9.30am Sunday 29 December 2002
Rev Des Botting
Readings: Matthew 25:1-13; Luke 12:13-21
As we come to the end of another year, we often hear comments like, I dont know whats happened to this year. It has gone so fast. It seems no time at all since it began. And with such comments comes concern at the speed in which our lives are passing. There is a saying that goes like this, Time flies when youre having fun. Thats true, but it also flies at other times, too. The older we get the quicker the years go round, until we feel we would like to stop this merry-go-round of life, and have a break for a while. Or like the lone voice that came over the loudspeaker as the plane landed and was coming to a stop at the terminal, Whoa, big fella, WHOA!
There are many occasions in the Bible where were reminded of the fleeting nature of our human life. The Psalmist says, We are merely tender grass that sprouts and grows in the morning, but dries up by evening.[1] And one of the New Testament writers described it this way: It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears.[2] How often I have seen this when out tramping. You wake up in the morning and can hardly see more than a few metres ahead of you, but as the morning progresses and the sun comes up, it soon disappears, and is often followed by a brilliant day. Thats what life is like. It is like a shadow, a dream. I have been alive on this earth for some 515,000 hours, yet when I look back it has gone so quickly it all seems like one big blur.
Realising the brevity of life, Moses prayed to God, Teach us to use wisely all the time we have.[3] We need wisdom to know how best to use the precious gift of time He gives us, and also so that we can be ready for when He calls us from this life. This is why the Bible says, If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you.[4]
In Luke 12 we read the story of a man who was not making wise use of the time and possessions he had been given, and had given no thought to preparing for death. His was a very selfish outlook, and he thought he had plenty of time to enjoy all the wealth he had amassed. God said to this man, You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up?[5] We need to take care in calling a person a fools. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell.[6] So when God calls someone a fool, there is always very good reason for it, and we can be sure that that person is a fool indeed.
This morning I want us to look at some of the occasions when the Bible calls a person a fool, and to learn from these how to spend wisely the time and resources we have here on earth so that we can be ready when it comes our time to die. First of all, then, the Bible tells us
1. It is foolish to be an ATHEIST. King David said in the Psalms, Only a fool would say, There is no God![7] That is, its foolish not to believe in God. Again, King David said,
The heavens keep telling the wonders of God,
and the skies declare what he has done.
Each day informs the following day;
each night announces to the next.
They dont speak a word,
and there is never a sound of a voice.
Yet their message reaches all the earth,
and it travels around the world.[8]
David also says, Our Lord and Ruler, your name is wonderful everywhere on earth. You let your glory be seen in the heavens above.[9] The work of the Creator is seen in the wonders of creation. They are there for all to see. The Apostle Paul, likewise, says the same. He says, Gods eternal power and character cant be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. Thats why those people dont have any excuse.[10] Paul is referring to those who deliberately choose to ignore Gods clear revelation of Himself in His creation. A little further on Paul says of such people, They claim to be wise, but they are fools.[11] So it is foolish not to believe that there is a God behind this universe. The evidence is there for all to see.
In contrast to this, the Bible says, Respect and obey the Lord! This is the first step to wisdom and good sense.[12] It also says that reverence and obedience to God is the beginning of knowledge.[13] Many are the blessings that flow from such respect and obedience. Proverbs lists a number of these. It says that we and our children will have a strong fortress and a life-giving fountain that will keep us safe from deadly traps, that it will keep us away from sin, that it brings true life so that we can relax without fear of danger, and that our reward will be wealth, a long life and honour.[14] A wise person is one who puts their trust in God. Secondly,
2. It is foolish TO WORRY. We are constantly encouraged to trust God with our lives and for our daily needs. When Jesus gave us the Lords Prayer He said it is quite legitimate for us to pray for daily bread[15], which is another way of saying to pray for the basic necessities of life. Later in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus devotes several verses to talk about the importance of trusting God. He says, I tell you not to worry about your life. Dont worry about having something to eat or wear.[16] And then asks us to consider the birds in the sky, how they do not plant or harvest, or store grain in barns, and yet God takes care of them. He says, You are much more important than any birds. He then asks the question, Can worry make you live longer? The answer, of course, is No. Next He says to look at how the wild flowers grow. They dont have to work hard to make their clothes, yet even King Solomon with all his wealth wasnt as well clothed as one of these flowers. And if God gives such beauty to these flowers that grow in the fields, even though they are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, wont He do even more for you. Jesus finishes by saying, Only people who dont know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father knows what you need.[17] There is great comfort in these verses, and a great encouragement for us to trust God with all our needs. Paul likewise gives the same counsel. He says, Dont worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God.[18] Worry doesnt help one iota. It burns up our meagre resources of nervous energy and accomplishes absolutely nothing. It is a negative form of meditation, whereas we need to do the opposite. It is much more positive to turn these concerns into prayer. Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.[19] is the advice of King David in the Psalms. It is foolish to worry. Next,
3. It is foolish TO BE LAZY. There are many verses in Proverbs that speak about the plight of those who fall into this category in life. A lazy person cannot expect to get on in life. Proverbs says, Work hard, and you will be a leader; be lazy, and you will end up a slave.[20] Such people cannot expect to experience the joys of harvest, if they are too lazy to plough. Again, it says, I once walked by the field and the vineyard of a lazy fool. Thorns and weeds were everywhere, and the stone wall had fallen down. When I saw this, it taught me a lesson: Sleep a little. Doze a little. Fold your hand and twiddle your thumbs. Suddenly poverty hits you and everything is gone. Perhaps the most tragic example of laziness in the Bible is that of the servant who hid the money his master had given him in the ground, instead of at least putting it in the bank where it could have earned interest. The Masters condemnation of that servant is one of the most severe in all Scripture.[21] It is wise to be good stewards of all He has entrusted us with and to use these for His glory and purposes. Then, fourthly,
4. It is foolish TO LEAVE GOD OUT OF OUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. So often people forget to bring God into their planning for the future. Such was the case of the rich man we read about in Luke 12. This story is entitled The Rich Fool. This man thought that he had plenty of time to enjoy the fruits of his lands. The problem was that he was only thinking of himself. As he planned what he would do with his bumper crops, he said to himself, Youve stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself. But God said to him, You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up? and Jesus concludes the story by saying, This is what happens to people who store up everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God.[22] It is foolish to leave God out of our plans for the future. The right approach is that which the Book of James talks about. He says, You should know better than to say, Today or tomorrow we will go to the city. Well do business there for a year and make a lot of money! What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears. You should say, If the Lord lets us live, we will do these things. You are stupid enough to boast, and it is wrong to be so proud.[23]
As you plan for the future, does God come into the equation? The wisdom of Proverbs once again offers helpful advice. It says, We humans make plans, but the Lord has the final wordShare your plans with the Lord, and you will succeed.[24] This is why the writer of the Proverbs counsels, In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.[25] Did you know He has a plan for your life? The prophet Jeremiah says, surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.[26] And Gods plans are the ones that will stand the test of time. The Book of Psalms says, The Lord destroys the plans and spoils the schemes of the nations. But what the Lord has planned will stand forever. His thoughts never change.[27] We are on to a winner when we take the Lord into our planning processes. This is what we want to do early next year as we plan for the future of this church. It is wise to prepare for the future, but it is foolish to leave God out of the process. Finally,
5. It is foolish NOT TO BE READY FOR CHRISTS RETURN. We know from Scripture that God always keeps His promises. What He says He will do, He will do. We may not know the exact time when it will happen, but we know that at the right time, it will come to pass. This is true of the return of our Lord to this earth. At Christmas we celebrate His first coming amongst us as the baby born in Bethlehem. But on a number of occasions towards the end of his life, and again just before He left this earth He said He would return, and that no one would know when that time would be. He warned people to be on the alert, to watch for the signs of His coming, that it would be like a thief coming in the night, and to be faithfully doing the work He has given us to do. It is exceedingly foolish to ignore this fact. Jesus once told a story to illustrate the importance of being prepared and ready. We read about it in Matthew 25, the story about ten girls. We are told, Five of the girls were foolish and five were wise.[28]
To help us understand the background to this story, William Barclay provides some helpful insights into the marriage customs of that time.[29] In Palestine there were three stages leading up to marriage. First there was the engagement. This was usually carried out by the parents or by professional match-makers. At this stage the couple might still be children and very probably would never even have seen each other. The strange thing is that this apparently very improbable way to marriage does in actual practice produce happy marriages that last. Second, there was the betrothal. This happened when the couple were approaching marriageable age. It was carried out with feasting and ceremony almost as elaborate as the marriage itself. It was absolutely binding; it could not be broken except by divorce and if the man died the girl was technically a widow. One year after that there came the marriage proper. It was a time of great joy. Everyone in the village joined in the festival and in the procession to the home of the newly-married couple.
Now the point of this parable depends on a marriage custom which to us may seem very strange. The couple did not go away but stayed at home for what we would call their honeymoon. The week following the marriage was one continuous feast. It was the opportunity to share in that week of glad and joyous feasting that the foolish girls lost.
The picture of the girls waiting for the bridegroom was just the kind of thing that happened and still happens. If the bridegroom came from any distance there was no saying when he would come because there was much to be done. And since he was a supremely honoured guest, not to welcome him when he did come, was a serious breach of manners and courtesy.
In the story Jesus says five of the girls were foolish and five were wise. The wise ones had come prepared in case the bridegroom was late in arriving. They had taken along extra oil for their lamps. And this is exactly what happened. The Bridegroom was late, and the extra oil that the wise girls had taken was only sufficient for their own lamps. So while the foolish ones went to get more, the bridegroom arrived. Once the doors were closed, no one could enter, and so they missed out on going into the wedding. Have you ever wondered like I have why the wise girls were not able to share their oil with the others? I think what Jesus was saying was that each of us need to take care to be ready for his return. It is our personal responsibility. We cannot expect others to provide that for us. Also, it is not something we can do at the last minute. And that if we fail to be prepared, we may well miss out on heaven.
This parable lays it down that, like the oil the foolish girls wanted, there are certain Things that cannot be Borrowed. There are two things of supreme importance that cannot be borrowed.
a. FAITH cannot be borrowed. We cannot live on the spiritual capital of our parents or past generations. We must have a faith in God of our own. There will be situations that we will have to face in our own strength, when have to stand alone, and so we need to nurture and develop our own relationship with God so that when these times come, we will not be found wanting. Secondly, we cannot borrow
b. CHARACTER. This takes time to develop and we have to do it with Gods help on our own. And what makes this doubly important is that in the end character is all that we can take with us from this world; and the only character we can take is our own.
It is a sobering story, and one that reinforces the wisdom of always being prepared for Christs return. A little further on from the passage we read in Luke Jesus says, Be ready and keep your lamps burningalways be ready! You dont know when the Son of Man will come.[30] There will come a time when it is too late.
The greatest event of all in life is that one day we will have to stand in the presence of God. For that we must make ourselves ready. It is told of an old Scotsman that, when he was dying, someone offered to read the Bible to him. To their surprise he did not seem very eager for this although they knew that all his life he had loved to read Gods book. They asked him why he didnt want to hear from it then. His answer was, Ah theekit ma hoose when the weather was warm. He had thatched his house in the calm weather as any sensible man would do and now he was ready. It is told of Mary of Orange that when she was dying her chaplain came to speak to her about the things of eternity. My friend, she answered gently, I did not leave this matter till this hour.
The question I would leave you with on this last Sunday of 2002 is, Are you ready for Christs Return?
The way in which we can be prepared is to be full of Gods Spirit. when Jesus came the first time it was those who were filled with Gods Spirit that recognised His coming. Simeon was one of those. God had promised that He would not die before He would see His Messiah. It was the Spirit that told him to go to the temple at the time when Mary and Joseph were dedicating Jesus. He was ready for Christs coming. We can be ready too when we have Gods Spirit within us and we are seeking to keep in step with Him. We receive Gods Spirit the moment we receive Jesus Christ into our lives. Then we will be ready for His return.
[1] Psalm 90:5b-6 (All Scripture quotations are from the Contemporary English Version unless specified.)
[2] James 4:14b
[3] Psalm 90:12
[4] James 1:5a
[5] Luke 12:20
[6] Matthew 5:22
[7] Psalm 14:1
[8] Psalm 19:1-4
[9] Psalm 8:1
[10] Romans 1:20
[11] Romans 1:22
[12] Psalm 111:10; See also Proverbs 9:10
[13] Proverbs 1:7; See also Proverbs 10:27; 14:26-27; 16:6; 19:23; 22:4
[14] Proverbs 14:26-27; 16:6; 19:23; 22:4
[15] Matthew 6:11
[16] Luke 12:22ff
[17] Luke 12:30
[18] Philippians 4:6
[19] Psalm 55:22 NRSV
[20] Proverbs 12:24; See also 20:4; and 24:30-34
[21] Matthew 25:24-30
[22] Luke 12:19-21
[23] James 4:13-16
[24] Proverbs 16:1
[25] Proverbs 3:6 NRSV
[26] Jeremiah 29:11 NRSV
[27] Psalm 33:10-11
[28] Matthew 25:2
[29] See And Jesus Said A Handbook on the Parables of Jesus by Rev William Barclay DD
[30] Luke 12:35,40