgment. As far as they are concerned this world is all that there is. But how foolish to think this way, death will come to all. All will face eternity either in the presence of God or expelled from his presence eternally. All will face the judgment one-day.
But this man’s tomorrow was cancelled with the words of verse 20 – “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you.”
Death caught this man when he least expected it.
We would be tempted to say, “Too bad this fellow dies just when he had everything going for him! How tragic that he could not finish his great plans.” But I tell you, the great tragedy of this story is not what this man left behind but what laid before him: eternity without God!
Death has no favorites. It doesn’t respect age, position, importance, prosperity or anything else. Young people hear me, just because you are young and have your whole future ahead of you don’t think you can’t hear those words, YOUR TOMORROW HAS BEEN CANCELLED! There may be some here today who would say, I’m a good person, I treat people fair so I should live a while yet but you could also hear those words, YOUR TOMORROW HAS BEEN CANCELLE!
This man lived without God and he died without God. What a tragedy.
But, what if you and I had a guarantee? Let’s say tomorrow is not cancelled. How are we going to live? Are we going to live as if this is the real world? Or as if there is something beyond this world?
John said: “This world and all its desires is passing away. But, they who do the will of God will abide forever” (1 John 2:15-17).
James said: “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). Life is short. Listen to the Word of God:
Job 14:1-2 – “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue.”
Proverbs 27:1 – “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”
1 Peter 1:24 – “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away.”
James could have easily said, “Today or tomorrow I’ll travel the world…I’ll buy that house…I’ll write that book…I’ll finish that project…I’ll…I’ll.” All of this presumes that tomorrow will not be cancelled.
We are a presumptuous people. We presume that we will have a tomorrow to deal with our sin or to do what we have been putting off for some time now.
But what if tomorrow was cancelled and you were not able to take care of that sin that you have been dealing with?
God’s favorite word is today. Now is the accepted time; Today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow. Listen to Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:2 from the Living Bible: “For God says, ‘Your cry came to me at a favorable time, when the doors of welcome were wide open, I helped you on a day when salvation was being offered.’ Right now God is ready to welcome you. Today he is ready to save you.” We Christians & sinners, presume that we have a tomorrow & will take care of that thing, but God says, “Don’t put it off, do it now, get help, open your heart to someone, spend time in prayer. Do it! Tomorrow might be cancelled. Don’t presume that you will have a tomorrow.”
Augustine made this statement: “God has promised us forgiveness for our repentance, but God has not promised us a tomorrow in which to repent.”
Now, today is the only time you have. Don’t put God off anymore. Your tomorrow may be cancelled before the close of this service.
Then look at the other side of the coin. Think of all the good and right and loving things you intend to do. All the loving acts of justice, mercy, kindness and mission. Good intentions. There are many in the church who have intentions to work for the Lord but never do. We presume that we’ll have a tomorrow in which to do those things. But what if tomorrow is cancelled?
What if all the things you intended to do or say to your spouse never get done or said?
What about all the loving actions you intended towards your neighbors and friends?
What about all the great things you intended to do for the church?
WHAT IF TOMORROW WAS CANCELLED?
How easy to forget that this is not the real world. It’s not going to last forever.
I want to close with these few thoughts.
Each one of our lives hangs by a thread.
Anyone of us could be called upon at any time to stand before God and give an account of himself. What if tomorrow were cancelled for you? For me?
The bad news is that if tomorrow is cancelled and you aren’t ready to meet God then you will have to spend eternity in hell, banished from the presence of God. Don’t put off what you must do today, now.
The good news is this – that if tomorrow is cancelled, and you are in Christ – don’t worry about it. Because the day after tomorrow has already been planned for you. You will spend eternity in heaven before the Lord. The choice is yours and you must make it before tomorrow is cancelled.
