BIG MISTAKES THAT PEOPLE MAKE
Luke 12:13-21
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!
Here’s another.
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.
Do 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 bigger 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 spitted 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 $27,000!
Now that would be hard to admit! Embarrassing! Uncalled for!
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!
ILL.- That’s like Ford and Firestone, isn’t it? I read that Firestone has now recalled 6.5 million tires. I
have read that figures may well run over $350 million dollars! Wow! What a costly mistake!
ILL.- In a 60 Minutes interview that aired last Sunday night, Ford CEO was asked about the cost of the
recall to Ford. He didn’t specify a number, but when asked if it would be around $500 million, he said
that was a close figure.
BIG MISTAKES THAT PEOPLE MAKE!
ILL.- Here’s another that was sent to me by a preacher friend about a certain politician running for the
Presidency. Please, let me say, I am not trying to be political here. I believe that we as Christians
should vote for the person we believe in. And what I am about to tell you could happen to any
candidate, republican or democrat.
But it seems that this candidate said something about his faith being so important to him. He
announced that his favorite Bible verse is John 16:3. And, of course, he meant John 3:16.
Do you know what John 16:3 says? It reads: “They will do such things because they have not
known the Father or me.”
Wow! What a big mistake that could be!
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! PTL!
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.
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.” To do that, you
must be thinking about others.
Gal. 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” If we are going to help
bear one another’s burdens then obviously we must be thinking of others!
Gal. 6:10 “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do god to all people, especially to
those who belong to the family of believers.” If we are going to do good things to others and for
others, then we must be thinking about them and what we can do.
Phil. 2:4 “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests
of others.”
That’s powerful! 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!
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. Well, 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 give 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?”
That’s powerful! 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 last year 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. It
seemed to me that making money dominated his thinking even in his older age.
He saw me running one time when I was at mom’s and he said, “If I had your energy I could make
some money.”
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.
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,
you know)
- 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!
Brethren, 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 Ted Turner who is worth over a billion dollars. He can do anything he wants,
go anywhere he wants and he can say anything he wants. And usually does. Even to the point of
scoffing at Christianity and Christians. BUT SOME DAY HIS LIFE IS GOING TO BE OVER JUST LIKE
MINE AND YOURS AND THEN WHAT? All I know is: I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes when he stands
before God!
The more money and material goods people have, the more they can do without God! But that’s foolish
thinking and living!
ILL.- Here is an Aesop fable. An old woman whose sight was bad offered her doctor a fee to cure her.
He treated her with ointment, and after each application, while her eyes were closed, he would steal her
possessions, one by one. When he had stolen everything she had, he said that the cure was completed
and demanded the fee agreed on.
The woman refused to pay, so they went to court. Her defense was that she promised to pay the
money if he cured her sight, but after his treatment her sight got worse. She said, “Before he began
treating me I could see all the things in the house that I owned and now I can’t see anything.”
She got took! Never trust certain people. But the real point is this: When we begin our journey in life
it seems like we can see many things clearly. 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.
II Tim. 4:10 “For Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me...” Demas deserted
Paul and perhaps Christ too because he fell in love with the things of this world.
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----------------------------------------------
Some people make some big mistakes in life:
1- In planning for themselves, they forget others.
2- In considering their material goodies, they forget the Giver.
3- In providing for their bodies, they forget their soul.
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!
