Title: Restore Your Values (Luke 12:13-21)
Contents 15th Year-end Special Early Morning Revival - Day 11:
[Luke 12:13-21]
[13] ♠ One of the crowd said to him, "Teacher, command my brother to divide the inheritance with me." [14] ♠ He said, "Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?" Refrain from covetousness, for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of what he possesses. [16] Then he told them in parables, saying, "A rich man in his field yielded abundantly. [18] And he said, "This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build a larger one, and store all my grain and goods there." [19] Then I said to my soul, "Soul, I will give you things for many years." [20] But God said, "You fool, this night your soul will be required of you, and whose will be the things you have prepared?" Such is the man who is not rich toward God.
In today's text, Jesus deals with the persecution that arises because of our faith in Him, warning us that if we deny Him because of persecution, the Lord will also deny us. He also promises to send the Holy Spirit to help us at the same time. But in the midst of this serious situation, one person is jumping in. I am dealing with a spiritual matter, and I am asking for help with material matters. While talking to this man, the Lord knew that the problem he had brought up, 'covetousness', was a serious problem that could be found in all of us, and he taught us an unforgettable lesson (verse 15 “said to us”). give it The Lord gives us a parable to teach us about “covetousness,” and this man was like this. He lived with his own values, but at the same time had more serious problems. This man's problem is
1. He was hedonistic.
This man knew what he was doing, and he knew the problem at hand. Besides, he had the ability to solve the problem. The purpose of this person's life was to 'have fun'. It is not a problem in itself that this person lived with an attitude to enjoy life. We should enjoy life. Because life is God-given. But you must not enjoy yourself apart from God. The problem is not enjoying life, but enjoying life apart from God. There is absolutely no satisfaction in this life.
Do any of you who are here have the values of just enjoying life? There is a saying, “Knowing the will of God is great knowledge, but doing it is a great achievement.” It means that you need more than just the level of faith that comes to church. There are a lot of people in the church today who are just Christians. There are so many Christians who happen to come to the church as doctors, engineers, lawyers, and business people. But we don't just need Christians who are doctors, engineers, lawyers, and business people by chance, we need Christian doctors, Christian engineers, Christian lawyers, Christian business people. Not just a church or a nominal church member who comes and goes, but a believer who lives with a strong identity, a believer who lives with a spiritual identity.
2. It was materialism.
This person believed that pleasure was the purpose of life, and that material things ensured pleasure. Because material guarantees pleasure, we prioritize material things, and this attitude leads to covetousness. So are we. We are all vulnerable to greed. It is very easy to fall into the trap of materialism. How do I know if I am greedy? First, if you are not satisfied with what you have, you are greedy. Second, the more you have, the more you want to have.
3. He was an aggressor.
The rich man in the parable thought he was the ruler of his life. Let's see the text. “I thought in my heart, “What should I do, since I have no place to store the grain?” And he said, “I will do this. We have laid up a lot of things, so let us rest in peace, eat, drink, and be merry” (verses 17-19). It appears better in English, but what was the keyword of the rich man's words? 'I', 'My', 'Me'.
He was completely self-centered. In other words, he was a proud man. Do you know what the words 'Pride' and 'sin' (sin) have in common? There is an "i" in the middle of the stage. When 'I' is in the center of the stage, life is sinning. Especially to young people. Young people think that they can control themselves just because they are young. Absolutely no. Age is relative. Don't brag. Being young doesn't mean you can take control of your own life. Back in the days of the American conscription system, you had to serve when the state called you. Marriage, business, thesis, etc. Crabs could not be the reason for avoiding the conscription. If you call, you have to go. Even if Uncle Sam calls you, you have to go, but there is no one who says not to go if God calls you to the eternal kingdom.
What is God's final evaluation of this person? “And God said, “You fool, tonight your soul will be required of you, and whose will you have prepared?” In other words, they do not know what they have accomplished or gathered in the world, but they are saying that they are not rich about God. What is the final evaluation of our lives before this God? Ladies and gentlemen, God knows all the pain and suffering of immigrant life. Moreover, in spite of all these circumstances and circumstances, He works together for good. It has been three years since I served the Washington Central Presbyterian Church. We serve beautiful churches and great members, but the leadership position is lonely and difficult. Every morning I stretch out my palms toward the sky and say, 'God, have mercy on me. Please hold this hand.’ I pray. In this time, let's repent of pleasure, material possessions, and pride and cry out to stand upright in the sight of God who will evaluate our lives at the end.