Sermon Central
-
The High Cost Of Being Lost
Contributed by Michael Petty on Oct 28, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: A sermon that challenges us to count the cost of living a life that has been given to the world and not to Jesus Christ
"The High Cost Being Lost"
I. Introduction
There is an expression that we see a lot on popular youth clothing, it appears on our trucks and it even appears in some advertising. "No Fear" or as we say in the country, "Ain’t Skeered".
Now I am not exactly sure where that expression came from but there is one thing I do know, that those that do not have a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ can not brag that they have "No Fear".
In Business you are taught that every decision you make, every move your company makes will have financial implications either good or bad upon your company. Those decisions, if not carefully made, could set the fate for the entire company. Therefore there is a high cost for being wrong. Businessmen live in that fear.
Don’t believe me? Ask Coca-Coal when they tried to eliminate the Coke they sold for years with "New Coke". The buying public hated it and Coke nearly found itself on the soft-drink rocks.
Today, as we look at our sermon text, I believe we are going to see that there is also a high cost for being lost.
Our text deals with a parable about a Rich Fool. From the parable we can learn that he was prosperous, comfortable and of course rich. He had it made but in the end he ends his life in regret.
There 3 things I believe we can learn from this man, 3 things that we can all apply to our lives. So let us begin our examination of the Rich Fool.
II. A. #1 The Rich Fool’s Happiness was limited to the Happenings of Earth.
Everything seemed to be going very well for the rich man. In fact verse 16 tells us that he was successful as farmer. In Jesus day a very productive farmer who produced much food and produce was indeed a wealthy man.
However, as every farmer knows, that such things as weather, or insects, could just as easily turn that fortune into disaster. Therefore a farmer is to a great extent, at the mercy of the earth, the very thing he counts on to make him wealthy.
Today there is a very good parallel. Many of us remember or studied the stock market crash of 1929 that set off the Great Depression. For even more of us we can remember in the 80’s when the stock market crashed and retirement funds for many became worthless. Or that people had invested in junk bonds and S&L’s only to find out that they were worthless.
Today many people look for ways to invest their money to make more money. The greater the risk the greater return if it pays off. However, with greater risk comes greater opportunity for disaster.
The Rich Fool placed his trust in his ability to farm and grow crops to make him rich. I wonder how many sleepless nights he had wondering if it was ever going to rain, or wondering if it would ever stop raining. The truth is there was not a thing he could do about it.
How many of us lay in bed at night and worry that the morning might bring financial disaster and there is not a thing we can do about it?
There is only one way we can ever have inner peace to protect us when adverse disasters come, that way is faith in Jesus Christ. It is that very faith that equips us and strengthens us for the tough times.
All to many of us place our hope and trust in our own ability. When our ability fails we are dashed against the rocks of life and sink with our ship of pride.
Romans 8:37-39 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
No circumstance on earth, not one thing, can destroy us and separate us from the happiness we have in Jesus Christ.
What is your happiness built upon, wealth, independence, Wall Street? Or is it built on Jesus Christ?
B. #2. The Rich Fool’s wealth was limited to the Harvest of Earth.
Notice the statement of the Rich Fool, "What shall I do?"
His very prosperity had produced a problem. His bountiful crop had become more than his barns could hold. He had not way to store all of his new- found wealth.
Believe it or not his increased wealth had now complicated his life. He did not want to lose his crop and his only solution was to build a bigger barn so he could have more and more.
