I have been preaching the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ and pastoring a church for many,
many years. And in the good providence of
God, many people, and I mean many people, have heard their
last gospel message from my lips. Now I didn't know that it would
be the last gospel message they would hear and they did not know
that it was the last gospel message that they would hear but many
people through these years have listened to this preacher and
in 24 hours what he said to them concerning death and judgment
and heaven and hell and things related to Christ have become
a reality. Now I have a question for you
today. My question is this, will you die tonight? Is this the
last sermon that you'll ever hear? Is this your last day on
earth? Is this the last warning that
God will give you? And will you tonight or tomorrow
or before you hear another preacher, find yourself in the awesome
presence of the living God. Now let me answer that question
for you. The answer is no. The answer
is no. I believe the average person
would answer this question, no. I do not believe that I shall
die tonight. I do not believe that this is
my last day on earth. I do not believe that this is
the last sermon that I will hear. I have no thoughts of dying tonight. I'm still a very young person.
Well, let me tell you this. David Brainerd was a very young
person too. But the great preacher of God's
gospel died at 29, Robert Murray McShane. one of the greatest
Scottish preachers to ever proclaim the word of God, died at 29. Augustus Montague Toplady, who
wrote a hymn that most all of you have sung and loved, Rock
of Ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee, died
at 38. My oldest son was only 21 years
of age when he died. So for you to say, I have no
thoughts of dying tonight is a very foolish statement, especially
if you're basing it upon the fact that you're a very young
person. There are millions of people, millions of people who
lie in the cemetery tonight who are younger than you are. And
then someone else says, well, I have no plans to die tonight.
I'm in good health. This, my friend, is the land
of sudden death. This is the land of heart attacks.
This is the land of highway accidents. As we came to this studio tonight
to tape this program, an ambulance careened around the corner and
came to a stop in front of a local restaurant. Evidently someone
was in there having supper. They had no plans to have a heart
attack. This person had no plans to die tonight. And I'll tell
you this, my only brother was in excellent health. He was a
colonel in the U.S. Army, serving with NATO in Europe
at a very responsible position, a very powerful position, in
good health. One night he died suddenly, heart
attack. He had no plans to die. He was
a man in good health and relatively young. Someone else says, well,
I have no plans to die tonight. I've got an important work to
do. A lot of people need me. A lot of people on my job are
looking to me and depending on me. And I just can't die. I've got too much to do. Charles
Spurgeon pastored one of the greatest churches in the world.
He had an orphanage. Hundreds and hundreds of boys
and girls depended upon this man for their bread and for their
place to sleep. He had a pastor school where
hundreds of pastors came and studied the Word of God. He had
a church of over 8,000 members. They packed the place out every
service. Suddenly, at 58 years of age,
the same age I am right now, Charles Spurgeon lay down and
died. Boast not thyself of tomorrow, God said, thou knowest not what
a day may bring forth. And all these foolish reasons
we give to the question, will you die tonight? Well, I'm just
young. And I'm in good health, or I've
got too much to do. Here's another. Someone says,
well, I have no thoughts of dying. My family needs me. I've got
young children at home. Or I've got children in high
school, or children in college. I believe I have a few more years. I believe I have a few more years. Now this is such foolish talk
and idle chatter. The Word of God said, it is appointed
unto men once to die. And after this, the judgment.
The word of God says, which of you by taking thought can add
one cubit? And that interpretation of that
or translation is one year to his life. And the scripture says
this, the instrument of death is already at work. It's already
at work in my body. The instrument of death is already
at work in your body as soon as we're born. We begin that
journey to the grave. You're nearer to the grave today
than you were yesterday. You're nearer than you were last
week. Because the instrument of death is already operating
in your body. This is a dying body. This is
a frail tabernacle and a frail tent. And it must be folded up
and it must be put away. Our Lord spoke a parable of warning
in Luke chapter 12, verse 16. If you care to follow in your
Bibles, I'll give you a moment to find the scripture. It's in
Luke the 12th chapter, verse 16 through 20. And the master
said this. He said, the ground of a certain
rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself,
saying, I'll pull down my barns. Now he was evidently lying upon
his bed one evening. He'd retired early. He was thinking
about his property and his prosperity. He was thinking about his fields
and his harvest. He was thinking about his net
worth. And he was lying there thinking this. He said, I'll
pull down my barns. They're too small. I'm going
to build greater barns. And I will store all my goods. I'm going to have a good harvest
this year. Things look real good. And I'm going to build some bigger
barns to hold all of this wheat and barley and corn. And then
I'm going to say to my soul, soul, thou hast much goods laid
up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink,
and be merry." But, the master continued, God said to this young
man, thy fool, this night thy soul
shall be required of thee, and then who shall these things be
that thou hast provided?" Doesn't that sound like some of us? Sounds
like people I've heard talk. People who say, well, I've worked
hard all my life and I've put some savings away and I've got
some property and I've got a farm and I've got a business, and
I've got IRA, you know, retirement allowance, and I've got this
savings in Social Security. The wife and I are going to buy
a little place in Florida, and after I retire from my work at
62, I'm going to take an early retirement, and we're going to
move to Florida, and we're going to just enjoy ourselves and say
to our souls, we have much goods laid up for many years, Eat,
drink, and relax, and enjoy yourself, the fruit of your labors, and
have a good time. Is that not the way we talk?
Is not that the way that people talk today? We're healthy, we're
enjoying good health, we're comfortable, we take vitamins, we're prosperous,
and we have absolutely no thought of dying. None whatsoever. Dying's
for somebody else. Dying is for somebody down the
road or somebody in the next county or somebody in the next
town. It's not for us. We've got much goods laid up
for many years and we intend to use those goods and spend
those years. Well, let me dwell for a few
moments on the five statements that our Lord made in this parable.
Five outstanding statements. Five statements to which I believe
He would call our attention. First of all, this man said this. He said, soul, thou hast much
goods. Much goods. He was talking about
material goods. That's what he was talking about.
And you and I put too much emphasis on the material. We put too much
stock in what we need to eat and drink and wear and where
we must live and our comforts. And our Lord warned us. He warned
us not to be anxious about these things. He said, take no anxious
thought what you shall eat and what you shall drink and what
you shall wear. Your heavenly Father knows you have need of
these things. But seek ye first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness. Set your affection on things
above, not on the things of this earth. And again He tells us
to beware of covetousness. A man's life consists not in
the things that he possesses, This life is more than meat,
it is more than drink, it is more than raiment. And as I listen
to this man say, so thou hast much goods, I can just hear that
ringing in my ears when I've heard people in this day talk.
I've got this, and I've got that, and I've got the other. And I've
got many years to enjoy these things. Well, the emphasis is
so strong on the material and on the physical. James says,
what is your life? What is your life? Well, I'll
tell you this, life is not in how long you live. Life is not
in how long you live. My father died at 83. 83. You
say, well, that's a ripe old age. My son died at 21. Well,
that's young. Well, they're both dead. They're
both dead. Whether they lived 83 years or
21, they're both dead. They're both gone. What is your
life? Well, it's certainly not in what
you have. Belshazzar had a kingdom. The thief had a cross. Which
was better? Abraham, the rich man, had plenty.
Plenty. That's what the scripture says.
Plenty. Lazarus had nothing. Which was better? Which place
had you rather have lived? As the rich man or Lazarus? What
shall it profit a man if he gained the whole world and lose his
soul? So life is certainly not in how long it lasts. It's not
in what we possess. And it's not in how well you're
known. What a tragedy to be known by everybody in town. And then
to stand someday at the judgment and hear God say, I never knew
you. I never knew you. And then, what
is your life? It is not, it does not consist
in how much education you have. The scripture says we're ever
learning, ever learning, ever learning and never coming to
a knowledge of the truth. There are a lot of truths a man
can learn about this world and not know the truth. A man can
know the way to London and not know the way to God. What is your life? Well, it's
certainly not in how high you've climbed. God said, he that exalted
himself shall be abased, and he that humbled himself shall
be exalted. What is your life? Well, it's
not in how long you live on this earth. It's not in what you have.
It's not in who you know or who knows you. It's not in how high
you climb. It's not in how much education
you've acquired. You know, when the old Titanic
left the shores on that fatal voyage, hundreds of people on
board, and they represented every walk of life. I'm sure there
were doctors and lawyers, professional men, politicians. I imagine there
were carpenters and plumbers. There were rich ladies, and then
there were the women who waited upon them, their servants. And
then there was a crew of the ship, and there was a man that
worked down in the holes, down in the lower part of the ship. There were servants, there were
first mates, second mates, There were old people and young people.
There were black people and white people. There were all classes
represented on that ill-fated voyage. But when the boat went
down and the report was posted in New York, there were just
two classes of people mentioned, saved and lost. That's all. That's all. Christ said, I am
the resurrection and the life. He that believeth on me, though
he were dead. though he were dead, at 21 or
90, though he were dead, whether he was famous or nobody knew
him, though he were dead, whether he was educated or uneducated,
though he were dead, whether he was a president of a company
or a shoe black, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
on me shall never die. That's where it is, my friend.
Life is in Christ. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall we appear with Him in glory. That's what
counts. That's what matters. You say,
well, you're just an old man talking about these things because
you're near death and we are. Don't be too sure that I'm near
death and you are. And I'm not just an old man talking
about these things. I'm a man who realizes where
the values are. That which lasts forever, forever,
forever. Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my word shall never pass away, God said, till it's all
fulfilled. Second statement I notice in the Master's story is this.
The young man said, you have much goods, and then he said,
you have many years. You have many years. And we're
so quick to condemn this man, but are not our thoughts very
similar? I find myself thinking this. I'm 58. The average lifespan
now is 72 or 3, the insurance department says, so therefore
I have 14 more years. I may not have 14 more minutes
or 14 more seconds. We don't know how many years
or days we have left. Our times are in God's hands.
The number of our months are with him. He said in Job 14,
5, man's days are determined. The number of his months are
with God. God has appointed his bounds.
God has drawn the line. And he cannot pass. Cannot. The Lord killeth and the Lord
maketh alive. The Lord giveth and the Lord
taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Thou hast many years. Well, I don't know about that.
It's all right either way. It's the Lord, let him do what
he will. But the third statement I see is this, listen. And our
Lord continued, this young man said, so you have much goods
laid up for many years. Eat, drink, and be merry. And
the Lord said, thy fool, thy fool. God called this man a foolish
man and this is not the only man God called a fool in the
Bible though in Psalm 14.1 the scripture says the fool has said
in his heart know God for me in Proverbs 10.18 the wise man
Solomon said a man is a fool who slanders another person Proverbs
15.5 says fools despise instruction and rebuke Proverbs 14.9 says,
Fools make a mock of sin. Ecclesiastes 5.1 says, Fools
are rash with their mouths in the presence of God. Matthew
7.26 says, Fools build their houses on sand. Galatians 3.1
says, Fools try to mix grace and works. It can't be mixed.
But the greatest fool is the man who lives for the day and
forgets God. The greatest fool is the man
that invests everything, his attention, his affection, his
time, his concern, everything in this earth, this world, and
forgets God. The fourth statement is this,
our Lord said, Thou fool, this night, this night, shalt thou
soul be required of thee. And I'll tell you every time
I say that to a congregation and point my finger out at a
congregation and pointing to myself too, every time I do it,
it flashes through my mind the many illustrations and examples
that I could give right at this point of people to whom I've
preached, not only in Ashland but in other places. And we've
closed the service and they've gone home, and I've visited the
funeral home and comforted their family in the next day or two
or three days, and preached their funerals before the week was
out. So many, many, many, many, many times. The believer, God
said to him, Thou fool, this night, this night, shalt thou
soul be required of thee. Now the believer's soul shall
never be required of him. Did you know that? The believer's
soul will never be required. You know why? He's already committed
it. He's already committed it to God. As the Apostle Paul said,
I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he's
able to keep that which I have already committed to him against
that day. The believer, knowing his sin
and guilt, the impossibility of salvation in his own strength,
merit, or works, has looked to Christ and Christ alone and believed
on him and received him and trusted him as Lord and Redeemer, and
has consciously, willingly, intelligently, lovingly, for eternity, committed
his soul to Christ. And therefore the believer's
soul will never be snatched from him. It will never be required
of him. It will never be demanded of him. God already has it. Christ
is already King of his soul. But the unbeliever has kept his
soul. He has kept it. He has lived
for himself. He has lived for sin. Now then,
Now suddenly, in an awful hour, unprepared, God says, give it
up. I require your soul of thee. And he has to give it up. He
has to give up everything that he has. But he has to give his
soul up to be judged. To stand before God in that awful
hour and to hear the Lord God say, depart from me, I never
knew you. You see, our Master said, he
that shall save his life will lose it. But he that will give
up his life, he that will doubt himself and deny himself, shall
save his life. Thy fool this night, thy soul
shall be required, required of thee, demanded of thee. Now who
shall these things be that you've laid up, all these treasures,
Your children are going to fight over them. Your relatives are
going to fight over them. Somebody is going to have them
and somebody is going to abuse them just like we have. And then
their soul is going to be required of them. But the fifth statement
is this. So he is a fool that layeth up
treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. That's what
our Master said. So, he is a fool. that layeth
up treasure for himself, and is not," here's the key word,
rich toward God. Rich toward God. What is it to
be rich toward God? What is it to be rich toward
God? Well, it's not the thought of sending up my offerings and
tithes to build me a mansion in glory. That's the silliest
thing I've ever heard anybody try to pawn off on a thinking
public. That we send treasures ahead,
and according to how much we send, is how big our mansion
is going to be in the sky. That's foolishness. Foolishness. The Bible, when it talks about
in my Father's house are many mansions, it's not talking about
mansions and palaces and castles like we know out of stones and
wood on this earth. That's dwelling places. In my
Father's house are many dwelling places, Christ said. To be rich
toward God, first of all, is to partake of the riches of His
mercy. the riches of his mercy in Christ
Jesus. Paul said in Ephesians 2, 4,
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith
he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us
together with Christ. That's in Christ partaking of
the riches of his mercy. That's being rich toward God.
Rich in mercy. God's mercy. And then it's to
partake of the riches of his grace. In Ephesians 2, 7, Paul
said, in the ages to come, he's going to show the exceeding riches
of his grace, of his grace, in his love poured us through Christ
Jesus. God's going to show off the riches
of his grace. Where are and what are the riches
of his grace? Believers, redeemed by Christ,
going to show off the riches of his grace poured us. we're
the participants, we're the partakers of the riches of His grace, we're
the objects of His grace. And then thirdly, it's to partake
of the riches of His glory. In Ephesians 3, 16, Paul said,
I pray that God would grant unto you the riches of His glory,
that Christ may dwell in your hearts. How does a man know God? Through Christ. How does a man
see the glory of God in the face of Christ? How does a man partake
of the riches of God's glory in Christ dwelling in his heart?
And then last of all, it is to enjoy the riches of assurance. We know that we have passed from
death unto life. Now this message is on a cassette
tape. And on the other side of the
tape is a message I'll be bringing next week. If you want the tape
of this message, what is your life or will you die tonight?
You write to me and I'll send it to you. Send a $2 donation.
That's what it takes to prepare the tape and mail it to you and
so forth. But several years ago I wrote
some Bible commentaries. I've been offering them on this
program. We have a supply of them now. And I want you to look
at these Bible commentaries. You'll see on your screen there's
1st and 2nd Thessalonians, 1st and 2nd Timothy, there's Romans,
verse by verse, Galatians, and Hebrews. And you can have all
four of these books for $6, they're $1.50 each. They're being printed
in England and distributed worldwide. They're verse by verse, simple,
plain, in everyday language, commentary on the 21 epistles. Now here we have about 4, 5,
6, 7, 8 epistles in these four books. The rest of them will
be printed later. They're not out yet, but they'll
be out before very long, before the end of this year. But if
you want these, you can buy one for a dollar and a half, or you
can buy all four of them for six dollars. And if you want
the books, write and ask for them, send six dollars. If you
want the tape, it's two dollars, and we'll be glad to send it
to you. I want to share these books with you. I believe they're
very simply written. The average person can read them
and understand. I'm not trying to explain the
scriptures, I'm commenting on the scriptures. Verse by verse
study, and they're excellent for Sunday school classes, for
home Bible classes, they're excellent for devotional reading, they're
excellent for gifts. So this is what we have. We have
the book of Galatians, we have the book of Hebrews and James,
we have the book of Romans, And we have 1st and 2nd Thessalonians
and 1st and 2nd Timothy and these are a dollar and a half each.
You might want to buy some to give to a friend or just enjoy
them yourself. But if you want them, send me
a note and I'll mail them to you. They're a dollar and a half
each or six dollars for all four of them. Also remember the tape,
the message is on tape. Until next week at the same time,
I bid you a very pleasant good day.