A Fistful of Dollars in Hell — E.A. Johnston

I read a news article recently about a wealthy Wall Street tycoon who is worried that he isn't rich enough because his fear is that he may outlive his money. And it troubled him. We live today, friends, in a money-loving, money-grabbing society, and the mindset of the hour is to grab all you can, while you can, and stick it in a can for you and yours.

I've never seen such a money-loving, greedy bunch of folks as there are today, and many of them run our churches. Everyone is on a mad rush today to get a fistful of dollars, and they'll climb all over your back to get that fistful of dollars.

Earthly Wealth Cannot Buy Eternal Security

But guess what, friend? That fistful of dollars won't buy you a hot dog in hell. You may grab all you can, and steal all you can, and have a fistful of dollars here, but you won't have a fistful of dollars in hell.

Your money won't do you any good there. And if you could, take it with you. It just gets burned up anyhow. You just picture a man in hell with both fists clenched with money, and how foolish that picture is of a man with a fistful of dollars in hell.

How futile. My message this evening, friends, is entitled, A Fistful of Dollars in Hell, and my text can be found in Luke's Gospel, in Chapter 12. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in verses 13 through 21.

The Rich Fool and the Danger of Covetousness

Let me read us a striking passage of Scripture at this time. Here now is the word of God, and may the Spirit of the Lord be pleased to attend the reading of His holy word. And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

Let me pause here, friends. My, oh, my, how things never change! How many children fight each other tooth and nail at the funeral home to get what they think is theirs! Listen to how Jesus deals with this request.

And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge, or a divider, over you? And he said unto the deacon board, Take heed, and beware covetousness. I'm sorry, friends, I couldn't help myself with that one.

For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Let me pause here. I was in a business meeting years ago, and my boss said to all of us there that it was the one in the room who had the biggest toys at the end that was the biggest winner.

Well, he was wrong. He should have said biggest loser. Now let me continue with our text. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

Here is a rich man, friend, like that Wall Street tycoon who's troubled over his abundant riches. It's a weight, a worry. You know what, friend, you can worry when you don't have money, and you can worry just as much or worse when you do.

There is no happiness in money. You better find that out now, friend, while you can, and use what God's given you for good and the spread of the gospel. Your fistful of dollars will just be an indictment against you in eternity.

James says so. In the book of James he declares, Your gold and silver is cankered, and the rest of them shall be a witness against you. That fistful of dollars in eternity will crowd against you. You want to know something, friends?

Sacrificial Giving and the Widow's Offering

The richest Christians I've known have been the most tight-fisted with their fistful of dollars, clenching them in their hands and not letting go. It is those who don't have much who are the biggest givers.

Did you know that? Well, it's true. I'll go to my grave believing that to be true, because I've seen it all my life. There's a story in the news this week about how a homeless man gave his last twenty dollars to help a woman who had run out of gas near the interstate, and he gladly gave it to help her.

And in return, she started a GoFundMe campaign on the internet, which has raised sixty thousand dollars to get that man a home, but he was willing to give his last dollar to help someone in need, even though he needed it himself.

Those with the most give out of their abundance, and they give reluctantly, but the poor ones give gladly and freely out of need. They know all about sacrificial giving. Like that widow's mite, she put more in the treasury of God than those bloated Pharisees.

The Rich Farmer's Plans to Hoard His Abundance

So this rich farmer in our story, he's worried over all his money and how he's going to hang on to it. In verse eighteen he says,. And he said, This will I do, I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

Did you hear what this rich fool said, friend? He's using the words, I will, I will, I will, just like the rest of us who like to boast and brag about what we've got and what we've done. I will. And then he goes on about himself even more by boasting and talking to himself.

And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods, laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. That makes me think of that Wall Street tycoon who's so worried he'd outlive his money.

I don't think the old boy needs to worry too much about that, because the rich man in our story was suddenly cut down in the midst of his building program. Like a farmer would hew down a rotten tree, a fistful of dollars in hail, did this man no good.

This man in our story from Luke was a hoarder. I recall William MacDonald, who wrote Believer's Bible Commentary. He taught me many lessons, and Bill taught me that, contrary to modern teaching, we are not to lay up a nest egg because the Bible teaches against hoarding.

Bill taught me that a believer should give to God for the spread of the gospel with what's not needed for current needs and then trust God for tomorrow. I've tried through the years to live by that principle, which I believe is a biblical one.

Like when the Israelites tried to hoard the manna, it bred worms and stank. It rotted. They had to trust God each day for a fresh supply. But this old boy in our story was not a giver, but a hoarder. Now all this time we've been hearing from the rich farmer about what he had and how he was going to hoard it selfishly for him and his.

God's Judgment on Self-Serving Riches

Now let's hear, friends, from God on how he sees the situation. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then who shall those things be which thou hast provided?

In other words, God is telling this man that, although he was successful in the eyes of the world, he was a fool in the eyes of God for the way he lived. I remember a man right now. He was my boss, and one day I walked by his office and he looked troubled, and I stopped and asked him if he was all right.

He shook his head and said that he'd just returned from dropping off his daughter at college out of town, and as he hugged her good-bye in the dorm room, he realized he didn't know her. It was too late now.

He had worked eighty hours a week to amass a fortune and fill both hands with fistful of dollars, but he neglected his family, and in the process he didn't know his daughter, and now it was too late. Listen, friends, you little young ones rather have time with you than the things that you can buy them.

Don't be fooled by the materialism of this world. Today we have churches full of worldly Christians, full of the world, but in times past our churches were full of holy Christians who were dead to the world.

Being Rich Toward God

Now listen to the last verse in this passage, friends, and I will close this message by telling you a fascinating story, if you just hang on for a little more. Jesus ends his story about the rich man with the final one words, So was he that layeth up treasure for himself.

Did you hear that, friends? Hoarding up dollars for himself, filling his fists with money for himself, grab all you can while you can, and stick it in a can, and then Jesus goes on to relate what true riches are, and is not rich toward God.

That's the exclamation point of his story, being rich toward God, and all matters. Now I promised you a fascinating story. Will you lend me your ears just a little longer? I promise it will be worth it.

Hans's Warning to the Rich Landowner

I heard this story when I was just a lad, and it stuck with me all my life. Let me share it with you now, friends. It's a story about old Hans. There was an old man named Hans, and he was a farmhand to a wealthy landowner.

Old Hans was a faithful employee of this rich man. One day the wealthy landowner was out riding his black stallion and surveying his vast property when it came upon old Hans. Hans was sitting on the ground eating his lunch.

"'Hans, how are you today?' asked the landowner. Hans replied, "'Oh, it is you, sir. I'm sorry. I didn't hear you coming. I've grown somewhat deaf lately. I was just sitting here, giving thanks to my Lord for the meal which He has given me today.'.

The wealthy landowner glanced down at the meager meal of a hard piece of bread and a piece of fried pork that the old man was eating. The landowner commented, "'Hans, is that the kind of food you are thanking God for?

I would feel quite deprived of that if that's all I had for dinner.'. Old Hans smiled and replied, "'God has been good to me, sir. He has kept me employed on your farm these many years. I worked for your father for a long time before you were born.'.

Just then Hans stood up and walked over to the man on the black stallion. Hans said, "'Sir, may I share with you my dream that I had last night?'. "'Why, certainly,' the rich man replied. "'Well, sir, I dreamed about the Heavenly Gates of Glory last night, and I heard a voice speak to me in the dream, and I feel I should share with you what the voice said, because it may be a warning to you.'.

"'What did the voice say?' asked the rich man. Old Hans replied in a serious tone, "'The voice said that the richest man in the valley would die to-night.'. Then I woke up. "'Sir, those solemn words were spoken so plainly.

I haven't been able to forget them since. I feel I ought to tell you. Perhaps it is a warning.'. The landowner's face grew pale, but he tried to laugh it off. "'Nonsense! You may believe in a place called Heaven, but I do not, and I certainly don't believe in any voice you heard from Heaven.

Good day, Hans.'. With that, the rich man grabbed the reins of his black stallion and rode off in a cloud of dust. Hans shrugged his shoulders and went back to his lunch. But the rich man could not eat his fine dinner that evening.

The lobster remained uneaten on his golden plate. Even his glass of champagne seemed bitter to him that night. He could not get those words of old Hans out of his mind. The words, "'The richest man in the valley shall die to-night.'.

The landowner thought to himself, "'Surely I am the richest man in this entire valley for I own most of it. But that old fool Hans should never have told me his dream. But I won't let the silly words of an ignorant old man disturb me.

But soon the rich man felt ill. He had trouble breathing. And finally, in desperation, he called for the town doctor. By the time the doctor arrived, it was late in the evening, and as he came up the steps to the stately home, the rich man seemed to be on the brink of death.

But after the doctor examined him thoroughly, he could find nothing wrong with the desperate man. He gave the distressed patient a pill and told him to get some rest. Suddenly the doorbell rang. The rich man yelled out in a disturbed voice, "'Who could be calling at this time of night?'.

The doctor walked to the door and opened it. There stood a young farm boy trembling, and he was crying. I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but I must tell you that old Hans died suddenly this evening. I thought you'd like to know.".

Yes, Franz, the richest man in the valley did die that night. Old Hans who had a walk with God that no amount of money could buy. And to be rich toward God is to be the richest person in this life and the life to come.

Personal Testimony and the Call to Examine Your Treasure

Well, I hope you like that story, Franz, as much as I enjoy telling it to you. God and his mercy has allowed me to be both men in that story. For I've been rich, living in stately homes and driving fancy cars.

And I've known what it's like never to be in want. And I've been dirt poor. And I've known the hardness of not having enough to get by, not even having enough to eat. I've had the experience of being the richest man in the room and the poorest man in the room.

There was a time in my life when money used to be my God. I made a lot of money, and I had both fists full of dollars. But I was bankrupt spiritually. Now I'm a poor preacher who's broken the eyes of the world.

But I can honestly say, Franz, I am rich toward God. How about you, friend? Where is your treasure? It doesn't matter how much money you have. You can be covetous with a little as much as a lot. What are you relying on to get you by?

God or your bank account? How are you getting along with God and the spread of the gospel? A fistful of dollars tightly clenched is an indictment against you while people perish and drop into hell every minute when all that really matters is eternity.

Chew on that for a while while we go to our time of prayer. Let us pray.