Wasted Passion
- Rev. Jerry Lepasana
- Apr 17, 2005
- Series: Life's Too Short
WASTED PASSION
Luke 12:13-21
- Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
- Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?"
- Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
- And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.
- He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
- "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
- And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
- "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
- "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
Time and again all of us need to be reminded about the fact that life is too short. As much as we want to hang on to our earthly lives and stay a little bit longer, we cannot. We are just passing through.
Once the apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesian Christians with these words:
“Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)
Clearly, he wanted them to be aware that a wise man will make the most of his or her opportunities in life, and the only way to do it is by doing the will of the Lord. To do the opposite means living as a fool, wasting a very precious life.
This is the truth that Jesus was emphasizing in the parable of the rich fool. Last Sunday, as we begun studying this parable, we covered how the rich fool failed to make plans beyond the grave. Yes, he may have enjoyed life, yet only for a short while. This morning, let me move to another important truth in the passage and talked about his wasted passion.
The Lord Jesus never gave parable without a purpose. In verses 13 - 15, you will find Jesus addressing a man who interrupted his teachings because he wanted Jesus to intervene between him and his brother on the issue of inheritance. He was so obsessed with getting what he considered his rightful portion of the family inheritance. Now, Jesus knowing his heart responded by giving a serious warning about greed.
This is where I would like to zero in this morning. You see, for the rich fool, there was this greed – a negative passion that consumed him, and yet at the end he lost it all. I believe it is significant to look into our hearts and see what is consuming us today. Allow me to ask three important questions:
I WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?
The word passion simply means a very strong desire. Sometimes words such as fervor, enthusiasm, or zeal are used as substitutes. Nothing is really wrong with the word or the emotion of passion per se. The problem lies when passion has the wrong object.
In the parable, Jesus was addressing the problem of greed. How should we understand greed in the context of the parable?
Greed is an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth.
As for the rich fool, he was not satisfied with what he already has, he decided to tear down the existing barns and build bigger ones. Jesus warns, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
In the book, The Day America Told the Truth, James Patterson and Peter Kim wrote about the responses to the question - What are you willing to do for $10,000,000? Two-thirds of Americans polled would agree to at least one, some to several of the following:
- Would abandon their entire family (25%)
- Would abandon their church (25%)
- Would become prostitutes for a week or more (23%)
- Would give up their American citizenships (16%)
- Would leave their spouses (16%)
- Would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free (10%)
- Would kill a stranger (7%)
- Would put their children up for adoption (3%)
With greed, the problem is not money or wealth, but the obsession to have more.
God has given us the explanation why we need to be careful with this:
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
What are you passionate about? Some of our passions can cost us dearly. If they moved us away from God and our faith, they are not worthwhile. We have to abandon them before they bring greater damage to our only life.
II WHY ARE WE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT?
When you consider the rich fool, his passion for riches is influenced by two false perspectives:
A. He will be secured by it – “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.”
Just like so many people today, the rich fool thought that if he had laid so much for himself, his future is more secured. Listen to these words:
The rich think of their wealth as an impregnable defense; they imagine it is a high wall of safety.
If there’s anyone who can secure our future, only God can.
- So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
- For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
- But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
B. He will be satisfied by it – “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”
Can a man be satisfied by money? Can a man be happier for having more? King Solomon has the answer to these questions:
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
Now, if you are thinking you will have a lot of friends who will contribute to your happiness, think again:
The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what is the advantage of wealth—except perhaps to watch it run through your fingers!
We cannot separate what we believe from the choices we make in this life. Most often our passions revolve around our convictions. What do you believe about your security or satisfaction? This leads me to my last point.
III WHAT SHOULD WE BE PASSIONATE ABOUT?
Allow me to go back to the very significant statement of Jesus, “A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." I believe we should not miss this truth. The main thing in our life is not material possessions, it must be God and God alone.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
God is the only one who can truly fill our needs. He gives us meaning, importance and purpose. God gives us security and satisfaction. He is the same today as yesterday and will be the same tomorrow. The more we know Him, the more we will appreciate Him.
Are you still passionate about Him? Here’s a good way to evaluate your hearts. I’ve watch a lot of sports, and time and again, I’ve seen how passionate some sports fans are. Some of them are real fanatics. Here are some of their characteristics:
- They arrive early.
- They don’t mind what time they get home.
- They endure any kind of whether.
- They want the best seat.
- They never miss a game.
- They memorize statistics.
- They pay the prize.
- They are vocal, they can’t be quiet.
Compared to sports fan, are you a real fan of Jesus Christ? Are you still passionate about him? Everyone of us have some kind of a passion that consumes us. I hope your passion today help in impacting your eternity.