1 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:05,960 Welcome to the Liberty Baptist Sermon Archives. 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,040 The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist 3 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:13,040 Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us 4 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:17,280 or contact us at my libertybaptist.org or just look 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,760 us up on Facebook. And now we hope that this 6 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,080 message from God's Word will be a blessing to you. 7 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,880 Please turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter #12 this morning, 8 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:32,960 Luke and chapter #12 and again, glad that we have the 9 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:36,040 opportunity to have the technology to be able to live 10 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,560 stream to you all today and to be able to be here despite the 11 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,240 conditions in the building. We sure are glad to be able to 12 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:45,800 be preaching the word of God. Nonetheless, the title, my 13 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:50,320 message this morning is this, How to avoid becoming a January 14 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,160 fool? How to avoid becoming a January 15 00:00:53,160 --> 00:00:54,280 Fool. Of course, we're all familiar 16 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:56,720 with April Fools, aren't we? I mean, that comes around April 17 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,760 1st every year. However, a January fool is 18 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,120 probably not something that we would think will be a very 19 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:04,640 common thing or maybe something you've never even thought of at 20 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:06,320 all. Now, where did I come across 21 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:07,880 this title? Where did I come across this 22 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,440 line of thinking? Well, you know, about 42% of 23 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:15,920 Americans plan to make New Year's resolutions for 2026 and 24 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,680 they breakdown in these ways. 48% say they are going to make 25 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:24,280 improvements in fitness or exercise. 38% say that they want 26 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,680 to make improvements with their finances. 36% talk about mental 27 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:33,160 health, 34% weight loss, 32% improved diet. 28 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,160 I think already killed that one after the last few days and we 29 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,680 haven't started January yet, but some surveys find that only 30 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:44,120 about 6% of people follow through on their resolutions for 31 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:48,360 a full year. So to consider that 94% of those 32 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,680 who make resolutions here in the next few days will not actually 33 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,640 keep those resolutions. Now, I've mentioned this before 34 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,280 and I'll mention it again in regards to New Year's 35 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:00,200 resolutions. There's neither a precept for 36 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,320 New Year's resolutions in the Bible nor is there a principle 37 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:05,440 against making New Year's resolutions in the Bible. 38 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,800 Whether you do or not, it is not something that that means that 39 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,440 you are a good Christian if you do, or that you are a bad 40 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,640 Christian if you do not. However, whether you make them 41 00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:18,240 or not, this is a very natural time of year to think about the 42 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,680 future. As we roll the page from the 43 00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:25,160 2025 calendar to the calendar for 2026, there is something 44 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:28,520 very natural about taking stock about what our spiritual life 45 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,480 was in the year before and the other parts of our life as well 46 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:36,880 and how those parts of our life will be affected into 2026. 47 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:39,360 O, with all of your plans for the future and all of the things 48 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,560 you may be thinking about here for 2026 just a few days away, 49 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:45,520 my question you do this morning is this. 50 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:49,240 Where does God plan into your plans? 51 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,520 Where does the Lord fit into those things that are coming up 52 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,760 for 2026? And that is a subject that we 53 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:58,640 see here in Luke chapter #12 this morning. 54 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,160 Now, why would I say that you would be a January fool, that 55 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,760 you want to avoid being a January fool? 56 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,400 Well, I want to show here in the next few moments that if your 57 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,360 plans don't include Jesus, you can. 58 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,000 Plan on failing. That if your plans don't include 59 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:19,120 Jesus Christ for the upcoming year, then you are planning on 60 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:20,960 failing. And that would make you, yes, 61 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,320 not a fool in April, but rather a fool here in January. 62 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,160 By the way, the foolish part of that doesn't even come from my 63 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:30,160 words, but actually from Jesus Christ that we'll see here in 64 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,400 just a moment. So why don't you, well, stand, 65 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:34,720 sit, whatever you want to do, guys. 66 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:36,880 All right, Why don't we stand for the reading of God's Word? 67 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:41,240 All right, let's do that. Luke chapter #12 And let's begin 68 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:44,560 reading in verse #16 And it says this. 69 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:46,560 And he spake A parable unto them. 70 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:50,440 This is Jesus speaking a parable to the crowd, saying, the ground 71 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:52,920 of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. 72 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:56,440 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do? 73 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:59,920 Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits. 74 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,520 And he said, This will I do? I will pull down my barns and 75 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:06,160 build greater and there will I bestow all my. 76 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,360 Fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, 77 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,560 Thou hast much goods laid up for many years. 78 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,760 Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 79 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:21,480 But God said unto him, Thou fool that there's that word there, 80 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:25,320 thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. 81 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:30,280 Then who shall these things be which thou hast provided? 82 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,200 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich 83 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,240 towards God. There's much for us to consider 84 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,600 here with the upcoming year, this sin that we find of the 85 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:43,360 foolish man who had not God in his plans, and we'll talk more 86 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:45,400 about that in a moment. So why don't you be seated and 87 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:51,520 let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we do thank you 88 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:53,800 again for this morning. I pray that you would be with 89 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,080 the word as it's given. Certainly the conditions are not 90 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,760 normal with the amount of people in the room, the amount of 91 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:02,040 people watching online, all of these different things. 92 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,760 But Lord, we know you're. Greater than any type of 93 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:09,280 difficulty, any type. Of issue that could be in the 94 00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:12,080 way hindering your word being preached today. 95 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:14,840 So I pray that you would just take my mind, have it focused 96 00:05:14,840 --> 00:05:17,800 completely on your word so that those who are watching, those 97 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,520 who are in this room will be helped by your word today. 98 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,840 We do ask this all humbly in Jesus name, Amen. 99 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:27,800 As you can see, the issue of a January fool isn't necessarily 100 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:31,480 one that I have made-up, but rather the man in the parable 101 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:35,320 that we just talked about was observed to be a fool by none 102 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:40,480 other than Jesus Christ, because he said of the Lord in verse #20 103 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:45,440 But God said unto him, Thou fool this night, the soul shall be 104 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,240 required of thee. Now of course I added the 105 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:51,000 January part. Jesus didn't talk about January 106 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:53,880 wasn't January. That wasn't a month or an ID or 107 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:56,480 a concept for them. But the predicament of this 108 00:05:56,480 --> 00:06:01,280 foolish man is one that people come across every January as 109 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:03,400 well as other parts of the year as well. 110 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,080 In fact, it's very easy for us to understand what the 111 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:09,160 definition of a fool is. The Bible tells us the fool has 112 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:12,920 said in his heart there is no God, and so someone who has no 113 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:16,120 belief in God is a fool. But I would also say that we can 114 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:19,720 live foolishly even as believers when God is not part of our 115 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,160 thought process in our daily life. 116 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,480 And so while we may not be the fool who is unsaved, the fool 117 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,600 that doesn't believe in God, we can still act the fool. 118 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,960 We can play the part of the fool when we do not incorporate the 119 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:36,640 thoughts of God into our daily, really our hourly and minute by 120 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,840 minute life, because He should be part of all of our thoughts 121 00:06:39,840 --> 00:06:43,080 and everything that we do. Now to truly understand why 122 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,320 Jesus spoke this parable, we kind of have to go back to the 123 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:49,080 beginning of the chapter. So look at what it says in verse 124 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:53,760 #1 of chapter #12 and it says in the meantime, when there were 125 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:57,280 gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, there were 126 00:06:57,280 --> 00:06:59,640 a lot of people that were gathered around and a lot of 127 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:03,040 people that want to hear Jesus Christ in so much that they 128 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:06,320 trode one upon another. These elite people are about to 129 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,600 have a Stampede and trample on each other, but Jesus is 130 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,040 speaking to them and they all want to hear Him speak. 131 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,440 Now what happens in the next verses is that Jesus is going to 132 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:18,880 continue a condemnation that took place from the previous 133 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,360 chapter of the Pharisees. What was the Pharisees problem? 134 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:25,520 Well, where do we begin? But the main problem was this, 135 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:28,880 that they wanted to do things for God on the outside, but yet 136 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:32,280 their hearts were far from God. That was the real problem of the 137 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:33,920 Pharisees. Everything else was an 138 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:36,600 extension. Everything else was a symptom of 139 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:40,320 the real heart problem, which was they didn't regard God at 140 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:42,040 all. And everything they did on the 141 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:45,680 outside was to make themselves look good or to raise their 142 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:47,600 regard in the minds of other people. 143 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,040 But they really had nothing to do with God. 144 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:53,440 And so here is Jesus talking of himself, talking of the 145 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,240 Pharisees, giving the condemnation, talking about the 146 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:59,200 real weighty spiritual issues of the heart. 147 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:02,760 So Jesus is giving this incredible speech. 148 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:06,240 He's giving this incredible sermon, if you will, and 149 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:09,840 condemnation of the Pharisees, but also preaching to this great 150 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:13,800 multitude of people about how the issues of the Lord have to 151 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:17,960 be the issues of the heart. And in the middle of this, with 152 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:21,720 all of these people and all of this serious talk, look at verse 153 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:24,440 #13. It says, and one of the company 154 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:28,440 said unto him, Master, speak to my brother that he divide the 155 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,120 inheritance with me. Now just stop here for a moment. 156 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:35,640 Could you imagine Jesus giving this sermon to perhaps 1000 157 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:38,000 people, perhaps more? We certainly know that Jesus 158 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,880 spoke to multitudes of thousands of people in his ministry at any 159 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:45,040 given time because we know he fed 5000 that that wasn't even 160 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:47,440 counting women and children. And so we see that an 161 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:51,280 innumerable amount of people are there, and Jesus is giving this 162 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:56,160 heartfelt, passionate sermon about the needs of the spiritual 163 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:59,280 life and the needs to not live like a Pharisee. 164 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,280 And in the midst of this, there's a man who works his way 165 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:05,920 through the crowd and he raises his hand and he says, Jesus, 166 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:09,440 stop, just a minute, I've got a really important question. 167 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,480 And Jesus allows the man to ask the question. 168 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:15,680 And he says, this, will you speak to my brother, that he 169 00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:18,240 divides the inheritance with me. In fact, it's really not even in 170 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:19,680 the form of a question, isn't it? 171 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:24,040 It's actually more like Jesus, I need you to speak to my brother 172 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:25,920 that he divide the inheritance with me now. 173 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:28,400 The way that. Inheritance would have worked in 174 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,960 those types of times was that an older brother would have gotten 175 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,160 a larger inheritance and that the younger brother or brothers 176 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:38,400 would have gotten a single portion where the older brother 177 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:41,000 would have had a double portion. We don't know exactly what's 178 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,120 going on here. And interestingly enough, this 179 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:46,840 man is so self absorbed he doesn't even really explain to 180 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:50,440 Jesus what's going on. He doesn't lay out really what's 181 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,160 happening. He says this Jesus, speak with 182 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:55,760 my older brother for he is doing me wrong. 183 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:58,400 He has no clue what Jesus is talking about. 184 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:00,880 He has no recognition that there are other people there. 185 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,720 He has no recognition of weightier spiritual matters. 186 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:07,280 All he cares about is he needs his money. 187 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,440 He needs it now and he needs someone like Jesus, let's say, 188 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:15,080 to step in and, you know, act as the advocate for him. 189 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:17,040 Could I put it to you this way this morning? 190 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:19,720 This man really didn't understand who Jesus was. 191 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:22,360 He did not understand Jesus's ministry. 192 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:24,560 He did not understand Jesus message. 193 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,000 And I don't believe he understood that Jesus was the 194 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:30,640 Messiah because of the way that he treated him and the way he 195 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:34,000 treated the message. And so Jesus takes a very dim 196 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:38,720 view of what this man just did. And he says in verse #14 he says 197 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:43,520 and he said unto him, Man who made me a judge or divider over 198 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,080 you? And he said unto him, Take heed 199 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:48,880 and beware. Of covetousness for a man's 200 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:50,200 life. Consistent not. 201 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:54,080 In the abundance of the things which he hath possesseth. 202 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:58,360 And really he's just trying to bring this conversation back to 203 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:00,960 what he was talking about before and he's trying to tell him, 204 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,040 listen, you think life's about this inheritance that you're 205 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:05,880 talking about. Don't you understand that there 206 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,360 are things that are much more important? 207 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:11,760 Don't you understand that your life needs to be about the Lord 208 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:15,040 and your life doesn't need to be about these things that you so 209 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:18,280 greatly desire to be able to have for yourself? 210 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:21,520 So here's this man, He interrupts a conversation about 211 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:24,840 the spiritual to have a conversation about the here and 212 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:26,680 now. And to top it all off, he 213 00:11:26,680 --> 00:11:29,600 started with the faulty premise of Jesus. 214 00:11:29,680 --> 00:11:34,520 I need you to do for me not realizing or recognizing who 215 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:36,840 Jesus was. Now let me be clear about 216 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:41,320 something, because Jesus spoke this parable in response to what 217 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:43,560 was. The question, or rather what was 218 00:11:43,560 --> 00:11:46,600 the statement of this very foolish man? 219 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:50,120 But I will say to you, you might say, well, Pastor, is this a? 220 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:53,400 Prohibition against preparation. You know, we talked about the 221 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,960 the man brought in goods and then he tore down barns and want 222 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,560 to build bigger barns. Does this mean as a Christian 223 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:02,720 it's not good for us to prepare? This mean as a Christian it's 224 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:04,800 not good for us to make plans in our life? 225 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:07,200 No, that's not what I'm saying here this morning. 226 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:08,960 I don't believe that's what Jesus saying this morning. 227 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,800 The problem is, this man's covetousness caused him to plan 228 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:17,520 on everything except for God. Everything in his life was as he 229 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:21,280 wanted it, except he excluded God from all of his plans. 230 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:23,520 And we'll look more about why that is in just a moment. 231 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:25,600 But planning is good for the Christian. 232 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:29,000 In fact, save your spot here and go to Luke chapter #14 very 233 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,160 quickly. Luke chapter #14 I've never been 234 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:35,000 so glad to have a cup of coffee next to me during a sermon in my 235 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:39,520 life. Luke chapter #14 Look at verse 236 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:43,960 #28. Jesus says red letters here once 237 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:45,800 again, so you could see this is Jesus. 238 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:48,880 For which of you intending to build a tower sitteth not down 239 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:52,040 1st and count at the cost whether he has sufficient to 240 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:54,520 finish it. Lest happily after he had laid 241 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:57,880 the foundation and is not able to finish it all that behold it 242 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:01,440 begin to mock him, saying this man began to build and was not 243 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:03,920 able to finish it. He says which of you will get 244 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,080 into a building program and don't figure out if you can 245 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:10,200 build it all in the 1st place. He says, of course, that's 246 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:12,000 something that you would want to do. 247 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:15,480 Nobody would add an addition to their house or nobody would try 248 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:18,760 to build something from scratch, a shed in the backyard, whatever 249 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:21,320 it would be, and not really figure out if they had the money 250 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:23,600 to build all the materials. Because if you don't figure that 251 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:26,040 out and get halfway through and you have to stop, you look 252 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:27,480 foolish. And of course, you'll probably 253 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:30,280 waste the money of all the materials that will be exposed 254 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:33,440 to the elements unfinished. And so Jesus says there's not a 255 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:35,800 problem with that. In fact, it's expected that that 256 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:38,800 would be the case. Even continues on in verse #31 257 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:41,920 and he says or what king goeth to make war against another King 258 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:45,240 sitteth not down 1st and consulteth whether he be able 259 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:49,080 with 10,000 to meet him that cometh against him with 20,000 260 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:52,440 or else while the other is a great way off, he sendeth an 261 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:54,520 ambassador and desireth conditions of peace. 262 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:58,200 If kings have wars on their mind, they ought to have enough 263 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:01,880 common sense to figure out do we have a chance to win this 264 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:03,760 battle? And if they don't have a chance 265 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:06,840 to win the battle, if they planned properly, then instead 266 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:10,920 of maybe waging war, they ought to send a peace envoy to be able 267 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:13,680 to make peace with that other group instead of going to war 268 00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:15,640 with them. You know, Jesus is not 269 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:18,840 condemning the fact that people are to plan here. 270 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:22,480 But there's some verses that we skipped here that kind of brings 271 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,360 us into better context, which also helps us in Luke chapter 12 272 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:27,240 as well. Look at verse #27. 273 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:32,720 And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot 274 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:35,080 be my disciple. And look at. 275 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:37,120 We bookend that text, we just read. 276 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:41,480 Look at verse #33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you, that 277 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:46,200 forsaketh not all that he hath, He cannot be my, just cannot be 278 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:49,640 my disciple. Jesus is saying, excuse me, 279 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:52,800 Jesus is saying this. You make all the plans that you 280 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:55,640 need to plan, but you better plan on being a disciple of 281 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:56,720 Jesus Christ first. Amen. 282 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:00,520 You better count the cost of what it means to be a disciple. 283 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:04,360 And when we look at this man in Luke chapter #12 you can turn 284 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:07,480 back to Luke chapter #12 as we look at this man in Luke chapter 285 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:10,120 #12 there are no thoughts of the Lord in his mind. 286 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:13,080 There are no thoughts of the Lord in anything that he's 287 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:15,360 doing. All he's thinking about is what 288 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:20,000 he has, what he'll gain, what he can hold on to, and what he can 289 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,200 absorb within his own life. These are the only thoughts that 290 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:26,040 he has. Nowhere within this is any 291 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:29,480 thoughts of the Lord. Listen, as you start the new 292 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:32,640 year, start from this place. Everything that you have, 293 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:36,480 everything that you are and everything that your life is and 294 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:38,840 can be is because of God Almighty. 295 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,800 Listen, everything that you have, everything that you are 296 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:45,280 and everything that your life is and that it can be is because of 297 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:48,440 God Almighty. Not because of ourselves, not 298 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:51,440 because of what we have done, not because we are self 299 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:54,520 providers, self feeders. And listen, God wants us to be 300 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:57,360 workers, and God wants us to be people of industry. 301 00:15:57,480 --> 00:15:59,760 But listen, your work is nothing without God. 302 00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:01,880 Your industry is nothing without God. 303 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,120 Your achievements are nothing without God. 304 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:07,400 And here's a man who thought he was self-made and he thought he 305 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:10,880 could keep it all and live on it all and do it all. 306 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:14,760 But then there was a time when his soul was required of God and 307 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:16,200 he was found wanting. Why? 308 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:19,560 Because it was the first time he thought about God and it was 309 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:22,960 everlastingly too late. There was 3 very foolish 310 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:26,400 mistakes this man made. First of all, this man thought 311 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,920 his possessions were his own. This man thought his possessions 312 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:33,600 were his own. This man had a my problem in the 313 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:37,040 parable that we read, I have in my Bible circled every time he 314 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:41,520 used the word my in verse #17 He said my fruits. 315 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:47,400 Verse #18 He said my barns, my fruits, my goods. 316 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:51,880 Over and over he talked about the things that were his, and 317 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:53,720 over he talked about what he had. 318 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:57,160 And then he follows that up in verse #19 He says, And I will 319 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:01,720 say to my soul, soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many 320 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:04,000 years. Take thine ease, drink, eat, 321 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:07,160 drink and be merry. He says, I have taken all these 322 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,400 things in and I am going to take down my barns. 323 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:12,520 I'm going to build up even bigger barns. 324 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:16,480 And I'm just going to allow the things that I have provided for 325 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:20,960 myself to keep me satisfied as long as I possibly can. 326 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:25,319 And he was foolish to think that the possessions that he had were 327 00:17:25,319 --> 00:17:27,359 his own. Now, listen, I've said this 328 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:29,280 before and I'll say this again this morning. 329 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:32,840 This is not my church. Just because I am the pastor of 330 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:35,600 Liberty Baptist Church, it doesn't make it my church. 331 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:37,520 Listen, the Lord bought this church. 332 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:42,280 Christ precious blood purchased not just our salvation, but yes, 333 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:44,680 even the church as an institution itself. 334 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:47,480 These aren't my words. These aren't the Lord's words to 335 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:49,720 us this morning. But listen, just as the church 336 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:53,080 is not my own, the car that I'm going to get into and go home in 337 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:54,960 a little while, that's not my own too. 338 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,480 The apartment that I'm going to go home to when I am done, when 339 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:01,360 I'm in the car and go home, that's not my apartment. 340 00:18:01,360 --> 00:18:04,000 The clothes of which I wear now are not my own. 341 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,960 The money that I have within my wallet is not my own. 342 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:08,680 You say, well, what is your own, really? 343 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:12,520 None of it is there's nothing that I own, there's nothing that 344 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,360 I possess, there's nothing that I have made in and of myself. 345 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:19,200 There's nothing that literally I can look at and say this is 346 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,520 mine. Truly everything that I have is 347 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:24,040 because of what God Almighty has done in my life. 348 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:27,080 That's why it says in first Corinthians chapter 4 verse 2. 349 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:29,920 This is our theme about 10 years ago here at the church. 350 00:18:30,120 --> 00:18:33,760 Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found 351 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:36,000 faithful. Listen, we are just stewards. 352 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:39,520 We are just the the keepers of the things that God has given 353 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:41,200 us. If you believe that you have 354 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:44,200 made what you have on your own, then you are misguided. 355 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:49,160 And so, yes, even as we look at 2026 and we consider maybe some 356 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,280 decisions that we're going to make or some things that we need 357 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:55,080 to get done properly, have you considered that your possessions 358 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:58,000 really don't belong to you, They belong to the Lord? 359 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:01,520 John Wesley taught and lived wisely regarding riches. 360 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:05,200 He said that you should earn as much as you can, save as much as 361 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:07,360 you can. And give as much as you can. 362 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:11,360 I like that, that you earn as much as you can, save as much as 363 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:13,880 you can, and give as much as you can. 364 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:17,480 That's someone who understands that their possessions are not 365 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:19,400 their own. But this man also had poor 366 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:22,600 thinking, not just toward his possessions, but also towards 367 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:26,640 his pleasure as well. What did he say in verse #19 I'm 368 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:31,960 just going to live off the fat of that which I have acquired 369 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:34,920 before. Soul, thou hast much goods laid 370 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:39,640 up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink and 371 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:41,800 be merry. I listen. 372 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:46,640 Our own pleasure is not our own. We serve at the pleasure of the 373 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:48,960 Lord. And I remember several years ago 374 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:51,840 we had someone who was here, a dear lady who's now gone on to 375 00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:54,120 be with the Lord, and she looked at me and that we. 376 00:19:54,120 --> 00:19:55,800 Were talking about pastors. I said something about 377 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:57,800 retirement. I don't know what it was, but 378 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:01,400 she says pastors never retire. And I said, well, this pastor is 379 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:03,800 going to retire someday. I said, because there's going to 380 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:06,280 come a point in my life where, you know, I probably won't be 381 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:09,840 able to fulfill the qualifications of being a pastor 382 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:12,640 because I won't be able to kind of keep up with what I'm 383 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:14,880 supposed to be doing. And she couldn't quite 384 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:16,880 understand that. But then I kind of got into the 385 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:19,040 conversation with her and I said, listen, you understand 386 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:21,320 that I may retire someday as a pastor. 387 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:23,200 By the way, we're talking a long time from now. 388 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:25,720 But I'm just saying I may retire from someday from being a 389 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:28,320 pastor, but that doesn't mean I get to retire from being a 390 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:30,880 servant of the Lord. And I think that clicked with 391 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:33,080 her a little bit more. The idea was, oh, I may not be a 392 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:35,720 pastor, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to be a servant. 393 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:39,000 And boy, that's true for all of us is that we are here in this 394 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:42,240 life to be servants of the Lord, that we don't serve for our own 395 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:43,920 pleasure. We don't serve for our own 396 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:46,000 desires. We don't serve for our own 397 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,960 wants. And listen, so much of our New 398 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:52,480 Year's resolution, so many of our thoughts are so self centric 399 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:56,360 about what can I do for myself? What can I have, what can I get, 400 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:59,040 what can I achieve? And listen, I'm not saying there 401 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:01,400 isn't a place for some of of those things, but listen, the 402 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:04,280 Lord better be first and foremost even in those plans 403 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:05,640 about yourself. Why? 404 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:08,480 Because I want to get to this place so I can serve the Lord 405 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:10,440 better. I want to be able to do this so 406 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,320 I can give more time to Jesus. I want to be able to learn, earn 407 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:15,440 more so I can give more to Jesus. 408 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:18,320 No, no, this is part of our plans, not for our own pleasure, 409 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:20,240 but for His. And the amazing thing is, the 410 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:23,000 more that you try to please the Lord in your life, the more 411 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:24,560 pleasure you actually have in your life. 412 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:28,680 The more you desire to serve Him, the more joy you actually 413 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:33,080 receive in return. Philippians 213 For it is God 414 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:36,760 which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good 415 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:38,800 pleasure. He gives us the ability to do 416 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:42,640 what To please Him. First Corinthians 10/31 Whether 417 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:47,000 therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the 418 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:49,080 glory of God everything that we do. 419 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:52,520 Everything that we are, everything of which we possess, 420 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,080 should be to the glorification of God. 421 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,000 First Corinthians 619 and 20. We'll be looking at this on a 422 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,480 Wednesday night here very soon. What know ye not that your body 423 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:04,480 is the temple, the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which you have 424 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:06,920 of God? Listen, and ye are not your own, 425 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:10,640 for you bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your 426 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:13,680 body and in your spirit, which are God's. 427 00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:16,800 You know, when we use that term pleasure, so often we think of 428 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:18,840 fun, don't we? We think of joy. 429 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:20,280 That's what we think of pleasure. 430 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:23,080 Well, if I serve at God's pleasure, that means I'm making 431 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:25,520 him happy. But I don't mean necessarily I'm 432 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:27,960 going to make myself happy. Well, that's not really what's 433 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,280 even being said. When you serve at the pleasure 434 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:32,760 of somebody, you serve at their desire. 435 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:35,480 You serve at their whim. You serve at their need. 436 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:39,680 Several years ago I've tried for several. 437 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:42,640 Times to be able to be a chaplain here with the Easton 438 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:44,560 Police Department. We've had three different chiefs 439 00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:46,560 since I've been here. Actually, I think we're on chief 440 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,600 #4 right now. I can't keep track somewhere 3 441 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:50,680 or 4. And I've gone. 442 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,240 Through chaplain training, I've availed myself to the Easton 443 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,000 Police Department that if they need my help, I'm certainly glad 444 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:57,800 to do so. I'm not talking about getting 445 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,360 paid to do that, but just as a volunteer if they need someone 446 00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:01,560 to go. To a crime. 447 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:03,880 Scene or they need someone to make a death notification that 448 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:06,000 I'm glad to do so. And so I've had this 449 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,080 conversation with them, and there was one time with, I 450 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,160 believe, chief #2 where it seemed like that was going to be 451 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:14,520 something that was going to be really a need that they wanted 452 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:16,720 me to fulfill. And so I have my phone, my 453 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:18,240 phones on during the middle of the night anyway. 454 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:20,120 By the way, if you ever need me, if there's an emergency in the 455 00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:22,040 middle of night, you call me. But I would just encourage you 456 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,240 call more than once because take a little bit to wake me up all 457 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:25,560 right in the middle of the night. 458 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:29,040 But I get a call, it's about 2-3 in the morning. 459 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:31,480 I look at my phone, it says Easton Police Department. 460 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,240 And immediately it's go time. You know what I'm saying? 461 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:37,000 Like, mentally, I'm like, it's time we're getting ready to go. 462 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:39,840 I jump out of bed, grab my phone, go into the next room to 463 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,880 try not to wake Diane up. And I say hello, you know? 464 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:44,640 And it's kind of like that, you know, you're still trying to 465 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:45,840 pretend like you weren't sleeping. 466 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:49,600 And it's like, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello. 467 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:53,920 And so I, I, I say hello and I'm fully expecting they're going to 468 00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:56,360 tell me what's going on. And I found out that it wasn't 469 00:23:56,360 --> 00:23:58,920 that they wanted me as the chaplain, they wanted me as the 470 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:02,560 victim of a crime. That the church van was still 471 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:05,280 out here on the property. It wasn't even titled yet. 472 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:08,760 We had just bought it and there was a man who tried to hot wire 473 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:11,080 the church van and tried to steal it. 474 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:13,800 And they were calling to notify me that this happened about 3:00 475 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:16,200 in the morning because they had some difficulties in trying to 476 00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:19,440 line up exactly who owned the vehicle because we hadn't titled 477 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:20,600 it yet. We just bought it a few weeks 478 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:22,080 ago. Now, what this guy didn't 479 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:24,080 understand, I'm talking about the guy who was trying to hot 480 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:26,640 wire the van. We didn't know was that once we 481 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:30,840 got it here, the battery went out and so he could have been 482 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:33,680 there all night. In fact, I would have just been 483 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:35,880 encouraging, man, if and if you could if I could have been there 484 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:37,880 with him, like man, if you could start it up, you can keep it. 485 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:40,360 All right, So go for it. Just do the best you can, man. 486 00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:44,080 Let's see what you got. But anyway, I, I was the victim 487 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:46,080 of the crime, so I had to give them some information about the 488 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:48,680 van, why it wasn't titled yet, all of these different things. 489 00:24:49,360 --> 00:24:51,080 And I was still very tired. I was pumped up. 490 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:53,200 I was amped, but I was also tired at the same time. 491 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:55,480 And so, and I don't know why I said this. 492 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:57,600 It may have been because of something I heard on television 493 00:24:57,600 --> 00:24:59,240 or on a movie or something like that. 494 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:03,520 And the Sergeant said, all right, well, Pastor Rivero, you 495 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:06,480 have a good night. And my response to that is I 496 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:08,920 serve at the pleasure. Of the Easton Police Department 497 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:14,080 and I hung up the phone and I thought that is one of the 498 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,920 stupidest things that. You could ever possibly say like 499 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:21,400 how formal and how I serve at the pleasure of the Easton 500 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:24,480 Police Department. It's like what a what a dumb 501 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:26,200 thing to say and I almost. Want to call them back? 502 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,080 And say, you know, I don't serve at your pleasure. 503 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:29,560 No, no, no, I don't mean that either. 504 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:31,680 They got, you know, just like just leave it alone. 505 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:33,360 Just maybe he maybe he won't remember. 506 00:25:33,360 --> 00:25:35,840 You know, I I I don't know exactly what it was, but you 507 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:38,560 know, the whole idea of serving at the pleasure of somebody is 508 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:42,120 not even about joy or happiness. The idea is I was trying to say, 509 00:25:42,120 --> 00:25:45,200 listen, if Easton Police Department needs something, I'm 510 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:47,760 here to help. That's what an ambassador does. 511 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:49,880 They serve at the pleasure of the president. 512 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:53,160 That's why the new president always picks new ambassadors. 513 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:54,520 Why? Because they are the 514 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:58,480 representative of that president in whatever far-flung locale 515 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:00,520 they are in. They don't serve at their own 516 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:02,160 pleasure. They don't get to decide what 517 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:04,520 they want to do. They are doing what the 518 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:07,800 president wants him to do. So for us, if we are to serve at 519 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:10,720 the pleasure of God, it's really not about our joy or about our 520 00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:13,240 happiness. It's this, Lord, whatever you 521 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:15,000 want with my life, I'm willing to do it. 522 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,880 Whatever the plans are that I have for my life, they are 523 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:23,080 secondary to what your plans are for me in my life. 524 00:26:23,120 --> 00:26:26,600 I serve at your pleasure. And ironically, you'll have more 525 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:30,320 pleasure, joy, and happiness by serving at His pleasure than you 526 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:34,040 ever will by serving yourself. And here's this man who says I 527 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:38,440 want more. My barns, my fruits, my goods. 528 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:41,000 I'm going to build more and I'm going to eat and I'm going to 529 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,680 drink and I'll be merry. And the Lord says you're a fool 530 00:26:45,360 --> 00:26:49,120 because you don't understand. This man thought his possessions 531 00:26:49,120 --> 00:26:52,320 were his own, his plans were his own, or rather his possessions 532 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:56,720 and his and his pleasure were his own. 533 00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:59,400 But in the end, he thought his plans were his own. 534 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:03,560 This is where he was truly a fool because he didn't know what 535 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:08,440 time his number was up. He didn't know what time his 536 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:12,360 soul would be required of him. Verse #20 says God said, To whom 537 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:16,400 thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee. 538 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:22,360 And whose things then whose shall those things be which thou 539 00:27:22,360 --> 00:27:24,640 has provided? I almost feel like there's that 540 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:27,760 little bit of, I wouldn't say sarcasm next necessarily, but 541 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,920 the Lord using the man's own words against him. 542 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:35,080 Remember those things that you provided for yourself when I 543 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:37,280 call you. Whose those belong to? 544 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:40,640 Now sure say this, I bet that man had wished he had thought a 545 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:45,960 whole lot more about God before then those possessions and his 546 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:49,360 pleasure, because that moment that his soul was called, it was 547 00:27:49,360 --> 00:27:51,160 too late. He was dumb. 548 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:55,120 Our plans belong to the Lord. Our possession, our pleasure 549 00:27:55,120 --> 00:27:57,480 belongs to the Lord, but inevitably that means our plans, 550 00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:00,640 everything that we want and desire, and who we are, belong 551 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:03,400 to the Lord. James 4 verses 13 through 15. 552 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:06,920 Say, Go to now, ye that say today or tomorrow we will go 553 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,320 into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell 554 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:13,400 and get gain, whereas you know not what shall be on the Morrow. 555 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:15,640 For what is your life? It is even a vapor that 556 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:17,600 appeareth for a little time, and then vanished of the way. 557 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:21,840 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live and do 558 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:24,280 this or that. Oftentimes you'll hear people 559 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:26,160 say something like this, well, I'll see you next time and 560 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:28,640 they'll say Lord willing. And that's not somebody trying 561 00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:30,760 to be super spiritual or maybe it is. 562 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:33,600 It's a hard issue, but it. Shouldn't be not not be an issue 563 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:35,320 with somebody trying to be super spiritual. 564 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:37,360 It's just the idea of, you know, I'll see you next week. 565 00:28:37,360 --> 00:28:39,680 But then again, the Lord may have different plans. 566 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,160 It could be the Lord calls me home, could be that I'm ill, 567 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:43,760 could be the car gets broken down. 568 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:49,120 Could be the heat goes out in the church, who knows the Lord 569 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:51,400 willing, we'll see you and ideas. 570 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:54,040 It's supposed to be a reminder to us that we don't know what we 571 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:56,400 have. Listen, you want to make 572 00:28:56,400 --> 00:29:00,160 yourself look like a fool, make plans because God makes us look 573 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:02,120 fools in our plans often times, doesn't he? 574 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:05,480 And just take your plans and give them to the Lord and say, 575 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:07,280 Lord, what would you have me to do? 576 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:09,600 This is what we're to do. Now, let's be clear. 577 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:13,360 And having God as part of your plans doesn't mean just that you 578 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:15,680 need to do more godly things in your life. 579 00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:17,640 Well, you know what? I should go to church more, or I 580 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:20,400 should pray more, or I should read my Bible more and listen, 581 00:29:20,400 --> 00:29:22,560 there's nothing wrong with that. Those are wonderful things that 582 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:24,520 you should do. But that's not what I'm talking 583 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:27,760 about. It doesn't mean making plans and 584 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:30,320 then just praying for God to approve those plans. 585 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:32,080 That's not what I'm talking about either. 586 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:36,000 It's not just adding God to your plans or asking God to approve 587 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:37,920 your plans. It's not about adding or 588 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:38,760 approving. No, no. 589 00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:41,440 This means if we're gods to be part of our plans. 590 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:46,320 It means that in every area of your life you are yielding your 591 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:50,920 life to His will and His way. In every area you are going to 592 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,120 yield yourself to His will and His way. 593 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:57,160 Hudson Taylor had definite convictions about how God's work 594 00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:59,040 should be done. Hudson Taylor, the great 595 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,680 Christian missionary who opened up China to missionaries in the 596 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:03,960 1800s. And it said. 597 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:08,240 He said yet another way of working is to begin with God to 598 00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:13,200 ask his plans and to offer him ourselves to Him to carry out 599 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:15,360 His purposes. And if you read about the life 600 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:18,080 of Hudson Taylor, this is the way he lived his life and the 601 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:21,480 way that he was able to open up inland China to the gospel. 602 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:24,320 It was not because of anything. He did, but is because he opened 603 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:27,600 up his plans to the Lord and allowed the Lord to be able to 604 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:30,080 work through him. Listen, you are not 605 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:33,800 self-sufficient. I don't know another way to say 606 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:35,160 it other than to say it directly. 607 00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:39,320 You are not self-sufficient, but listen, you are sufficient in 608 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:42,240 Christ. Second Corinthians 35 Not that 609 00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:45,280 we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves, 610 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:49,720 but our sufficiency is of God. Only a fool. 611 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:54,000 Would not want to know what God's plans would be for their 612 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:56,120 life. So that they could make plans 613 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:58,600 accordingly. You say, well, how am I supposed 614 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:01,840 to make will plans for, for my life? 615 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:04,880 How am I supposed to to bring these things before the Lord? 616 00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:07,360 Well, listen, it just means to have a daily walk with the Lord 617 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:10,280 to be able to be in the word of God every day. 618 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:12,720 Thy word is a lamp and to my feet and a light in my path. 619 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:15,680 You know, I found a lot of issues in my life are cleared up 620 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:17,360 just by being in the Word of God daily. 621 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:21,400 A lamp doesn't light an incredibly long way, but does 622 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,400 get you the next few steps away as you continue to move forward. 623 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:25,840 What happens? The next few steps are 624 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:29,160 illuminated in the next few steps are illuminated, and so on 625 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:31,640 and so forth. We pray and ask the Lord to give 626 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:35,040 us direction in our lives and He works things out according to 627 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:39,240 His will and then also gives us direction through His Spirit to 628 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:41,520 our spirit. Remember, the Bible says that He 629 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:44,400 tells us in our spirit that we're the children of God, and 630 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:47,600 so just the Spirit confirms to. Us that we are saved. 631 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:51,400 His Spirit can also give us direction within our lives as 632 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:53,480 well. But he doesn't when you don't 633 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:56,560 listen to him. He doesn't when your life is so 634 00:31:56,560 --> 00:32:00,160 full of sin that we have quenched the Holy Ghost within 635 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:02,000 our life. Listen, you are not 636 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:03,760 self-sufficient. That's illogical. 637 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:06,360 You're not self-sustaining, that's irrational. 638 00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:10,680 You are not self gratifying. That's I'll intentioned, but 639 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:13,840 when was the last time you gave more than a token thought to 640 00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:17,160 this question? Lord, what would you have me to 641 00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:20,960 do today? Lord, I see someone over there 642 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:24,160 that may need the gospel. Should I share the gospel with 643 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:26,520 them? Lord, what would you do with 644 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:28,680 help me with this bank account? There's, there's more in the 645 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:31,360 bank account than I realized. I don't know that we get to say 646 00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:34,200 that very often it's due to the opposite way, but there are 647 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:36,800 times when you see that, hey, there's more here than I 648 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:38,400 thought. Lord, what would you have me to 649 00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:41,400 do with? That well, look at my closet and 650 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:43,280 boy, there's a. Lot of stuff here and I look at 651 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:44,560 my pantry. There's a lot of things here. 652 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:46,040 What would you have me to do with this? 653 00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:49,440 And as we come into New Year's resolutions and those type of 654 00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:51,160 thoughts, and again, I'm not telling you, you have to do it, 655 00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:53,640 quite the opposite. But I do think it's important 656 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:56,800 for us to just take A reckoning of our lives here and there and 657 00:32:56,800 --> 00:32:59,000 to consider what we've done in the past and how we want to move 658 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:01,360 forward in the future. So whenever that could be, 659 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:04,600 listen, whatever plans you make, if the Lord's not in it, then 660 00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:05,960 you're acting like the fool here. 661 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:08,040 And there'll be a time when God will. 662 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:11,000 Require of you, your soul. And it'll be too late to do 663 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:15,040 anything else. Your time will be up if you've 664 00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:17,400 made resolutions. I I really want to encourage you 665 00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:20,000 have resolutions about what you're going to do with your 666 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:22,840 spiritual walk. Have resolutions about the fact 667 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:26,440 that you'll be in God's house. Have resolutions about reading 668 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:29,760 the word of God, about praying, about meditating on the word of 669 00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:33,200 God on fasting. Make make resolutions about 670 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:35,160 taking electronics out of your life. 671 00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:37,120 And I'm not taking talking about taking them completely out of 672 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:38,480 your life. But even, as I mentioned last 673 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:42,200 Sunday night, that we can be so filled with electronic data and 674 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:44,720 so filled with electronic junk, most of which is not even 675 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:48,480 important or necessary or healthy, that it crowds out the 676 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:51,200 thoughts that we have of the Lord and it doesn't allow us to 677 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:54,840 meditate on Him as we ought to. If you haven't thought of the 678 00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:57,480 Lord, if you haven't thought about what you're going to do 679 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:00,080 with your money this year, if you haven't thought about who 680 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:02,200 you're to reach this year, if you haven't thought about how 681 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:04,000 you're just served this year, then listen. 682 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,600 Whether you realize or not, you have a lot in common with the 683 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:10,600 characteristics of this man in the parable Luke chapter 12, who 684 00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:15,199 thought about my goods and my barns and my fruits, but never 685 00:34:15,199 --> 00:34:19,199 thought about his God until it was too late. 686 00:34:21,239 --> 00:34:23,960 We love, we love our family vacations. 687 00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:26,360 I, I, I love them. I mean, we, we have made a point 688 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:28,960 ever since we've been in the ministries as particularly as a 689 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,960 pastor that we're going to take a family vacation every year. 690 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:33,560 It's important. Sometimes we take a little 2 day 691 00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:36,320 vacation or three day vacation. We got so many places just in 692 00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:39,360 our area where you can go and see so many wonderful things. 693 00:34:39,360 --> 00:34:42,239 We love to be able to do that. But could you imagine, let's say 694 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:44,639 we're taking a family vacation and we're going somewhere that 695 00:34:44,639 --> 00:34:47,040 we love, kind of like Tennessee. We've gone there for several 696 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:48,960 years in a row. It's been a few years, but we 697 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:52,080 love going to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN and all the 698 00:34:52,080 --> 00:34:55,040 things that they have going on there in the mountains and all 699 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:57,120 of that. But could you imagine just 700 00:34:57,520 --> 00:35:00,000 telling Diane, me telling Diane, you know, hey, we're going to 701 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:03,080 make some plans for vacation. She says, well, what kind of 702 00:35:03,080 --> 00:35:04,560 plans? I said, well, listen, don't 703 00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:07,120 worry about it. I'm going to decide where we're 704 00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:09,400 going. I'll save all the money. 705 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:11,640 I'm going to decide. We're going out to eat. 706 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:13,680 I'm going to decide what attractions we go to. 707 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:15,320 I'm going to decide how long it's going to take. 708 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:17,160 I'm going to decide. And some of you are shaking your 709 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:19,600 head and laughing already. And thankfully she's not in the 710 00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:21,520 room right now. She's watching in the car where 711 00:35:21,520 --> 00:35:24,360 it's warm. But I will say this that. 712 00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:28,280 Wouldn't go over very well. Not only would it not go over 713 00:35:28,280 --> 00:35:30,760 very well, listen, it's not just necessarily about being selfish, 714 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:35,480 it's also about being really dumb. 715 00:35:36,240 --> 00:35:39,840 I mean, wouldn't it be better to be able to have a good vacation 716 00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:43,320 to collaborate with her and get her ideas and get her thoughts? 717 00:35:43,600 --> 00:35:46,000 Where would you like to go? She could tell me about places 718 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:48,840 maybe I didn't know about or wasn't a whereabout or, or 719 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:52,120 streams of revenue that would help us on our vacation or any 720 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:54,000 of those things. And by the way, our vacations 721 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:56,760 are a collaborative effort for that very reason that she'll 722 00:35:56,760 --> 00:35:59,240 send me texts about, hey, we should go visit this or we 723 00:35:59,240 --> 00:36:01,400 should go there. We could save money doing this, 724 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:04,040 which hey, pastor likes saving money, you know what I'm saying? 725 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:06,120 And so we do those things together. 726 00:36:06,240 --> 00:36:09,440 Why? Because it's not wise to exclude 727 00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:11,720 her. One, because I don't want her to 728 00:36:11,720 --> 00:36:16,200 feel excluded, but two, because it's wise to include her because 729 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:19,480 the end result will be much better having her included, 730 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:23,120 including her wisdom. Now listen, if that's true about 731 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:26,680 a person who is finite, if that's true about a person. 732 00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:31,120 Who is limited, if that's true, but a person who is sinful? 733 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:33,280 You say you call your wife sinful only because she's a 734 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:37,360 person and we're all sinful. Nothing personal. 735 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:42,400 I said nothing personal. All right, start talking the 736 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:43,600 horn in a minute. You'll know why. 737 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:49,960 But if that would be wise for me to do with my wife, how much 738 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:57,600 more so with a perfect, limitless, all wise, all knowing 739 00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:00,400 God. Why would we? 740 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:02,360 Why would you want to exclude him? 741 00:37:03,440 --> 00:37:04,960 Why would you not? Want him to have a part? 742 00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:07,880 Listen. Why would you not avail yourself 743 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:11,240 to wisdom that you would tell the God of heaven? 744 00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:13,880 I got it. So I would never say that, 745 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:15,160 pastor. I would never say that to him. 746 00:37:15,440 --> 00:37:17,680 When you ignore him, you are saying it. 747 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:22,200 And why would you not avail himself yourself to His wisdom? 748 00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:26,840 You think your wisdom will make your life better by excluding 749 00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:33,000 His wisdom from His word and from prayer and from study and 750 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:36,320 from all of those things. No, no, we need Him. 751 00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:40,400 And you know, really this whole idea of your plans don't include 752 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:42,440 Jesus? You can plan on failing. 753 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:46,760 Really, this whole issue comes down to this trust. 754 00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:49,880 Listen to me carefully. I'm almost done. 755 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:55,600 The real issue is that often times we trust ourselves more 756 00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:59,200 than we trust God. Because if we trust the Lord as 757 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:02,080 we should, we would want Him to be part of our plans. 758 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:04,160 In fact, we would start with Him at the beginning, not at the 759 00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:07,720 end. We really trust ourselves more 760 00:38:07,720 --> 00:38:09,120 than God. And I want to ask you this 761 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:11,840 morning, do you really think you're more trustworthy than 762 00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:16,920 God? Do I think in my own self 763 00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:18,880 conceit? And by the way, I have plenty of 764 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:22,560 it. Do I really think I am wiser 765 00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:25,320 than God? Would I ever say that? 766 00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:28,040 No. Or would I practically live that 767 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:31,200 way Now? When you do that, you're 768 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:33,720 incorporating the life of the fool. 769 00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:37,840 So trust me when I say this, if your plans don't include Jesus, 770 00:38:37,960 --> 00:38:41,960 you plan on failing. So what do you need to do this 771 00:38:41,960 --> 00:38:44,400 year? Well, I make sure that Jesus 772 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:46,120 isn't just the one who check marks. 773 00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:48,840 Your plans when you're done or you go to Him. 774 00:38:48,840 --> 00:38:52,040 Once you've done everything else yourself or just throw in a few 775 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:54,120 godly things, then do all the other things you want to do. 776 00:38:54,840 --> 00:38:57,640 Lord, what do you want me to watch this year on television? 777 00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:00,160 What do you want me to listen to on the radio? 778 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:04,120 How do you want me to talk? Who do you want me to associate 779 00:39:04,120 --> 00:39:05,960 with? How do you want me to spend my 780 00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:08,120 leisure time? How do you want me to spend my 781 00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:09,960 money? How do you want me to be in 782 00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:12,320 church? How do you want me to serve? 783 00:39:12,720 --> 00:39:17,840 How do you, in every area of your life, make him part of your 784 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:20,080 plans? Because if you don't, you plan 785 00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:23,280 to fail. Thank you for listening to the 786 00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:25,880 sermon from the pulpit of Liberty Baptist Church. 787 00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:29,480 If this message was a blessing to you, or if there's any way we 788 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:32,640 can serve you, please let us know by contacting us at 789 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:37,520 info@mylibertybaptist.org. Or you can visit us this Sunday 790 00:39:37,720 --> 00:39:41,440 at 800 Washington St. in Easton, MA. 791 00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:44,480 May the Lord bless you as you grow in His Word.