God's Plan For Our Security

Well, good morning.

The ground here today. Good to hear good news. Preachers. Like to hear good news. I get up and preach, I can pay that now. Just get you fired up. So, glad that you were here, we're getting close to Christmas song. And I was Richard, monthemer singing to talk about that name. Jesus, there's something about that name, it me. I think I'm going to, I'm going to do something unprecedented. I'm going to say his name is the name above all names. I think that's been said before though happened. But his name

Let me just kind of rehash some that sounds a little different. So it does sound better slow today is the last day that we're going to take up the offering for the beautifying you Grace. Now, if you was going to give today and you just forgot and and you come next week, so I was just going to I was going to give some money, but now I can't get it yet. You can't, we will accept it. We will expect it a week from now, to weeks until 3 weeks from now. It doesn't matter will accept it, but this is the last service that we were actually going to take it up. So so I appreciate everyone that's given if you haven't given yet and you are and you have decided that you're going to then we appreciate that as well. Remember our Christmas service at 11 a.m. on Christmas Day. You know, between now and then would be a great time for you to go out and do a random act of kindness for someone, make someone some cookies or bake me, some, you can just make them, low carb, you know, or just any type of go visit someone invite someone to come to church with this would be a perfect time to do that, because there's a lot of people that's not celebrating this Christmas. A lot of people are grieving, there's a lot of people that's discouraged and depressed, and if you know, someone like that, then you just go give them an encouraging word and you bring them to church with you. Like I said, last week, if you'll come to church Christmas morning, Your Christmas will be better. I can guarantee you that you will have a great Christmas if you'll come. So I know a lot of people like to get up, you know, early and open gifts. And I understand that want to be with your family, but the Lord's birthday doesn't follow on Sunday every year. And so, when it does, I think God's people ought to be in the house worshipping him and praising him. So, if I can say one thing this morning, I would say, December 25th on that Sunday morning guests are welcomed members are expected house that. Okay. So, so and also don't forget next Sunday. I'm going to mention this next Sunday. Three people here. One of three is going to have a chance to win. A $25 gift. Card to Olive Garden. Miss Miss Becky, Miss Peggy or Brother David? They're going to gas next week. How much weight I have lost in 6 months because my 6 month. Is up this Tuesday, December 13th. And I haven't been on the scales since I started there. So I'm going to I'm going to get on the scales Tuesday morning, before I go get my 6-month cleaning. And so, next Sunday, those three is going to have a chance to get a $25 gift card to Olive Garden. Okay, I tell you, the more I talk about that gift card. Olive Garden more. I want to keep it. There is this the more I want to keep it. But anyway, I'll give that away then. Yeah, you can give it back. That's right. We'll have a little fun with that next week. Well, if you have your Bibles this morning, I want you to go ahead and turn to Matthew chapter 6. Now we're in our series, remember a life. Well, spent, and we've been talking about sowing stewardship, sacrificed giving generosity tithing. We've been talkin about all of that for the last couple of months and today's message Ivan title. God's plan for our security. So we're going to talk about investing in eternity right now, right? Now, we can invest in eternity. You say, what, how do we do that? Well, we're going to read about that and 2nd. And so, Matthew chapter 6 and I remember back in, December 2009 Time Magazine. Remember looking at this cover. The title on the cover, set it all in the title was the decade from hell. And it was talking about of course 9/11 when that happened and then the financial crisis of 2008 and they said that 10-year period was one of the most insecure. In American history. Well, if you look at our world and the things that we're going through today, I don't think you can look at our world in the things of this world in find any security whatsoever. And this is what Jesus is going to talk about today is he's going to talk about those folks who find try to find meaning and significance in Earthly things. Instead of Eternal things. And so let's look at what he says in Matthew chapter 6. And we're just going to read 3 vs. This is going to be our main task will. Look at several other versus as we go throughout. This is our main text. I Look what Jesus says starting verse 19. Do not lay up for yourselves, Treasures on Earth. Where moth and rust, destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves, Treasures, in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. And then he says something very important verse 21. He says, for where your treasure is There, your heart will be also. So, a lot of people have their treasure in this world, things in this world, things on this Earth are insecure things in heaven, are secure. Now, we live on this Earth so we have to be involved in the world's economic process. In other words, most of us have jobs and you expect to get paid, don't you? So you get paid for the job that you do and then you want to save a little money and you have bills. So, while we're living on this Earth, we just can't say, what? Okay, well I'm just going to everything I want to do is just for having. I'm going to give all my money away. I'm not going to, I'm just going to live dirt, poor, where you don't, that's not what God is talking about. Hear what he's talkin about here. Is where is your heart's desire? What is it? When you accumulate this stuff, are you accumulating it with eternity in mind or you are accumulating all this stuff, money and homes and memberships? And how are you doing it? So that your life on this Earth is going to be so comfortable as if you're always going to live on this Earth. If you live to be 100 years old, that's going to be a short time compared to Eternity, and this is what Jesus is trying to tell us. And so in this lesson, what I want to do Is I want to compare Earthly Investments with Heavenly Investments for only have two points today, I have seven sub-points under each once but what I want to do first of all, I want to give you seven reasons, why Earthly Investments. Are insecure at best. So, the first point is making insecure investment when we invest in the things of this Earth. So let me tell you some quiet some qualities, qualities about Earthly investing, a Earthly Treasures. They deteriorate or you could say depreciate in. This is what Jesus is making the point in verses 19. And 20, he says Earthly Investments are subject to the moth mini use rust. And then he said, fees and other words, everything that we have on this Earth for the most part will either wear out. It will break down or it can be stolen from us and not true. Anybody ever had your identity stolen you know online and then somebody get into your bank account and things like that you ever had an appliance or car to just break down and we're out it all it all does that. I was talking to when I was in seminary as talking to a guy and he said That he had a closet in his house where he hung up all his suits and he said there was a bunch of mosque in there and he said it made, they made art work out of my suit and he said we had to call someone in there and got rid of them and he said, they were gone and everything was fine for two years and he said after that, they came back but it in that the way this world is, if things aren't destroyed by some external Force, they just deteriorate on their own. They just, or they just break down. How about if you go buy a new car. If you go buy a new car today, as soon as you drive off that car lot, your car has depreciated, 10% As soon as you drive off and after 1 year that car has depreciated 20%. Now think about this 20, if you pay $40,000 for car and it depreciates 20%, the first year that means your car is depreciating $666 every month. $8,000 in a year. So if you want to sell it after one year, still brand new, you kept it up, you kept it, clean and washed it look like a brand new car you'll sell for about 10 12000, less than what you bought it for everything on this Earth. Either deteriorates or it depreciates in value letter b. Earthly Treasures, demand constant care. Did you know, a lot of people today are choosing to rent a home instead of by one. They don't want the upkeep. They did. They just don't want, they want to call somebody when the washer breaks down or something like that. They're not a lot of people are renting instead of buying and it did something. That when one thing goes wrong in your house, it seems like everything goes wrong. I mean, the floors above the air. Condition goes out, the dishwasher goes out, is a new washer and dryer. You got to get a new refrigerator. You got pulled that carpet up, we won't do hardwood and then or if you refurbish your house, you say was so old and always still got 1980 look like 1980 1990. So you just redo the whole house. And guess what you got to do? About 10. 12 15 years. You got to do it again cuz it's just not up with the times you no insult, everything, Earthly, Investments, they demand constant. Care is said that the average person who get someone to do their yard work for him. Per House cost, $250 a month. Per house to do that. You see whatever we buy. We have all these additional unseen things that happen or cost of Maintenance Earthly invested in is like that when we invest just in our sales and try to accumulate as much as we can, it takes constant care and it's depreciating. It's going to deteriorate letter c. And this is a big one Earthly. Treasures can desensitize us to the needs of others. It would seem logical that the people with the most Would help those people who have the least. I mean that. Just logical but research shows the opposite people with the least and I'm talking about middle-class lower-middle-class are more generous than people who are wealthy. Now, I don't want to say that there's all wealthy people, this is just on average. There are certainly many wealthy people who are very generous, but across the population. Wealthy people give left the charity than on wealthy people. Now a good example of this is when Paul and we went over this message and 2nd Corinthians 8 to the macedonians, even though they were very poor, they gave generously to the suffering church at Jerusalem, and Paul use them as an example to the Corinthians. So sometimes having a lot can desensitize us to the needs of those who have little and sometimes those with little, they understand how other people feel, who have little, because they've been there themselves, and that's why people like that, or more app to give you remember, the parable that Jesus told about the rich man and Lazarus. Saint Lazarus lay out of his gate. All he wanted was just the crumbs that fell off the rich man's table. Enrichment, won't buy them every day and never noticed, you never did. He was desensitize because when you have so much, you really don't think about what it's like to have a little because you have all that you need. But making these Earthly Investments are Earthly Treasures, they can desensitize us to the needs of others letter d. Earthly Treasures, don't go with you to heaven. Now, if you want to hear how Paul says it, look at this in 1st, Timothy Chapter 6 and verse 7 for, we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out. We came into this world and our birthday suit, didn't we? We didn't have anything and certainly, we can't take our Earthly possessions with us. But friends, here is one thing we can do, we can send them ahead of us. We can use our Earthly Treasures down here, Earthly resources, to invest in the word of God, into invest, in the lives of other people. Because those are the only two things that will be standing at the end of pox, the word of God will continue to stand. And The Souls of men will continue to stand all of us. We're going to live somewhere for eternity are so will not die. We are going to live somewhere for eternity. One of the most powerful scriptures. I think that kind of goes along with 1st. Timothy 6 7 is Psalm 40:9 10 through 12 and 16 through 17 and look at this, for he sees wise men die, likewise the food and the senseless person parish and leave their wealth to others. They're in our thought is that their houses will last forever. You see it. Desensitizes you to other people, their houses will last forever. Their Dwelling Places to all generations and they call their lands after their own names.

Nevertheless man, though in honour does not remain. He is like the beasts that perish friends went, we're not going to carry anything with us. Now look what verses 16 and 17 set. Do not be afraid when one becomes rich when the glory of his house is increase. For when he dies, he shall carry nothing away. His glory shall not descend after him, you know, we look up all these big movie stars and sports stars and music stars and we look up to them. Weather talent. And of course they make a lot of money. But none of us going with them when they die. They going to die. Just like the rest of us. I can tell you that. And so what we need to understand here is that Earthly Treasures, do not go with us. And there was a there was this man who died once and he had millions of dollars worth of Art. And he was going to leave this to this and this to this organization and this to his family and all and they come today, when the lawyers were there and they want to tell what everybody got, there was a reporter there and he yelled out. He said, tell us how much did this man, leave behind and one of the lawyers looked at himself, he left it all behind. He left it all. Because you can't take anything with you but he wanted a number. How many men he left it on and that's that's the case will all of it. We will leave it all letter. E. Earthly Treasures. Can drive you to do. Foolish things. Now you say, what do you mean by that? I'm talkin about the desire to be rich. All these people who played a lottery, they have a desire to be rich, the Love of Money. Well, Paul talked about what that love of money in that desire to be rich. Can do to us. Look at it in 1st, Timothy chapter 1 verses or chapter 6 verse 9 through 10.

Yeah, I know it will. Eddie, there it is. No less 67 1st. Timothy Chapter 6. There we go. All right. And I look what he says Paul. Those who desire to be rich fall into a Temptation and a snare into many foolish and harmful us with drowned, men, and destruction. And Perdition I watch for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil for which some have strayed from their fate and their greediness. And pierced themselves through with many sorrows and not awful. That's what the Love of Money due to pierce. It says drown men in destruction and Perdition. Now I was reading about a man here the other week, he played the lottery. Anyone and after they took out taxes, He brought home 16.2 million dollars. You say why I could use that 16.2 million now and do something with that. Will let me tell you what happened to this man. He invested his money into some Investments that didn't work out. Then he lost his relationship with his two brothers and a sister. Been one of his family members. Got a contract out on him to have him killed so that he could inherit that money. He had a live-in girlfriend who sued him for millions of dollars. And she took almost half of what he had in one year. In one year. This man was in debt, $1000000 and he was living off, Social Security. All that happened in one year. You see what the desire for riches can do the certain people you say well I wouldn't do that. I'm not that crazy, but you just don't know. You just don't know what could happen. And so his year of wealth, proved disastrous just like Paul said, they're in Timothy. Speaking of Earthly Treasures. They don't satisfy you say, I'd be satisfied with 16.2 million dollars. I'll tell you why. John Rockefeller said it best, he was multi-millionaire. In a reporter asking one time. He said, mr. Rockefeller, would you please tell me how much money do you need? He said, just a little bit more. Brands. If you got five hundred thousand, you will break your neck to get a million. You got eight million, you'll do whatever it takes to get the 10, get double digits. It will not satisfy pastors, won't bigger churches. Wealthy, people want more money, famous people want more Fame. Strong people want more strength, because the human heart with created, the Bible says, God has placed eternity in our heart. That means that there's a part of our heart that is god-shaped in the only thing that will fit in that. God shape is God himself. He can fill it up with money, you can fill it up with friends, you can fill it up with job security, whatever you think the things of this world it will never be enough. Rockefeller was right? You always want a little more. It can never satisfy and friends if you don't have joy and contentment before you begin to accumulate you'll never have it afterwards unless you have God in your life. That's what King Solomon said. Remember the book Ecclesiastes? We studied it richest man in the world. He said he tried everything and nothing work and what was the word to use for it. He said it's all vanity. It's all just like blowing in the wind. He said, you can get his riches, you want to but if you don't have God in your life he says you will not be content and satisfied. So friends, we can all weekend if you late as many Earthly Treasures as we want. But if we don't have a desire for God first above our money, you might as well go out here and plow water, and shovel smoke because you'll have about as much success doing that as finding contentment and then G. Earthly Treasures. Are doomed to Ultimate Destruction. Look at what 2nd Peter 3:10 says. He talked about everything that's going to incur on this Earth. But the day of the Lord spoke about, when the Lord comes back, will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, the elements will melt with fervent heat both the earth and the works that are in it. Will be burned up. Don't carry anything with everything's going to be burned up. It's all going to be all the things of this world will be burned up. And that's what the Bible says that this world is passing away. Where is that? That's the challenge of Earthly Treasures. When we think that and there's nothing wrong with saving, there's nothing wrong for having some extra money and saving for college, or saving for retirement. There's nothing wrong with that. That's not what, that's not what Jesus is talking about. He saying, when your heart's desire is Earthly treasures, and not Heavenly treasure, that's where you mess up. That when your heart's desire is for that. And so we see here that they deteriorate, they need constant care. Sometimes we turn our back on the others, we can't take him to heaven with us, it makes us do foolish things, they'll never satisfies and eventually they going to be burned up anyway. So really what good are they? That's when we make insecure investments in the things of this world? Well let's move to the last one. We want to make secure Investments and so I want to give you seven ways that Heavenly Investments are better than Earthly investment. So letter A Heavenly Investments are constantly appreciate it. They're gaining more and more just think of a stock that you may only. If you get dividend from it every quarter you get a certain amount of dividend. Well, that's the way it is what Heavenly treasure. When we invest in the word of God or invest in the lives of other people, that's Heavenly treasure, you go visit someone, in the hospital, you meant or someone you counsel, someone you go do a random act of kindness. You give to this, Seminary you give to these missionaries, you do, all that that's Heavenly investing right there. You investing in the word of God in your investing in people, and they always appreciate, look how Jesus said in Mark 10, 29 through 30. Look at that. So, Jesus answered and said, I surely I say to you. There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake in the gospels who shall not receive a hundredfold. Now in this life, And then look at the bottom and in the age to come eternal life. He says, you going to receive a hundredfold. Now, in other words, he's going to give back what we say that God does with our gifts t x h, m d x, he says, right here, a hundred fold now, and in the age to come as well, I've had people tell me that that their whole family were they were not Christians and when they became a Christian, that their family turned their back on it, And you would think that they had nobody left. But God, gave God x, t gave him a spiritual family and he gave them a church. That love them and they had more people that love me. Then that mother and father, who didn't you see? God is a debtor to No One whatever we give to him, friends. He's going to give it back one way or the other, and I only get it back. He's going to multiply 100 for everything. God touches, appreciate in value. We put things in his hand, we stand back. We see how he makes it grow. It multiplies both in quantity and quality, that's why it's so important that we tied and that we give to the Lord to see him give back 100 fold and Friends, he will always keep his word be. Heavy Investments are cared for. By someone else, you see when everything that you have belongs to God and based on the eternity, you don't have to spend your whole life checking on it. All the time you ever looked at your bank account or you ever, look at your brokerage account friends, when is, when you put it in God's hand, you don't have to wake up in the morning and worry about what the stock market is going to do. Yes, it's good to use, good principles and good stewardship to Monitor and take care of what week does that, but we don't have to anguish and worry about those possessions. As if I happiness depends on it, if God allow something to happen to something you possess, but you've entrusted it to him, then all you have to do is trust him because you have entrusted it to it and he's going to give you back something even better. Everything invested with Heavenly motivation. Is secure, everything is always secure. Letter C heavily Investments continue. For eternity. Look. What John 6:27 says here. Do not labor for the food which perishes But labor for the food which endears to everlasting life Bush. The son of man will give you because God, the father has set his seal on him. You see what he say, don't labor for, just the things of this world. As if this world is all you have pieces, use labor and you give your money toward things that in Dewar's things that have everlasting life. You see if we spread invest in spreading the word or invest in someone's life to help them to grow in Christ or lead them to Christ. Those investments will never stop paying you dividends never. I don't care. How many stocks do you want? You get more dividend payment out of this, and they will continue for eternity. That's why. He's Ministry offers, a unique opportunity to touch the lives of people with God's truth as we give them opportunity to gain. Eternal life, as that's what it means to invest in eternity. They always appreciate. God is the one who has to take care of it. That burn is not on you, and they will continue for eternity letter, d. Heavenly Investments calls God to be pleased. You say, well, what do you mean by that? Well, when Paul was in prison in Rome, the Philippian Church got together and took up an offering for him. And they gave it to him and it sustains him while he was in prison. Look what Paul said in Philippians, 4:18 about this gift. He says this indeed. I have all in a bound. I am full having received from epaphroditus, the things sent from, you talk about their gift, a sweet-smelling Aroma, and acceptable sacrifice and was he say, well, pleasing to God bridge. When you do something, when you help someone, whether it's financially, or when you give them an encouraging word, that is well, pleasing to God, that is investing in eternity and Paul. The chief of Christ's Apostles was in prison and because that offering focused on eternity, Paul told them, Believers, let me tell you something, what you did, it is pleasing to God and friends when we do something like that, it pleases God, letter e. Heavenly Investments create joy in the church. All you have to do is just think about the money say that we give to the North American Mission board International Mission board, many churches, have they sponsor their own missionaries? And they'll come to church and they'll speak and and tell what they're doing across the water, wherever they're stationed, and how God is working in the lives of these people, and the money that we give for that. They'll thank you for that. Because remember, last week, it just a crescendo of thankfulness occurs when we give generously and they can't wait to leave home and go back to where they were serving and as we share their joy, and as they share their love of God to others than what we see, it creates joy in the church. There's just something about giving generously that creates joy in the church. Letter f. Heavenly Investments. Certified your passion in life. You say what do you mean by that? Will passion comes from the heart. And investing in Eternal things leads our heart, heart into a deeper appreciation, and a deeper love passion for God. Look how Jesus said in verse 21 for where your treasure is, either Earthly or Heavenly there, your heart will be also. And again, I'm going to say this Many churches have gotten in trouble through the years. By elevating people to leadership positions. Who are not generous givers to the church? And friends that is a mistake. The problem is if I don't give to my church, if I'm not a generous Giver that tells me where my heart is. It tells me my heart is in Earthly treasure. His treasure is not in the church, and if his treasure is not in the church, there's no way his heart can be in the Church of God. His heart is in his own life and many churches have done that, so they appoint leaders who mind and body are in the church, but their heart is not. That's why churches have to have some way of determining whether those men or women. That's nominated to leadership position. Whether or not they're investing their treasure in God's work, in that particular church not to do. So, is to have leaders without passion and without heart for the church and friends. When you have a leader, when you have a pastor, when you have a music director, when you have a sunday-school superintendent, whose heart is not in it, that tells you where the treasure is, that's exactly what Jesus said. And then G. It challenges your desire and Direction. You see what we desire, is what we going to invest in what we invest, in shows us what our desires are. It's a mere idea of this treasure heart principle and when you find someone, that's not investing. First and foremost in the kingdom of God, we have found someone whose does not desire. God, first and foremost in their life. It's just that simple. That's what Jesus is saying. Look how Psalm 73:25 says it and this will be the last verse will look who made. Who have I in heaven, but you And there is none upon Earth that I desire besides you, that's the attitude that we're going to have to have and then of course desire and then Direction, just think about that, think about everything that you own. I want you to think about all the Investments that you've made Earthly Investments. And then I want you to think about all the Investments you've made for God's kingdom Heavenly investment and think of walking in a straight line down the street. Behind use all your Earthly investments in possessions and with every step you take going forward, you're moving farther and farther away from your Earthly Investments. Now imagine your heavenly Investments are in front of you. You say what type of investment you talking about just helping people. Helping people are in their lives around the word of God the scriptures on helping Mentor. Somebody discipling somebody with every step you take forward, you're getting closer and closer to your in your Eternal Investments and you're leaving the Earthly Investments behind. You see, it's a matter of Direction and I want to be moving every day, forward investments in life, there are Eternal and away from Investments that are temporal. So, every person this morning, we need to look at our investments and see where our heart is. Because that's what Jesus said, and then separate them and begin to move more and more toward the Eternal. You see, is the only hope we have of maintaining any sense of security and a world is characterized by insecurity everything. In this world is insecure Remember when 9/11 happened?

You know, those World Trade Center those buildings. I bet you those buildings were made as structurally strong as they could have been. Those were nice buildings. And that plane flew in it, in a matter of minutes, It Came Crashing Down.

when I think of that, I think about how Earthly Treasures. One day will go up in smoke. But did you know those terrorist thing flies, many planes, as they want to in in the doors of heaven and it won't even Dent it. It won't even denim. Because it's Eternal it lasts forever and so will the word of God, and so, will The Souls of men. So if we're going to invest, let's take her Earthly resources and invest in getting the word out and invest in loving other people. That is God's plan for secure life. Amen. Let's break. Father. We do thank you and Praise You. Lord and love you today for your word and Lord. We thank you for these verses that we read in Matthew today. Lord help us all to examine our hearts this morning. To know exactly what we're living for. And Lord, there's nothing wrong with working and making money and there's nothing wrong with saving money, nothing wrong with investing. You want us to do those things while we live on this Earth. But Lord, what you warn us of is our desires. What is it that we desire. Help us to see that these Earthly Investments. They deteriorate, we have to care for him. Lord help us never to desensitize ourselves to other the needs of other people. Lord, help us another. These Earthly Treasures are just temporary, we can't take him to heaven with us. They'll never satisfy us if that's what we were lying on to be satisfied and have a significant meaning for life, one day, they're going to burn up. Lords of help us to be all about the Heavenly Investments. The ones that constantly appreciate the ones that you care for the ones that last for eternity, the ones that please you bring joy into the family of God, gives us a passion for life and gives us the right desire, and we will walk in the right direction. Forcing Christ's name. I pray. Amen. All right. Well, thank you for being here today. And I, we want to