1
00:00:01,860 --> 00:00:05,800
Years ago, when I was a businessman, I

2
00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:08,380
was sitting in a sales meeting with a

3
00:00:08,380 --> 00:00:11,340
room full of my colleagues, and my boss

4
00:00:11,340 --> 00:00:14,660
stood at a podium addressing us, and my

5
00:00:14,660 --> 00:00:16,580
boss made the following comment.

6
00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,920
He said, the one with the most toys

7
00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,060
at the end is the winner, and everyone

8
00:00:23,060 --> 00:00:23,660
agreed.

9
00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:26,000
And I went out to lunch that day

10
00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,180
with my business partner at his club, and

11
00:00:29,180 --> 00:00:31,940
at lunch he told me what wanted engraved

12
00:00:31,940 --> 00:00:37,140
on his tombstone, three words, win, win, win.

13
00:00:37,580 --> 00:00:40,180
And I went home that day and told

14
00:00:40,180 --> 00:00:42,980
my wife what my business partner had said,

15
00:00:43,300 --> 00:00:45,720
and I asked my wife what it was

16
00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:48,900
that I wanted on my gravestone, and I

17
00:00:48,900 --> 00:00:52,100
told her it was this, only one life,

18
00:00:52,580 --> 00:00:55,240
which will soon be past, only what's done

19
00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:56,660
for Christ will last.

20
00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:02,160
Our culture teaches us that materialistic things are

21
00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:05,220
the most important things, and the world system

22
00:01:05,220 --> 00:01:08,480
says it's the one with the most toys

23
00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:10,320
that wins in the end.

24
00:01:11,100 --> 00:01:14,540
So we buy into that philosophy and go

25
00:01:14,540 --> 00:01:17,440
about accumulating as much of this world as

26
00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:20,740
we can, as we fill our storehouse with

27
00:01:20,740 --> 00:01:24,760
toys of bass boats, and golf equipment, and

28
00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:28,480
expensive cars, and the latest gadgets, and the

29
00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:32,820
newest brands of what we enjoy, until we

30
00:01:32,820 --> 00:01:35,940
have convinced ourselves that we are now prosperous.

31
00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,900
But there was another man who thought along

32
00:01:39,900 --> 00:01:41,260
these lines as well.

33
00:01:41,700 --> 00:01:43,220
He was a prosperous farmer.

34
00:01:43,860 --> 00:01:46,660
You can find his story, friends, in Luke's

35
00:01:46,660 --> 00:01:48,980
gospel in chapter 12.

36
00:01:49,500 --> 00:01:52,040
And our Lord Jesus had something to say

37
00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,040
about this man and his worldly philosophy.

38
00:01:55,590 --> 00:01:59,320
In Luke 12.15 we read, And he

39
00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,920
said unto them, Take heed, and beware of

40
00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:07,800
covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in

41
00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:11,260
the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

42
00:02:11,780 --> 00:02:15,300
In other words, it is the one with

43
00:02:15,300 --> 00:02:17,700
the most toys at the end who is

44
00:02:17,700 --> 00:02:18,820
the biggest loser.

45
00:02:19,530 --> 00:02:22,780
But many Christians today, around the world and

46
00:02:22,780 --> 00:02:27,080
especially in America, place great emphasis on the

47
00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:31,180
materialistic things in life and accumulate as much

48
00:02:31,180 --> 00:02:33,400
of the world as they can while the

49
00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,520
world waits to hear the good news of

50
00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:37,660
Jesus Christ.

51
00:02:37,940 --> 00:02:41,920
The need for Bible translation in foreign languages

52
00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:46,800
goes unfunded, while 1,200 native languages still

53
00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,360
do not have even a Gospel of John

54
00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:51,120
in their native tongue.

55
00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:53,660
Oh, why should that concern us?

56
00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:57,760
So long as we ourselves can buy ourselves

57
00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,840
the latest sports equipment or the newest flat

58
00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:01,880
screen TV.

59
00:03:02,300 --> 00:03:04,520
So long as we are fat and happy

60
00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:08,540
and given 10% to our church, that's

61
00:03:08,540 --> 00:03:09,740
all that matters.

62
00:03:10,300 --> 00:03:13,080
Isn't that what's all that's required of us?

63
00:03:13,300 --> 00:03:14,620
That's how we think.

64
00:03:14,940 --> 00:03:16,560
But our thinking is wrong.

65
00:03:17,060 --> 00:03:20,840
Many God-called ministries are closing their doors

66
00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:24,580
for want of support because church folk have

67
00:03:24,580 --> 00:03:28,180
to buy themselves more material goods to have

68
00:03:28,180 --> 00:03:30,480
more toys so they can win at the

69
00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:30,980
end.

70
00:03:31,460 --> 00:03:34,460
Their mindset is like the prosperous farmer from

71
00:03:34,460 --> 00:03:37,660
Luke who said to himself, And I will

72
00:03:37,660 --> 00:03:41,500
say to my soul, soul, thou hast much

73
00:03:41,500 --> 00:03:44,060
goods laid up for many years.

74
00:03:44,540 --> 00:03:48,060
Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

75
00:03:48,460 --> 00:03:51,940
But God said unto him, Let thou fool

76
00:03:51,940 --> 00:03:55,820
this night, thy soul should be required of

77
00:03:55,820 --> 00:03:56,280
thee.

78
00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,920
Then whose shall those things be which thou

79
00:03:59,920 --> 00:04:00,900
hast provided?

80
00:04:01,500 --> 00:04:04,680
So is he that layeth up treasure for

81
00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,880
himself, and is not rich toward God.

82
00:04:09,620 --> 00:04:12,760
Maybe before we go out to buy that

83
00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:16,899
unnecessary expensive Christmas present, we should think of

84
00:04:16,899 --> 00:04:20,399
poor pastor in Africa who longs for a

85
00:04:20,399 --> 00:04:23,460
Bible translation in his native tongue.

86
00:04:24,280 --> 00:04:27,600
Only one life will soon be passed.

87
00:04:28,020 --> 00:04:31,040
Only what's done for Christ will last.