We live in an age, that people want prosperity, possessions, and positions. People desire these things even more than the things of God. It seems as though the sight of God and His kingdom is dimmed by the desire of people to have the things of the world.

When I think of the great desire of many for possessions, positions, and prosperity I can’t help but ask my self. When is enough enough? The I completely convinced that there is an empty spot in the heart of man that the things of this world cannot fill. Only Jesus Christ can fill that empty spot in the heart of man. And satisfy that never ending desire.

We need to remember that God often sees people and things in a different way than we do. He has a different perception of things. For instance, we may see some people as famous, but God sees them as foolish. We may see some as popular, but God sees them as perishing. We may see some as rich, but God sees them as ruined.

In these verses we see a man that God called a fool. He was ambitious, thrifty, and successful. He was not a criminal, he had gotten his wealth by hard work. But yet God called him a fool. Why?? Because his heart was not right with God!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I am going to give you a little three point sermon. But first I feel that God would have me to go back over these verses and dig deep into the for a message from God. So let’s go back to the scriptures and this time we will begin at verse 13.

I. A Fool's Prosperity Is Fleeting (vv. 16-18)

    1. He had plenty.

       A. But it was all earthly

       B. His farm produced plentifully

           1. In fact he had to build bigger storage buildings

               to store it all.

    2. He had great pride

       A. In his great harvest not in God

       B. Thought much of himself, but little of God

   3. He was perishing

       A. Everyone saw this fool as a success

       B. But something important was missing (v. 15)

          1. Everything he possessed was passing: temporary

          2. He was not rich toward God (v. 21)

              (James 5:1-5)

    1. Notice His Past

       A. He was full of self

       B. No thought of God

       C. No desire for God or things of God.

    2. Notice his present

       A. His future seemed secure

           1. seemed perfect

           2. "Take thine ease"

           3. "Eat, drink, and be merry"

           4. Time to relax and live it up

    3. Notice his future

        A. "Goods laid up for many years"

        B. No retirement worries for him

        C. He should of heeded the words of Jesus

            (Luke 21:34-36)

III. A Fool's Eternity Is Fearful (v. 20-21)

    1. A fool's last night on earth

        A. "This night thy soul ... required"

    2. His possessions would profit him nothing

       A. He couldn't take them with him

       B. His heirs would fight over them

   3. He had not prepared for eternity.

       A. He would harvest his deeds.. . not his fields

       B. He would go from his fields to the fires of hell

           (Luke 16:19-3 1)

Money will buy a bed; but not sleep;

books but not brains;

food but not appetite;

finery but not beauty;

a house but not a home;

medicine but not health;

luxuries but not culture;

amusements but not happiness;

religion but not salvation;

a passport to everywhere but heaven.

We often put our affection on stuff that has a price tag. I read recently about an old, rich man with a cranky, miserable attitude who visited a Rabbi. The Rabbi was a simple man whose heart was right and he lived a simple life. They weren't together very long before the Rabbi got a wonderful idea on how to illustrate to the man what was wrong. He took him by the hand and he led him over to his window and he said, "Now look out the window and tell me what you see."

The man stood there and said, "Well I see some men and some women and I see a few children."

The Rabbi took him by the hand and led him across the room to a mirror and said, "Now look there and tell me what you see."

The man frowned and said, "Well obviously I see myself."

"Interesting", the Rabbi replied. "In the window there is glass, in the mirror there is glass. But the glass of the mirror is covered with a little bit of silver. And no sooner is the silver added than you cease to see others, and only yourself." Maybe our troubles started when just a little bit of silver was added and we stopped looking through and starting looking at.