Mission: The Opportunity
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
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Mission
12/02 - The Origin
12/09 - The Cost
12/16 - The Strategy
12/23 - The Example
12/30 - The Opportunity
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.”
What was this man’s error?
What was this man’s error?
- He had great wealth, was this the error? No.
- He invested that wealth in himself and was not rich toward God
- He wanted to relax, eat, drink, be merry.
o These desires were not wrong, but misdirected
o He was too short sighted; he bet on the wrong horse
This is the point of my sermon:
Invest In Eternity
Invest In Eternity
- Join God by investing in eternity. Don’t foolishly invest in temporal things.
- You have the opportunity today, to choose to join God in building up his storehouse, his kingdom, or to foolishly build your own kingdom that simply will not last.
God is building his kingdom with or without you
God is building his kingdom with or without you
Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.
For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.
God is inviting you to be part of his grand story of redemption.
This is for your good and for your joy.
We all have the urge to be part of something bigger than us. That comes from God.
God doesn’t need you to accomplish his plans, but he invites you to join him, for your good.
You make investments into some kingdom every day
You make investments into some kingdom every day
“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.
What are your treasures? Where are you making deposits?
The things you invest in…
Monetarily, intellectually, with you time
…are the things you care about.
If you spend a lot of money on a car… you will probably treasure your car
If you spend a lot of time studying at school… you will probably treasure your intellect
If you spend a lot of time at the gym… you will probably treasure your body
Treasures in heaven
Treasures in heaven
Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Treasure in heaven comes from giving. Taking this life that we’ve been given, our time, our talents, our treasure, and giving it away to others for the sake of others knowing God.
And Godly giving is not done reluctantly. Our giving ought to overflow from our joy in Christ.
Don’t feel like giving away your money and your life? Pursue Christ more. There is no true pursuit of Christ that does not lead to the self-sacrificial giving of yourself to others for the sake of the kingdom of God.
It’s not all about money, but we need to talk about money
It’s not all about money, but we need to talk about money
I was at Walmart and this lady was crying because she lost her tax return money and couldn’t get her kids anything. I felt bad, so I gave her $200 because I just had found $3,000 in the parking lot. I felt if God blessed me, I should bless somebody else. (Jack Handy)
God has all the money. He doesn’t need your money.
Any money you have, God has provided to your directly or indirectly.
God doesn’t simply invite you to tithe and do a good deed daily. God asks to have the entirety of who you are. He doesn’t want 10% he wants 100%. He wants you to grow more and more in your love and knowledge of him so that you can grow more and more in your generosity towards others.
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
I would venture to guess that money will be the number one competitor against God for your heart.
Money is one of the best indicators of your heart’s desire; look at how a person spends their money and you will see what that person worships. Same thing goes for time by the way.
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Why, why, why!?
As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
Money is deceitful. It promises what it cannot deliver. If you are sitting in your chair, and you’re thinking that you will be happier keeping your money and spending it on yourself than giving it away for the sake of the kingdom, you are deceived. This is a hard saying. I think it’s one of the biggest reasons our culture has such a hard time following God. We love our money. We love our stuff.
A lot of you are college students, and you don’t have a lot of money. But this still applies to you because everything about the “American Dream” is just like the story of the rich fool. Acquire as much money and stuff as possible and hope that you live long enough to enjoy it the last 10 years of your life.
Some of you might be thinking too, I love God, but I also love money. There is room in my heart for all!
“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.
Now, this is not to say that some of you might end up with a lot of money. Having money and wealth is not the sin, storing up treasure on earth, spending selfishly, thinking only in terms of the short run of this life, that is the sin.
Story about Ian
Each and every one of us, regardless of our means, has the opportunity to join God in his mission. To go all in, to put all the chips on the table. Even if we’re dirt poor, we can give.
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Generosity is at the core of the Christian faith
Generosity is at the core of the Christian faith
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
As we realize God’s generosity to us, out of the overflow, we respond in generosity to others.
Invest In Eternity
Invest In Eternity
Church, how are you investing your time, talent, and treasure?
Do you give reluctantly, or with joy?
- Join God by investing in eternity. Don’t foolishly invest in temporal things.
- You have the opportunity today, to choose to join God in building up his storehouse, his kingdom, or to foolishly build your own kingdom that simply will not last.