Life Lessons

LIFE LESSONS

Text: Luke 12:13 – 34

In the short time that Jesus walked upon the earth, He taught many life lessons:

• We should treat others the way that we want to be treated ourselves.

• We should love God, our neighbors, and our enemies.

• We should forgive others just as God has forgiven us.

In this scripture, Jesus teaches three very important life lessons that everyone needs to learn.

It all begins when a person from the crowd calls out for Jesus to help. This man’s father had died, and his older brother was inheriting everything. The man wanted Jesus to act as a judge and order the brother to share the inheritance. Instead, Jesus took advantage of the teachable moment and taught three lessons about life itself.

Life lesson #1: Life is not measured by how much you own. (v. 15)

In 1923, a group of the world’s most successful financiers met at the Edgewater Beach Motel in Chicago. Collectively, these tycoons controlled more wealth than there was in the United States Treasury, and for years newspapers and magazines printed their success stories and urged young people to follow their examples. Here is the rest of the story:

• Charles Schwab – the president of the largest independent steel company – lived on borrowed money the last five years of his life, and died penniless.

• Richard Whitney – the president of the New York Stock Exchange – served time in Sing Sing.

• Albert Fall – the member of the President’s Cabinet – was pardoned from prison so he could die at home.

• Jesse Livermore – the greatest bear in Wall Street – committed suicide.

• Leon Frazer – the president of the Bank of International Settlement – committed suicide.

• Ivar Krueger – the head of the world’s greatest monopoly – committed suicide. (Is This Success? Faith, Prayer, & Tract League)

We could list some modern day examples as well – Michael Jackson, Lindsay Lohan, and Tiger Woods. All of these people learned how to make a fine living, but not one of them learned how to live.

Casting Crowns has a song called American Dream that says it all. The lyrics tell of a man who loses everything because he was too busy trying to accumulate fame and fortune that he thought would make him and his family happy.

All work no play may have made Jack a dull boy

But all work no God has left Jack with a lost soul

But he's moving on full steam

He's chasing the American dream

And he's gonna give his family the finer things

Not this time son I've no time to waste

Maybe tomorrow we'll have time to play

And then he slips into his new BMW

And drives farther and farther and farther away

So He works all day and tries to sleep at night

He says things will get better;

Better in time

And he works and he builds with his own two hands

And he pours all he has in a castle made with sand

But the wind and the rain are comin' crashing in

Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands

His kingdom stands

His American Dream is beginning to seem

More and more like a nightmare

With every passing day

"Daddy, can you come to my game?"

"Oh Baby, please don't work late."

Another wasted weekend

And they are slipping away

'Cause he works all day and lies awake at night

He tells them things will get better

It'll just take a little more time

He used to say, "Whoever dies with the most toys wins"

But if he loses his soul, what has he gained in the end

I'll take a shack on the rock

Over a castle in the sand

Now he works all day and cries alone at night

It's not getting any better

Looks like he's running out of time

'Cause he worked and he built with his own two hands

And he poured all he had in a castle made with sand

But the wind and the rain are coming crashing in

Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands

His kingdom stands

All they really wanted was You

All they really wanted was You

All they really wanted was You

Some of us have lost sight of the prize. It’s not fame and fortune in this life. It’s eternal life with our Lord and Savior. The world may be impressed with fancy clothes, big houses, expensive cars, big screen tvs, and a fat wallet, but what good are any of those things when you die?

Life is not measured by how much you own.

Life lesson #2: A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. (v. 21)