In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

Two boys were playing Monopoly. The boys were so caught up in the game that they forgot to mow the widow's lawn that morning. They had been planning to see that great new movie, and they were able to get to the theater just in time. But when they got to the ticket office, they had no money. If they had mowed the widow's lawn, they would have had just enough, but all they did that day was play monopoly. They were old enough to know better, but the youngest one tried it anyway. He approached the lady in the ticket booth and handed her a ten-dollar bill... of Monopoly money. The lady chuckled, "Monopoly money doesn't count in the real world, boys." The boys didn't get to see the movie that day, but they would survive and learn their lesson. Millions of people make a similar mistake that is far more costly. Millions of people are living only for this life and earthly money, and suddenly find out that they are not prepared to face their Maker. Even if they could take their money along, it would do no good. In the final judgment, worldly money is no better than monopoly money.

Jesus taught that lesson by telling us the parable of the rich fool. Most likely, this man had worked very hard. Now, he had a harvest that was so great, he didn't have room for it all. (18-19) "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." He mentioned himself eight times. He did not mention God at all. He thought he was all set. He had plenty. He forgot to thank God. More importantly, he forgot to prepare for death. The rich man was an unbeliever. He had no time for God or His Word. He was too busy getting rich in this world's monopoly game. He thought he was winning, but he was really losing. He chased after money and leisure and worldly success, but he left God and the gospel behind. This mistake would cost him heaven.

God called him a fool. (20) "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?'" His game was finished. The great monopoly game called "life" ended unexpectedly. Fold the board. Turn in the money. Game over! That very night, he died. He would depart to leave behind all of that great harvest, all of his possessions, and all of his money. He would not get to keep one penny, not even a piece of straw! His life was "demanded" of him. But was he prepared to face the judge? We find our answer in God's first two words, "You fool!"

What if his neighbors had been looking up to him? What if he was regarded as a financial genius? What if he wrote books explaining his great success? What if everybody thought he was smart? Did that matter? NO! God said, "You fool!" And that was it. It was only monopoly money, really.

Is your money any different? Can you take it with you? If you have that perfect fund, the great pension plan, will it do you one bit of good in the final judgment? What good is it to win the lottery and lose your soul? What good is it to get a great promotion and perish in hell? What good is it to be a financial genius and have God say, "You fool! Tonight you die"?!

Jesus said to be on guard against greed, against always wanting more and more possessions. Is your life too focused on money and earthly pleasures? Think of it this way: If God said, "That's it. Your life ends here" would you struggle to part with all of your possessions? {15b} "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." The lesson here is that money can't buy a ticket to heaven.

If he had been "rich toward God" he would have been ready to die. Do you know what makes us ready to die? I hope that you know the answer. Jesus entered our world to make us ready to die. He came to open the way to eternal life. He lived a perfect life for us. He died on the cross for us. He rose from death. And so, God declared us all "forgiven" of all our sins. Whoever believes in Jesus as Savior from sin shall not perish but have eternal life. So, what makes us ready to die? Our Lord Jesus said, "Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved, but whoever does not believe shall be condemned." He ought to know. He will be the Judge on Judgment Day!

So, what we truly need is saving faith in Jesus Christ. Saving faith is not just a passing knowledge of Bible facts. It is not enough to simply know that Jesus died on a cross. Even the devil knows that. Believing in Jesus means trusting in him as our Savior from sin. It means relying on him for forgiveness and life.

If you want faith, you will need to hear the gospel, because Scripture says, "Faith comes from hearing the message," the gospel of Christ. As we receive the gospel in Word and Sacrament, the Holy Spirit creates and strengthens faith in our hearts. If you want to be ready for heaven, pay close attention to God's Word, and hear the gospel often. This is the one thing needful. In fact, it is more important than maintaining any bank account, any stocks, any mutual fund or retirement plan.

This life is just like a game of monopoly. All of a sudden, the game will be over, and then what? This world's money will be worthless! But then faith in Christ will be all-important. So, we are talking about priorities. It is not wrong to be wealthy, but our possessions can tempt us to forget God and leave his Word behind us. See that it doesn't happen. We also have a great responsibility, because we are stewards or managers of our possessions, not owners. You can't keep your money or things. God owns it all. We are accountable to God for how well we have served as stewards.

This rich fool stands as an example of what not to do. He's like the rich man who ignored poor Lazarus. That rich man went to hell too. When I think of a greedy person, I tend to think of Ebenezer Scrooge, but the character in Dickens' "Christmas Carol" learned a lesson before it was too late. Listen again to what our Savior says here: {15b} "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." So what is really important in life? Knowing and believing in Jesus Christ, our Savior. All of the money in the world won't buy our ticket to heaven. But Jesus did. He redeemed us -- not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood, and His innocent sufferings and death! Trust in Him, and you will be rich in heaven beyond your wildest dreams.

There is a saying on a bumper sticker, "He who dies with the most toys wins." And there is another one that says, "He who dies with the most toys wins nothing." But perhaps a more enlightened one would go like this: "He who dies trusting in Jesus as Savior from sin, wins heaven." Amen.