Mistakes Of A Fool

INTRODUCTION: Man is prone to make many mistakes; he has made them since the day he was created. The wise man seeks to correct them, while the fool tries to hide them. Jesus tells in our text of a foolish man who made four terrible mistakes. They regard:

I THE TRUE STANDARD OF LIFE
  A. Note the standard he had set:
       1. How much material gain he could gather in life.
       2. How much goods; money, etc.
       3. How he could satisfy fleshly appetites.
       4. Still people like this - sell the soul for such things.
  B. What the true standard is:
       1. Quality of character (2 Pet. 3:11).
       2. Truth and dedication to it (Phil. 1:7).
       3. A life of conviction about truth.
       4. Christ is true "prosperity" (Phil. 1:21ff).
       5. If a millionaire dies withut spiritual values, he dies a pauper!

II THE TRUE USE OF HIS ABUNDANCE
    A. Had more than he needed.
         1. Made him think of even more (v. 18).
         2. "More we have; the more we want" (Eccl. 5:8ff).
    B. Not necessarily wrong to have plenty.
         1. Must provide for self and family (1 Tim. 5:8).
         2. Ananias and Sapphira not condemned for keeping a portion
             of the price of their land, but because the lied - thus a misuse
             of what they had (Acts 5:1ff).
    C. Where then did the rich man err?
         1. In not using his wealth properly.
         2. In his attitude toward it.
         3. No use of a thing the biggest misuse of it!
         4. God would hae been pleased - if he had properly used his wealth.

III THE TRUE WAY TO BE HAPPY
      A. The rich man's idea of how to be happy.
           1. Eating, drinking, taking it easy (v. 19).
           2. But - could not eat and drink his silver and gold!
           3. The Preacaher tried it and failed (Eccl. 2:1-11).
      B. Some of the wealthiest people in the world have never found happiness.
           1. Entertainment field:
               a. Much to live on, but precious little to live for!
           2. Many die lonely; suicide, etc.
               a. Cf. Howard Hughes - died a recluse with no one around him who
                   really cared
      C. How can one be blessed and happy?
           1. Jesus gave the formula (John 13:17).
           2. Read the Beatitudes - practice them (Matt. 5:1-12).
           3. Imitate the happy man of Psalms chapter one.
           4. No man was ever brought to unhappiness by these!

IV THE LENGTH OF LIFE
     A. Thought he had "many years" (v. 19).
          1. Really had no assurance at all.
          2. Lifve is "as a vapor ..." (Jas. 4:14).
          3. Life is "of few days and full of trouble" (Job 14:1).
              a. Bible filled with expressions of the brevity of life.
     B. What the rich man had.
          1. A life behind him.
          2. A title only to earthly things that would not last.
     C. What he did not have.
          1. Assurance of years ahead of him (v. 20).
          2. Title to heavenly things.

CONCLUSION: Let us not make the same mistakes as the man of the text - and you
don't have to be a millionaire to make them! Those same mistakes can be made regarding a dollar as easily as with a million dollars. That very night the rich man's life was required of him, and he stood before God a beggar, without his wealth. How full of warnings is the recod of this man's four great mistakes!