Yeah. He is born, he is born. He is risen from the dead and he is born. Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Sing that great chorus together this morning. Page 62 if you need the words. Sing out with us. He is Lord, He is Lord. Sing it out. He is Lord, He is Lord. He is risen from the dead and He is Lord. Aren't you thankful that we don't serve a dead God this morning, that He is alive? Amen. Let's turn to page number 51. Page number 51. Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, we'll sing all verses this morning. Page number 51. Page number 51. Oh for a thousand tongues to sing. We're going to sing all five verses together. Lift it up with me on the first. Oh for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise. The glories of my God and King. the triumph of his grace. Jesus, the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease. Tis music in the sinner's ear, tis life and health and peace. He brings is is a a a Home, thankful to be back away from chiggers and ticks and nance and tigers and bears, oh my, amen. But let's go to the Lord in prayer this morning, looking forward to this morning and today. And boy, we need a great day in the Lord, amen. But we need it to be in the Lord for it to be great. And so we need our God to meet with us today. And so let's pray, ask His blessings on our services. I'm gonna ask Brother C.J. Reeves back there if you would pray for us. May the spirit of rain in our lives, oh everyone, give our attention to you, praise you with our songs, oh everyone, hear from you, someone's who just asked to be with us, or with you. Have your will in your way, our hearts and minds, oh everyone. Amen won't you be seated this morning did just want to mention a few very quick announcements of course it's what a blessing today where it's going to be a normal day as normal as it can be alright and so looking forward to this morning will be in the gospel of Luke and then tonight we have our Bible study time tonight at six o'clock. I appreciate it, Brother Quinlan, reminding us where all the classes were at, all right? Because it's been so long since we've had one. And then our evening service tonight at 630, and looking forward to being back in the Kings and the Prophets. There are some things coming up this week. Did want to just remind you of this coming Tuesday night, there's a men's basketball game that'll be over in the E.J. Watson Gymnasium. And so, men, if you want to come, and show off your hoop skills, you can. Me and brother Quinlan are gonna watch popcorn, or eat popcorn and watch the game together, amen. But that'll be at seven o'clock over in the E.J. Watson Gymnasium, and so men, wanna invite you to that. And then of course, this coming Friday is Fourth of July, and so looking forward to celebrating our country and our independence, and so we're gonna have a cookout. and a softball game to follow and so the doors will open at 11 we're going to try to eat at noon and so the church is going to be providing drinks as well as hot dogs and hamburgers and so if you could help us out by bringing a side side dish and a dessert we would appreciate that and looking forward to having a good time of fellowship in the lord and then of course this next sunday in our morning service going to be celebrating our country we've got a a choir cantata entitled I Love This Land, and so looking forward to that. And then also wanted to mention this, July the 12th, which is on a Saturday, will be the Madison Stewart and Grant Patrick wedding, and so that'll be here at the church, and that'll be at three o'clock in the evening, and certainly want to invite our church family to that. You're invited to that, and then there'll be a reception to follow in the E.J. Watson gymnasium and then also wanted to mention this that Sunday following Brother John Roy who pastors Cornerstone Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona He is going to be preaching the Sunday morning and Sunday evening service and looking forward to that July the 19th is our church wide outreach and so that'll be on Saturday that'll be at 1030 in the morning over in the fellowship hall and then right after that we're going to be having our water wars and cookout and this kind of kicks off the week because July the 21st through the 25th is our Vacation Bible School. Looking forward to having Brother Joshua Powell here with us. And so that'll be at 7 o'clock each night. And be a fact, right after the service this morning, you'll get the July bulletin. It's got our theme on there on the front cover there. It is the Kingdom of Faith. Amen. And looking forward to that. So we're going to have some Knights of the Round Table, all that kind of stuff. And I'm excited. King Arthur, Lance... No, I'm just kidding. All right. Looking forward to that. All right. Let's turn to our hymn book now to page 298. Page 298. I'm going to invite you to stand with me again. Page 298. Heaven came down. You remember the day you got saved, amen? Let's sing about it this morning. Page 298. Sing it out. Oh, what a wonderful, wonderful day. Day I will never forget. He met the need of my heart Shadows were swelling with joy and telling He made all the darkness depart made me whole. My sins were washed away and my life was turned to day. Heaven came down and glory filled my soul. Born of the Spirit and life from above, into ♪ Justified fully through Calvary's love ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm standing in his light ♪ ♪ Then the transaction so quickly was made ♪ ♪ When as a sinner I came ♪ ♪ Took the offer, appraised it and proper ♪ ♪ He saved me, oh praise his dear name ♪ ♪ Heaven and hell and glory filled my soul ♪ Hold on just a second. How many of you know Christ as your Savior? Alright, right now, just real quick, I want you to go back in your mind. to the place where you know you accepted Christ. Just think about that for a minute. Shouldn't there be a little more excitement now? All right, and the last verse says this. I love the last verse because if you can go back to that place in your mind's eye, you know where you were saved. For me, right there. Long time ago, Brother Sam Davidson preaching right there. I ask Christ to come into my Savior, right down here in the front. I can tell you, now I have a hope that will surely endure. That's what the last verse says. So let's sing it out like we have a hope this morning, all right? All right, last verse, sing it out. All you got for the Lord this morning, praising Him for what He's done in your life. Sing it out. Now I have a hope that will surely endure after the passing of time. ♪ I have a future in heaven for sure ♪ ♪ There in those mansions sublime ♪ ♪ And because of that wonderful day ♪ ♪ When at the cross I believe ♪ ♪ Grace is eternal and blessings supernal ♪ ♪ From his precious hand I receive ♪ ♪ Heaven came down and glory filled my soul ♪ When at the cross the Savior made me whole. My sins were washed away, and my life was turned to day. Heavenly doubt and glory filled my soul. Aren't you thankful for what He's done for you this morning? Amen. Let's turn to page 541. Page number 541. He keeps me singing. Page number 541. There's within my heart a melody. If you know Christ, it's there. Let's sing it out. There's within my heart a melody. Jesus whispers sweet and low. When I am with thee, please be still. In a love like heaven and low. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know, fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go. All my life was drank by sin and strife, this fulfilled my heart with faith. Jesus swept across the broken streets Stirred the slumbering hordes again Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Sweetest name I know Fills my every longing Keeps me singing as I go Feasting on the riches of His grace, resting in His sheltering wing. Always looking on His smiling face, that is why I shout and sing. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know, fills my every longing. Let's get around and take hands together this morning. Good to see each one of you. So thankful you chose to be here this morning. you Page 241, if you lost that page number, we're gonna sing out verse number four. Though sometimes he leads through waters deep, he's still there for us. Let's sing it out. every long he keeps me singing as I go someday he's coming back soon he's coming back to welcome me far beyond the starry sky by showing my flag to Amen. Praise the Lord. Great singing. Brother Tim, come right here. I'd like to read to you from 2 Corinthians chapter 8 as the men come for the offering. He says, How that, in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power I bear record, yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves, praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord and unto us by the will of God. In so much that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also. Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. Brother Will Kennedy, would you pray for the offering this morning? Amen. You may be seated. you Well, the last verse of the last song said, Jesus is coming back for me someday. He is coming again for the saved. Amen. Page 658. Jesus is coming again. Let's stand for our last song together. Marvelous message we bring. He is coming again. Let's sing it out together. Marvelous message we bring. glorious carol we sing wonderful word of the king jesus is coming again coming again coming again maybe more Maybe evening and maybe soon, coming again, coming again. Jesus is coming again. It is going to be a wonderful day. Sing it out. Verse number two. Forest and flower exclaim. Mountain and meadow the same. All earth and heaven proclaim Jesus is coming again, coming again, coming again. again, coming again. Oh, what a wonderful day it will be. Jesus is coming again. again. Sing out of the last, standing before him at last. Trial and trouble all past. Crowns at his feet we will cast. Jesus is coming again. Coming again. Coming again. we are looking for that a man raise the lord you may be seated wonderful singing this morning One day I lost my way, but no one cared. I searched for happiness, but found despair. Then Jesus spoke to me, revealed to me my sin, I'll heal your broken heart if I may enter in. A broken heart I gave, a worthless thing. An empty life was all that I could bring. Then Jesus filled my life with love divine. He healed my broken heart and now I know He's mine. Have you been wondering why you're alone? Does God seem far away? You doubt His love. Now Christ is at your door. He sees a heart that's torn. His blood was shed for you to give you life anew. A broken heart I gave, a worthless thing. An empty life was all that I could bring. Then Jesus filled my life with love divine. He healed my broken heart and now I know he's mine. Man, what a blessing. Aren't you glad for the Lord Jesus Christ this morning? What a blessing. Well, take your Bibles and turn with me to the Gospel of Luke this morning and chapter number 12. And don't stand just yet. Certainly want to kind of bring you up to speed as we're kind of still really in the same context as we have been. Be a fact when we started last time we were here, we started chapter number 12. And we actually saw where chapter 12 really picked up in the same context that ended chapter number 11. And if you remember, chapter 11 ended with the Lord Jesus confronting the Pharisees in their hypocrisy But then understanding and knowing the danger of hypocrisy, in chapter 12 the Lord Jesus then turns to His disciples and even the multitude that are following and begins to warn them of basically the dangers of hypocrisy and following after the example of the Pharisees, listen, their private life and their public life was two very different things, and they feared men. Instead of being concerned with what God thought, they rejected the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit's working in their life. And listen to this, none of those things are what God wants from His people. You understand? God wants us to be truly saved. And God wants our spiritual life to be just as real in our personal life as it should be in our public life. And God wants us to be concerned with what He thinks and not with what man thinks. And God wants us to be submissive to the Spirit of God in our life. And so that's what Jesus begins to warn His disciples with in this multitude. But in our text this morning, the subject is going to change because a man following this begins to request that the Lord Jesus would intervene in something in his life. And so let's all stand this morning, if you're able to stand. And we're actually going to pick up in verse number 13 that follows where the Lord Jesus has just taught all of these things and warned of the dangers of hypocrisies, the leaven of the Pharisees, the bad doctrine, the bad bread. That's what we said last week. I kept saying bad bread and Miss Mellis came by and said, I thought you were saying bad breath. Alright, but either one's bad. All right, some of you need to laugh, all right, lighten up a little bit. All right, look at verse 13. And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, brothers, man, they're always causing trouble, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he, Jesus, said unto him, this is the one that just spoke, man, Who made me a judge or a divider over you? And He said unto them, so now watch this, so Jesus is again now, He's using this as a teachable moment, right? And look at what He says, so now He's saying to the disciples and to the multitude, not just the man that asked the question, He said unto them, take heed, And beware of covetousness. So another warning. And then he says this, For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. You know, when you stand before God, it's not going to matter how cool your shoes were. How nice your suit is. I know I'm wearing a light-colored suit today. I had to tell somebody I'm not going liberal. I just bought the suit for the wedding, man. I might as well wear it now. Burl Booster would be rolling over in his grave right now. He knew I was wearing a light-colored suit and preaching the Pope. Don't have a white shirt on either. Listen, when you stand before God, that ain't going to matter. How big your house is. how cool your car was. So Jesus says this, and He spake a parable unto them, verse 16, 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 I'm going from a two-story house to a three-story, baby. And there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods, I'm putting them in the attic. And I will say to my soul, soul, this is how we talk to each other, soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat and drink, play golf. Now he didn't say that because he says be merry. You've got to go off a game like mine and you're not going to be married. Eat, drink and be married. But God, look at verse 20, but God said unto him, thou fool, This night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then, then, whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? And then Jesus says, So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich for God. Look at verse 15 again. Beware, take heed, and beware, beware of covetousness. And you've got to understand, this is the response because of what that man asked about his inheritance. And now Jesus is issuing a warning just like He had just warned the Pharisees. Why? Why? Because the temporal things of this world will distract you from that which is of far greater importance, and that's the eternal things. Especially. Especially your own soul. Look at our world today. This is exactly what is happening. The golf courses are full today. The lakes are full today. Come on. I'm just telling you, the shopping places are full today. The ballparks are full today. And the church houses are empty. Why? Why? Because we're distracted. In fact, even people in churches, here's what they're thinking about. How long is the message going to last? Because I've got this going on after church and I've got this to do and I've got that to do. And listen, even us that are in the house of God, we're so distracted. That's why the song leader's got to get us to get pumped up a little bit and actually smile and make sure we're reminded that God is our audience. Because our hearts and our minds are out there when it ought to be in here and focused on the one that saved our soul. We're distracted. And what Jesus is warning of here is this, be careful of focusing on things of a lesser value. Because what's going to matter when it's all said and done is whether or not you know Christ as your Savior and your soul has been dealt with. So here's the question this morning, are you distracted? Are you distracted? Beware of covetousness. Don't be distracted because here's the thing, those are not things that are going to satisfy you in the end. Father, would you bless the preaching now in Jesus' name? Amen. I want you to be seated. I appreciate you standing in honor of God's Word. You know, the older I get, the easier it is for me to be distracted. You know, listen, I'll be sitting in my office and I'll think of something that I need to go do and then I will walk out of my office and I'll start thinking about something else and I'll forget why I came here in the first place. You don't understand what I'm saying? And then what I have to do is I have to go back to where I had the original thought in the first place and hope it comes back to me and what I'm finding out is that the older I get, it never comes back. It's like two weeks later and it'll go, oh yeah! In fact, I'll tell Eric all the time, remind me of this later on, and now he's getting older and he's forgetting, and I'm like, we're like the blind leading the blind around here. Listen, the truth is, though, it's not anything new under the sun. That's stuff that happens as you get older. I can remember when I was pastoring in Cassaville, Missouri, and we had a guest preacher, and I can't remember what, you know, it might have been a special meeting or something like that, and we got to Sunday night, and we had finished a good week in the Lord, and we had a guest preacher that was preaching, My mind was on, hey, let's, you know, let's spend some time and fellowship with our guest preacher and make sure their needs are met and things like that. And so you live in a small town and the only thing that's open after eight o'clock is Pizza Hut. And so we went over to Pizza Hut and, man, we're standing there in Pizza Hut and we're getting ready to tell the waitress how many is in our party. And my, and my, one of the men in my church brother, Anthony Little, and he calls me and he goes, hey preacher. He goes, yeah. He goes, are y'all over at Pizza Hut? And I said, yeah. He said, we're on our way. We got Luke. And I went, what do you mean you got Luke? They said, yeah, we got Luke, your son. You forgot him. Don't look at me like you've never forgotten your children and all. I mean, we did, man. All I was thinking about was, man, we got to get over here. We got to get a table. We got to entertain. The truth of the matter is, really in that situation, I was thinking about something of lesser importance than my own son. Now, I do want to say this. He has since recovered. He's got a little PTSD, but he's all right. Stuff like that. Now when we crank the car up, he's the first one in. Make sure he's not forgotten, right? But you understand what I'm saying? That's exactly what Jesus is warning of here. He's saying this. No, no, no. He's saying this. We can do that in the spiritual realm as well, where we're distracted by the temporal things of this world. And we don't consider the things which are eternal, and listen to me, and the consequences of that can become far greater than forgetting something that you thought about and never did do, or whatever the case may be. It can cost you eternity. And that's what Jesus is warning of in the text. Look down at verse number 13, and again, this starts the text here. It says, And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divideth the inheritance with me. And so this is the idea of a man that is in the multitude here and among the disciples as well, and he's been following Jesus. and listening to Jesus preach, and he begins to ask Jesus to speak to his brother about sharing his inheritance with him. Listen, you almost get the sense that it's as if this guy has been waiting for the Lord Jesus to have a break in his preaching and to take a breath, and as soon as he does, this guy is going to get his request in. You understand what I'm saying? He's heard of the miracles of Jesus, and the preaching of Jesus, and the power of Jesus, and how Jesus can meet the needs of people physically, and so he comes to Jesus with, quote, his need. Does anybody? Quote. Because he really doesn't need it to live. You understand what I'm saying? You know what he failed to realize? Is that the Lord Jesus Christ, every time He healed somebody physically, that was meant to show what He could do spiritually for all men. And so his focus, listen to this, his focus was on his inheritance and for his brother to split it with him. But this is why Jesus says to him in verse 14, He says, Men, who made me a judge, or a divider over you. And what Jesus is basically saying, please listen to this, is that He's not come here to judge the temporal inheritances of men, but one day He will judge the eternal inheritance of men. It's almost like this guy, I mean, I've done this before where I've been preaching, And a lot of times I will begin the message with maybe a personal testimony or a personal story to kind of illustrate the message, and then I'll finish the message, and then I'll go back to the back and shake hands, and I do that here, I do that in other places where I'm asked to preach, and there's been times where I've done that, and then I've told a testimony or a story, and then I've preached the whole message and gave a clear spiritual truth all the way through the message, and then I'll get back to the back and somebody will come through. And you know what they've been thinking about the whole time? They listened to my story and they started thinking about something that happened similar in their life, and they can't wait to talk to me after the service to tell me their story that happened to them. And as they began to talk with me, I began to start thinking, you never heard anything else that followed that! You were thinking about stuff that happened to you! To which I would say this, if you ever left your child, don't come to me after the service and tell me about how you left your child! No, no, no, make sure that you listen to the man, because the idea here is this, is that here is Jesus, and He's been warning about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and how they lived one way in their public life, and another way in their personal life, and then He begins to talk about the fear of God, and the fear of men, and how they had blasphemed the Holy Ghost, and it's almost like that guy never got any of that, because he's been waiting to talk about Jesus about His inheritance. And He missed everything. Is everybody catching that? He is so distracted by these temporal things. And so that's why Jesus, listen, that's why Jesus issues the warning that He does in verse number 15 where He says, He says, Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth." And what he's saying is this, is that the true value of a man's life, listen to me, it's not determined by his temporal wealth. Is everybody catching this? Listen, it's determined by whether or not he has dealt with his own soul. Because that's the part of you and the part of me that's eternal. Please listen to this. C.S. Lewis said, you don't have a soul, you are a soul. I love that statement. Because the truth is, you're not a body with a soul, you're a soul with a body. What I'm trying to say to you is this, is that the emphasis in your life and mine, it ought to be the understanding that we have a soul. That's the real you. And that's the real me. And listen to this, if the Lord carries His coming, and you die and I die, what's going to happen is this, is that which was formed of the dust of the earth is going to go back to the dust of the earth. Talking about our physical bodies, everybody getting this? But your soul, listen to me, your soul is going to spend eternity in one of two places. It's going to either be with heaven. It's going to either be in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ or it's going to be in hell Separated from Jesus Christ and awaiting the great white throne judgment where it will then be brought out and cast Into the lake of fires everybody catching this so it's going to be in one of two places listen to this and those and and that place is Determined by your decision and my decision on this earth in this life And whether or not we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, or we reject Him as the Messiah and the Son of God, I'm just telling you, that's what it's about. You can sit here this morning, well, you know, preacher, you got your way and I got mine. No, no, no, no, Jesus has already dealt with that. If you're not with Him, you're against Him. He's already confronted that. And so we understand, no, no, no, we understand that the gospel is for every creature, come on, it's for every person that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. But my friend, if you don't come His way, you're not gonna be saved. You're going to spend eternity in hell. And what I'm saying to you is this, is that you've got to also understand this, so you are a soul, you have a soul, you are a soul with a body, and Satan's main goal, listen to me, Satan's main goal on this earth, the prince of the power of the air, is to keep you and me blind from that truth that we have a soul. You say, how does he do that, preacher? Well, here's how he does it, deception. He'll sure use false religion to do that. Well, you can get baptized and you're okay. Or you can get sprinkled on as a baby and you're okay. You can become part of a church denomination and you're okay. Or you can get confirmed. Or you can partake of a communion. Or you can make a confession. Listen to me, none of those things will cleanse you of your sin and give you eternal life. It is only by grace through faith are you saved. It is whether or not you humble yourself and repent and turn from who you are and put your faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone and the work that He done for you on the cross of Calvary, that He shed His blood for you, that He died for you, that He was buried and that He rose again the third day. Your works and my works will not get us there. It is His work that can get us there. And that's it. But listen to me. But let me tell you another way. It's not just... Listen, one of the areas in which He deceives is through this distraction. Distraction. What do you mean, preacher? Well, here's what I'm saying. He gets you to focus and spend all your time thinking about this. And you never deal with this. It's distraction. Does everybody get what I'm saying to you? I'm telling you, we're way too distracted this morning. We really are. Paul said this in 1 Timothy 6-7. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And if that be true, and it is, because I've never seen anybody take their earthly possessions with them to heaven yet. Therefore, utter deception is to be distracted and to live our whole life for those things and never deal with your own soul. Never deal with it. And this is, listen, this is exactly, come on, this is exactly what men are doing in our day and time. Look at our culture. We are consumed with the temporal money, possessions. These are the things that determine our self-worth and our identity. temporal entertainments, consume our time and our thoughts and our passions. And listen to this. And this is exactly why Jesus goes into this parable story about the foolish farmer, because he's trying to drive home the same warning that he gives in verse number 15. Let me show you the farmer here. Let's look at the farmer here in the text. Look at verse number 16. 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 wherefore to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do. I will pull down my barns and build a grater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Sow thou as much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. And the idea here is to say this, is that this farmer shows us what can happen when man becomes distracted by the temporal things of this world, because ultimately, in the end, he is deceived. Come on, it shows us how we can be distracted. I mean, he was a certain rich man that obviously had wealth and land, and his land ended up being good ground and brought forth plentifully. And trying to be a good steward of that land which his land brought forth, this farmer decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to store his crops. And I want to say to you this, At first glance, there's nothing wrong with any of these characteristics. There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with being rich. It's not a sin, listen to me, it's not a sin this morning to be rich. It's not. There were rich people in the Bible who did great things for God. Come on, it's not. I think of Joseph of Arimathea who lent his tomb out to the Lord. He was a wealthy man. Listen, I don't think any one of us would sit here this morning and go, you know what preacher, it's my goal to be dirt poor. I'm not going to sit down as a parent with my kids and go, listen, don't get a job, live off the income of others. I'm not going to, no, no, no, no, no. I want to teach my kids to be productive citizens, to work hard, to make money, all of this, that's the Bible. Come on, that's the Bible. And money, listen, money in and of itself is simply a tool that God can use. We keep the lights on at the church and the air conditioner, get a new roof. We send missionaries to Ecuador and Japan with money. Listen, money is not evil, it's the love. of money. Is everybody getting this? So, no, no, no, let's get a right understanding. By the way, there's nothing wrong with farming on fertile soil, being a good steward of the crops that came in. That's the whole idea of farming, isn't it? Come on, I don't know anybody that plants a garden and goes, you know, I don't really want a lot of fruit. If we planted a tomato, started a tomato plant, we wouldn't come to church and go, well, I just can't believe all the tomatoes that tomato plant produced. No, that's the goal. Isn't it? So there's nothing wrong in those things. No, no, no, please listen to this. The problem is this, when those things distract you from that which is of greater importance. When the temporal things of this life distract you, from the things of greater importance. I want to point out a certain, I want to point out a phrase to you that I think that's really, really important right here. Go back with me to verse number 16 and look at what the parable says. Now I want you to watch this. The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. Now you ought to underline that phrase right there, a certain rich man. You're an underliner, you ought to underline it or you ought to write it down. Because here's the thing, when you begin to look at that, that title, What happens is this, is that this theme of dealing with the distraction of temporal riches becomes something that Jesus deals with over and over and over and over again. In fact, look with me at Luke chapter 16. Luke chapter 16. Look at verse number 1. And he said, also unto his disciples there was a certain rich man, there it is again, which had a steward. And the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And basically this is the parable of the dishonest steward. And the idea is this, is that he knew that he was going to lose his job, and so what he does is he begins to cook the books, so to speak, to set himself up when his temporal job is over with. And what Jesus does is He uses that steward to teach a lesson to say this, at least he prepared for what was coming. Be a fact, look at who it was given to. Look down at verse number, let's see, where am I at? Luke chapter 16? Look down at verse number 14. And the Pharisees also who were Covetous. Heard all these things, and they derided Him. Boy, they didn't like that at all. But He's warning them and saying, listen, you are focused on the temporal, and it's distracting you from that which is of greater value, which is the eternal. Be a fact, this continues. Look at verse number 19. And there was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate and full of swords. And many of us know the story. Because what's going to happen is this. Both men died. Do you know this? Whether you're poor or rich, you're going to die. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who you are. Well, preacher, I've got this big old house. It doesn't matter. You're going to die. I got this cool card, doesn't matter, you're going to die. And you're not going to take any of it with you. Come on, they're both going to die. And Lazarus woke up in Abraham's bosom, which is the paradise side of hell, but the rich man, listen to me, the rich man woke up in hell and being tormented in this flame. Look up here, look up here, look up here. He didn't die and go to hell because he was rich. He died and went to hell because he was distracted by his riches. Listen to me. He knew Father Abraham. Come on. He knew who he was. He just didn't see a need for him because he was distracted by his riches. Come on, and he even said, man, hey, send Lazarus back, and Abraham said, no, no, no, no, it doesn't work that way. They have Moses, and they have the law, they have the Word of God, and if one rose from the dead, they're not going to believe Him, to which I would say, one did rise from the dead, and His name is Jesus Christ. Does everybody get what I'm saying here? Is that it's a certain rich man, a certain rich man, a certain rich man, and Jesus gives a parable, and then a story, and I believe this is a real life story because He gives a real name, Lazarus. And what He's trying to do is warn. And all of these certain rich men, they had the same problem as our farmer in our text. And here, listen, they're distracted by their riches. And this is what we do. Preacher, I'm not rich. I'm not rich. I don't have that much money. I live off a fixed income. Listen, here's the deal, here's the problem. We look at our wealth from an American perspective. We don't look at it as a worldwide perspective. I read a statistic one time that said this, that if you make more than $20,000 a year, you are in the top 15% of the world in wealth. Preacher, how could that statistic be true? I mean, that was years ago, and it may be more now, but I'm just saying to you, look at the rest of the world. I'm gonna tell you something, look at me. America is rich. We are rich, and we are very blessed. And we are very distracted. And we are consumed with the temporal things of this world. And we've got ball games and golf courses. And I want you to listen to me. When you die and you stand before God, it's not going to matter how great your kids were at baseball or football or basketball or whatever sports you want to throw out there. And it's not gonna matter how big a house you got, or how much money you made at your job, or what your 401k was, or your portfolio, is everybody? And it's not, listen to me, it's not gonna matter how good or bad your golf game was, praise God for that. It's not gonna matter about all of these things that we live for in this temporal life, it's not gonna matter. What's gonna matter is whether or not you've dealt with your own soul. I drive a Jeep. You'd think he'd let me in. No, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Truth of the matter is, when we're distracted, what happens is this, is that this farmer shows us how we can be deceived. Look at verse number 19. It says this in our text here. Go back to Luke chapter, what chapter are we in, 12? Go back to chapter 12. Look at verse number 19. And I will say unto my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. You know what he thinks? He thinks that these temporal, listen to this, he thinks that these temporal things, are going to satisfy him. I mean, this is his 401k, his retirement plan right here. And please understand this, I'm not knocking planning for retirement, but I am saying this, if you just plan for this retirement, not that one, you're in a whole lot of trouble. And there's nothing wrong with planning for these things, but please understand this. If your hope is in the temporal things of this life, then what you're gonna find is this, there is a tremendous disappointment at the end of the rainbow you're chasing after. Something that has become increasingly popular in these last generations in America has become the lottery. The hope of getting rich quick, spending your paycheck on that lucky number. For God's people, I would say this, that's a real poor stewardship of your money that God gives you. If you think riches will satisfy you and bring you great joy and answer all of life's problems, then you need to listen. Now this is the ABC News article from 2007. So that just tells you, right, it's pretty crazy that ABC News could do something like this. Listen to this quote, quote, the record setting $390 million lottery jackpot shared by two American winners this week has put stars and dollar signs in the eyes of millions of would-be millionaires. But a sudden cash windfall hasn't always resulted in a happy ending for past lottery winners. Psychologist Steve Danish, a professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, has studied the impact that instant wealth has had on past lottery winners. Quote, he said this, "...the dream you have about winning may be better than actually winning." There have been families torn apart by this process. Listen to this. Kenneth and Connie Parker were winners of a $25 million jackpot. Their 16-year marriage disintegrated in just months after they became rich beyond their wildest dreams. Jeffrey Dampier, a $20 million winner, was kidnapped and murdered by his own sister-in-law. What a blessing. In 2002, Jack Whitaker won the largest individual payout in U.S. lottery history. Quote, I can take the money, Whitaker said at the time, I can take this money and do a lot of good with it right now. But it didn't work out like that. Whittaker's life was consumed by hardship, including the death of his beloved granddaughter Brandy, who was a victim of a drug overdose, and then the break of his marriage. Listen to this. If I knew what was going to transpire, honestly, I would have torn that ticket up, said Jewel Whittaker, Jack Whittaker's ex-wife. I would have tore that ticket up. All of these are from 2007. Look at me, don't sit here this morning and go, well, it's 2025. So I'm sure it's gotten better. No, it's not. But this is the junk that people live for. And all it's doing, listen to me, all it's doing is it's distracting you and thinking that this is what's going to satisfy you. I need money, I need wealth, I need material things. And you live your whole life for this and in the end, listen to this, you're deceived and here's why. Because you never dealt with your own soul. Are you getting this? Some of you are just like staring out into space right now. I hope you're getting this. Because, listen, you see the farmer, he's distracted, and really he's being deceived. And here's why. Because the Father shows up. Look at what happens. Look at our parable here. Look at verse number 20. But God said unto him, Thou fool, This night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? See, the father shows up and the farmer is now faced with a sudden requirement. His soul. Not his money. Not his goods. Not his big barns. His soul. Do you know this? Men can predict the weather. And they can predict, they can discern the trends of the stock market, but one thing you will never accurately nail down is when you die. And that's why it's so important to be prepared. I'll never forget years ago. I was sitting in my office, and I was in Cassville, Missouri at the time, and I was sitting in my office, and we had been handing out Vacation Bible School flyers. It was in the summertime, I can remember that, and we had been handing out flyers, and we were getting ready for our Vacation Bible School this next week. And at that time, my grandfather, my Papa Stuart, was dealing with Alzheimer's, and he was in the nursing home. He was a World War II veteran. And he was in the nursing home, and I know that my aunt and my uncle were ministering to him quite a bit. My aunt that was just with us a few weeks ago for the wedding. And so I'm sitting there in my office, and my phone rings, and it's my Aunt Jackie Calloway. And I immediately, my heart sank, and I went, man, I bet this is Pawpaw. And so I answered the phone, and I said, hello. And you could tell, she said, Wes, and you could tell in her voice that she had been crying, something tragic had happened. And I said, yes, ma'am. I said, is it Paw Paw? And she started weeping, and she said, no. She said, it's your Uncle Randy. And I said, what are you talking about? That morning, my Uncle Randy got up and went to go to the pharmacy to get his wife, my Aunt Becky, her prescription. Pulled out of the major intersection there in our little hometown of Pace and began to cross Highway 90. And right at the same time, a young man carrying a trunk load full of drugs blew through the intersection and hit him and collided with him and killed him instantly. And he was gone. I'm pretty sure Uncle Randy didn't wake up that morning and go, you know what, today I'm going to die. And I need to kiss my wife one more time. And I need to kiss my daughters one more time. And I need to prepare to meet my God. And in an instant, he was gone. And here's this farmer, listen to me. He spent his whole life with temporal things, farming. None of those things bad in and of themselves, but my friend, when they distract you from dealing with the most important thing, you've blown it and you've missed it. And in the end, listen to me, you go from farmer and the father, watch this, to a fool. So preacher, how can you be so mean? I didn't say that, God did. God did. Listen to me, God did. And what Jesus says at the end is this, is that the same applies for you and me. When we're rich in temporal things, but we're broke when it comes to that. Everybody catching this? Listen to me. You live your life for the temporal things of this world. I want you to listen to this. It is a wasted life. You are distracted and you are being deceived and you are wasting your life. You need to know Christ as your Savior, and you need to deal with your soul, because that's what's going to matter when you stand before God. You say, preacher, I'm already saved. Good, because here's what's going to happen right after this. Jesus is going to look to his disciples and begin to warn them of the same thing. So you think you're sick of hearing about this now, you're going to hear it for the next three weeks. Because I'm going to tell you something, probably the reason we're sick of it already is here's why, because we're all about temporal things and we don't like it. And you're wasting your life too. Are you distracted? Are you consumed with all the things of this world? Are you giving your life over to something that's of far lesser value than that which is the most important? Let's all stand. Heavenly Father, thank you for the message this morning, and thank you for the Lord Jesus for taking such great patience and compassion.