Sermon Tone Analysis

Ending Well                                          

Senior’s Service – December 28, 2008

*Luke 12:15-21*

Today's passage is about a rich man who made poor use of his days.

Incorrectly assuming that his life would last for many years, he not only left God out of His plans but also allowed materialism to guide him.

Let’s read Luke chapter 12 and verses 15 through 21: /And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' \\ And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

\\ And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'

\\ But God said to him, 'Fool!

This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' \\ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." /

The apostle Paul, on the other hand, knew his time was short and yet made the most of His life on earth.

For one thing, his priority was to give to others until his final days.

His letters from prison illustrate this — despite knowing he would soon face death, Paul devoted his time and energy to instructing fellow believers and praying for them.

Paul also recognized the value of time spent encouraging Christians to do every-thing as if for the Lord (Col.

3:23).

This is important even when one's task seems unrelated to the church.

Our Father's work isn't just for missionaries and pastors; He calls all His children to different fields and assignments.

The apostle also knew that the Christian life encompasses struggles.

And he was realistic about acknowledging his own imperfections (Rom.

7:5-25).

This meant that to make the best use of his time, he needed to persevere, keep faith in God's promises, and rely on divine power for victory.

And indeed, at the end of his life, Paul was able to say, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim.

4:7).

Life is a gift.

Every one of us has a limited number of days on this earth.

How will you utilize your time so you can look back and, with Paul, confidently say that you ended well?

Please pray with me.