Buried Treasure
Living Out Loud • Sermon • Submitted
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· 4 viewsWhat’s your retirement plan like? Do you feel comfortable about your standard of living in your retirement years? Will you need to adjust your standard of living…make it lower? Perhaps you are already in retirement and have discovered you did not plan well. Well, join the crowd. The data more than suggests that U.S. Americans prepare inadequately for their retirement years. One thing upsetting the apple cart is longevity. We are living longer, and as a consequence – or bonus, we can now live as many years after retirement as we did in our work for retirement. Now let’s change things up. How about eternity? Consider Jesus’ words that we are to store up for ourselves treasures for eternity (Matt. 6:20,21).
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Retirement Planning
Retirement Planning
What does your retirement plan look like?
How about eternity planning?
What does your plan for eternity living look like?
It is true that we cannot work our way into heaven - no amount of good works will get you into heaven. But did you know that the Bible talks about rewards, benefits and repercussions in eternity for the way we live on earth?
Let’s look at what Jesus has to say about how we should approach the idea of eternity with God
matt13.44
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Principle 1:
Principle 1:
The Kingdom of Heaven Deserves Sacrifice
The Kingdom of Heaven Deserves Sacrifice
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Matt
Principle 2:
Principle 2:
God Wants You to Think About Investments
God Wants You to Think About Investments
“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.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
matt
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Principle 3:
Principle 3:
Be Wise About Where to Invest
Be Wise About Where to Invest
Principle 4:
Principle 4:
This is About Stewardship
This is About Stewardship
Principle 5:
Principle 5:
Stewardship is Not Just Money
Stewardship is Not Just Money
Why is this important?
We talk about the 80/20 principle in churches all the time - 80% of the people do 20% of the work vs. 20% of the people doing 80% of the work.
Think instead that this relates not just to work, but to all resources - work, money, time, etc.
Ministry leaders (pastors, elders, teachers, etc.) have a tendency to go to the 20 percenters FIRST. Because of constraints; time, energy, just plain convenience, etc., pastors tend to either a) make a general appeal - and guess what? the 20 percenters are often the first in line, or b) the leader bypasses the general appeal and go directly to those first responders.
The 80/20 principle is not according to God’s design
God’s Design
God’s Design
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
eph4.11,12
so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
The excuses - debt, time, money, family, etc. are all answered in God’s design - growing up into Christ to not be swayed as children.