Rich Toward God

I once knew a very wealthy businessman. He drove a $100,000 car, wore $2,000 suits, and he held a powerful position within a large corporation. I walked by his office one day, and he looked like someone had just punched him in the stomach.

I poked my head in, and I asked him if he was okay. He had a sad look on his face as he made the following remark to me. He said, I just came back in town after dropping my daughter off at college, and as I stood in her dorm room hugging her goodbye, I realized that I didn't know her, and now it's too late.

You see, friends, that man was a success in business, but another failure in life. Money was his God, and that's who he served at the expense of his family. But when I read my Bible, I see that Jesus had a great deal to say upon this subject.

My text is found in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 12. You can turn in your Bibles there now. We will be in verses 16 through 21.

And what I'm about to read us is the exact opposite of what society tells us. Society tells us that the one who has the most toys when he dies is the winner, that the Donald Trumps of the world are the biggest winners in life because they own much of the world. But it isn't so.

It isn't so, friends. Listen to what Jesus had to say about this. For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Listen, friends, if man gains the world but loses his soul, he's made a bad bargain and will end up at last a regretful loser.

You can't take your wealth or possessions with you when you die, even if a lot of people think otherwise. Some of the greediest people I've ever met have been members of churches. But Jesus declared that a man's soul is of the utmost importance in this world and the next world too.

Jesus came down here so we can go up there. He suffered and died on a bloody cross for the souls of men. But the devil's been trying to fool everybody that comes into this world, that this world is the oyster that you should go after.

And the church in our day has sipped of the devil's Kool-Aid and believes that the church should be the biggest institution in town with the most creature comforts that money can buy. I was having a meal with a pastor friend recently and he was all excited about a project he was working on. He wants to build a multi-million dollar complex and make it so beautiful and attractive that it will draw people there because of its great comforts and amenities.

I recently had lunch with another pastor and he shared with me how when he took over the pastorate of this certain church, he inherited a huge debt from a building program that the church could now no longer support. The previous pastor believed the story that success in ministry was determined by the size of one's church campus, so he took on a big building program, but now they can't carry all that debt. Of no many churches in that situation, where did we ever get this crazy notion to build huge campuses? Is it because that's what Jesus told his followers to do? Jesus said to Peter, now Peter, after I send to my father, I want you to go out and raise as much money as you can and I want you to build the biggest synagogue in this city and then I want you to start preaching in it every Sunday and hopefully a good crowd will come and hear you.

Isn't that what he said? That's what we think he said. No rather, Jesus said go and make disciples with the emphasis on going and making. Jesus never taught a come and hear gospel, but a go and tell gospel.

He went from village to village proclaiming the kingdom of God. Listen friends, Jesus was never into building institutions, he was into building individuals. And when I examine the early church in the book of Acts, I see a church that ran counter-cultural to the pagan society in which he existed.

Back then, society traveled in one direction and the church, the people of God, traveled in the other direction. And when they met, there was a clash. Now it seems many churches today just mirror the world and its luxuries and there's just a rub between them and the world.

My message this afternoon is entitled Rich Toward God and I will share a message with you on true riches before we go to our time of prayer for revival, friends. Allow me to read you this striking passage of scripture from the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and may it stir our own hearts within us to get our priorities straight, to realign our lives back to the God of the Bible and be truly rich toward God. Here now is the word of God and may the spirit of God be pleased to attend the reading of his holy word.

And he spake a parable unto them saying, the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself saying, what shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits. And he said, this will I do.

I will pull down my barns and build greater. And there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years.

Take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry. But God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then who shall those things be which thou hast provided? So he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

Now, friends, I want us to focus on those words of Jesus. I'm not rich toward God. I feel sorry for people like that.

People who make money, their God and worship it. Listen, friends, if we really believed in the rapture of the church, why are we so consumed and tied to the things of this world? Why not give what you have now to the support of missions, to the support of ministry, to the printing of Bibles and then trust God for tomorrow? Why be a hoarder like the rich fool in our passage today? I want to close this message with a story that I feel best illustrates our theme of being rich toward God. Let me read it to you now.

It's called The Richest Man in the Valley. Listen to the following story, friends. There was an old man named Hans and he was a farmhand to a wealthy landowner.

Old Hans was a faithful employee of this rich man. One day, the wealthy landover was out riding his black stallion and surveying his vast property when he came upon old Hans. Hans was sitting on the ground eating his lunch.

Hans, how are you today? asked the landowner. Hans replied, oh, it is you, sir. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you coming.

I've grown somewhat deaf lately. I was just sitting here giving thanks to my Lord for the meal which he has given me today. The wealthy landover glanced down at the meager meal of a hard piece of bread and a piece of fried pork that the old man was eating.

The landowner commented, Hans, is that the kind of food you are thanking God for? I would feel quite deprived if that were all I had for dinner. Old Hans smiled and replied, God has been good to me. He has kept me employed on your farm these many years.

I worked for your father a long time before you were born. Just then, Hans stood up and walked over to the man on the black stallion. Hans said, sir, may I share with you my dream that I had last night? Why, certainly, the rich man replied.

Well, sir, I dreamed about the heavenly gates of glory last night, and I heard a voice speak to me in the dream, and I feel I should share what the voice said because it may be a warning to you. What did the voice say, asked the rich man. Old Hans replied in a serious tone, the voice said that the richest man in the valley would die tonight.

Then I woke up. Sir, those solemn words were spoken so plainly, I haven't been able to forget them since. I feel I ought to tell you, perhaps it is a warning.

The landowner's face grew pale, but he tried to laugh it off. Nonsense, you may believe in a place called heaven, but I do not, and I certainly don't believe in any voice you heard from heaven. Good day, Hans.

With that, the rich man grabbed the reins of his black stallion and rode off into a cloud of dust. Old Hans shrugged his shoulders and went back to eating his lunch. But the rich man could not eat his fine dinner that evening.

The lobster remained cold on his plate, and the champagne was still in his glass. He couldn't get those words of old Hans out of his mind. The words, the richest man in the valley shall die tonight.

The landowner thought to himself, surely I am the richest man in this entire valley for I own most of it, but that old fool Hans should never have told me his dream, but I won't let the silly words of an ignorant man disturb me. But soon the rich man fell ill. He had trouble breathing, and finally, in desperation, he called for the town doctor.

By the time the doctor arrived, it was late, and he came up the step to the stately home. The rich man seemed to be on the brink of death. But after the doctor thoroughly examined him, he could find nothing wrong with the desperate man.

He gave the distressed patient a pill and told him to get some rest. Suddenly the doorbell rang. The rich man yelled out in a distressed voice, who could be calling at this time of night? The doctor walked to the door and opened it.

There stood a young farm boy, and he was crying. Sorry to disturb you, sir, but I must tell you that old Hans died suddenly this evening. I thought you'd like to know.

Yes, friends, the richest man in the valley did die that night, old Hans, who had a walk with God that no amount of money could buy, and to be rich toward God is to be the richest person in this life and the life to come. There are many benefits to a close walk with God. Let us go to prayer.