MAKING MY LIFE COUNT

Luke 12:16-21

The message today is quite simple. As we talk about the MAKING MY LIFE COUNT FOR SOMETHING – we are looking at life and what its true worth is and some very sober warnings.

That day was a very full one. When we think of the sweet precious, loving words of Christ that uplift and encourage, this was not that day. This day he was laying it out loud and clear before all and pulling no punches.

From Luke 11 on is one day. In this day he preached about how to pray in 11:1-13; he was dealing with demons and self-reformation in vv.14-26. That is a rebuke to all the religious and self-righteous in the world that think that can make it to heaven on their own merit; or reform there life under their own power.

Then they asked him for a sign and he told them the only one would be the sign of the prophet Jonas, or Jonah.

Then he states the importance of letting your light shine, and to shine it as a pure and holy light in vv.33-38.

But then Jesus really changes his tone and talks about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes in vv. 39-44; and then the same of the lawyers. No lifestyle evangelism here – He is pointing out their sin to their face. And boy, do you know what happened, they got mad. They got upset and angry.

Notice 11:53-12:1.

Jesus Christ had been warning his disciples of some real problems that would face the and the church. They are formidable foes that we must learn to deal with. But if we hope to Make our life count for something - we must take heed to them.

I. THE WARNING AGAINST SECRET SIN

In verses 1 – 3 he warns them about secret sin –

Jesus had already uncovered the mask of the Pharisees who worried about every trifle misstep of others, and did not weigh the importance of real important issues.

He also showed the hypocrisy of the lawyers who put burdens upon there people that they were not willing to bear themselves. He told how they had the key of knowledge; not entering heaven themselves and hindering as many as they can along the way as well from getting there.

Listen,

There is no secret sin to God

It will all be revealed one day. Most of it will be revealed now. You think that you can get away with it; but you can’t. I’ve been around long enough to see sin eat people up and it come clear and out in the open. As a pastor, I did not have clear understanding of what was wrong with people, but I knew something wasn’t right; but time always revealed it.

Listen either you repent and turn from your sin and get right with God; or it will be revealed very soon. You can’t hide from it; it will be revealed.

That is not what God saved you for, that is never the path of making your life count.

II. THE COUNSEL CONCERNING TRUE PROFESSION

This day Jesus was not handing out a beautiful brochure of how great church was going to be; he was warning them what true discipleship was. Unfortunately it is not all fun and games; there is business to get done for the Lord.

Jesus was trying to prepare them for the hardships that lie ahead.

There was much that Christ himself was going to face in the near future. The warning of what a true profession was to get them on track, because he wanted them to MAKE THEIR LIVES TRULY COUNT FOR SOMETHING, what was truly important.

He tells them in

Luke 12:4–5 KJV

And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Quit fearing government and you work place and start serving the Lord.

MAKING MY LIFE COUNT FOR SOMETHING requires us to live out the cause of Christ in all things.

And a true profession of faith is not going to deny who he or she is.

God will take care of you, you are his:

Luke 12:11–12 KJV

And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

God says then, and the application for today is the same that we will be taken before religious governing bodies and government entities to answer for our faith. Be ready and have a true profession, not a shallow or a sorry one.

III. THE SIN OF COVETOUSNESS

MAKING MY LIFE COUNT is going to require that I deal with covetousness.

We need to battle our inclinations to value ourselves by simply how many things we have, how much we are worth, and how we are perceived by the world.

The things we accumulate.

Even in v.13 came a man who complained:

Luke 12:13 KJV

And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

Jesus did not want to worry about trivial matters. These matters are trivial, money that this man didn’t earn anyway. There were more important things to deal with, but Jesus Gives this very important warning:

Luke 12:15 KJV

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Thus the Lord gives this parable that Pastor Jon read to us this morning. In the passage here: Luke 12:16-21.

From Heaven’s view, everything is different. From heaven’s view, the things that we think are important are not as much as we thought.

In God’s economy, all belongs to him anyway.

Psalm 50:10–12 KJV

For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

You see we hold our own self-worth judged by how successful or not successful we are in this life as far as making money, and getting things.

We all battle with this temptation

Making Life Count doesn’t require a certain look

It is not in the lates trends and sty in the clothes we wear

In Luke 12:22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. 23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

3. It is not in our hair styles or make up or lack thereof

4. God is not concerned about those things in the way that we are.

When we make the most out of our lives, we are not going to worry about have the latest styles, the trendiest food items, True value is not in the food we eat

Luke 12:29 KJV

And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

IV. MAKING MY LIFE COUNT FOR SOMETHING TODAY!

vv.31-34

A. Seek the kingdom

Luke 12:31 KJV

But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:33 KJV

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

B. Invest in eternity

Trade in your present day riches and invest them in God’s work:

Notice the result:

Luke 12:33 KJV

Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

C. Be content with what God has given to you

1 Timothy 6:6–7 KJV

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

Our generation wants it all. Many people who are 30 and under have always had it all. The lack of material things during the Great Depression has affected the attitudes of many older people. So many, both young and old, are concerned with driving the right car, wearing clothes with the right label and vacationing at the "in" places. Yet, having all these only leads to a desire for more.

How we accumulate! The man who has everything needs a place to put it. Our closets are running over. We buy houses with two car garages and then leave our cars outside. The garage is full of things. Mini-warehouses and storage facilities are a growth industry. Is this accumulation perhaps one reason vans and pickup trucks are so popular? We need bigger vehicles to carry what we have.

But has a richer life produced a better life? The most popular prescription drugs relieve anxiety and hypertension. The most popular over-the-counter drugs are aspirin and related pain killers. Also, if abundance brings happiness, we would assume that the people who have the most possessions have the greatest happiness. Yet even the most casual observer can see this is not true.

In his accumulation of things, is not man searching for contentment?

The bottom line, according to Paul is not how much you have. The bottom line on personal profit and loss is finding godliness with contentment.

True contentment is when we invest in something that will last for ever.

What do we need to be content? Paul's statement is almost heretical to our materialistic ears. All that is necessary is food and clothing. These should be the limit of our earthly desires. Matthew Henry well said, "The necessities of life are the bounds of a true Christian's desires. Truly, the secret of contentment is not having much but wanting little. This is not to say we cannot have more than food and clothing. It means that having more than these presents a temptation

1 Timothy 6:9 KJV

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

D. MAKE LIFE COUNT BY INVESTING IN PEOPLE & THE THINGS OF GOD

Luke 12:35-37.

This teaches us to be a light and be ready for the Lord’s return.