Disciples are Smart Investors

Warren Buffet invested $25 million ($135 million today) to buy See’s Candy in 1972. Lucy Ricardo might have had trouble at the candy factory, but Warren Buffet had a vision in 1972 that was sweeter than anyone could have expected. Buffet bought See’s, a family-owned candy company with stores around the American West. Founded in 1921, the business became, according to an interview with Fortune, one of Warren Buffet’s favorite investments. For an outlay of $25 million, the return has topped more than $1.35 billion so far, since he still owns the stock. A sweet return for the company where Lucille Ball trained for her classic “I Love Lucy” candy factory comedy bit.

Maybe you would prefer a ROI of $54 to $1?

Ray Kroc invested $2.7 million ($20.4 million today) in McDonald’s in 1961. Kroc’s story of seeing the possibility of riches in the California drive-in owned by the brothers McDonald is famous. After helping the brothers franchise their restaurants for several years, Kroc bought them out. For his investment, Kroc managed to amass a fortune of $500 million ($1.1 billion today) when he died in 1984.

Or, how about a ROI of $833 to even $1 of investment?

Matthew 6:19–24 NIV

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Asa Candler invested $2,300 ($57,875 today) to buy Coca-Cola in 1891. Coca-Cola is the pause that refreshes, as the slogan used to say. Before Coke came along, the options for a cold drink on a hot day were far more limited. But then a Southern pharmacist trying to concoct a headache remedy stumbled upon a very different sort of elixir. With his personal health problems growing, and Coke not bringing in much revenue, the pharmacist sold off his recipe. If he had known what was to come, he would have needed that headache remedy. Lots of it. Asa Candler scooped up Coke for $2,300 ($58,000) in 1891 and sold it for $25 million ($332 million today) in 1923.

Jesus had some advice that He passed on to the disciples about investments.

The Investment Strategy of Jesus

Matthew 6:19-

1. Go where Jesus goes

The Nature of Kingdom Investments

2. 4 signs of a healthy heart – Spirit led, a diet of God’s Word, don’t tempt God, Worship God only

3. “Desire mercy, not sacrifice

4. TODAY – we will look at the investment strategy of Jesus

Investments in the Kingdom of God return the greatest dividends!

The Nature Kingdom Investments

Have you ever watched a squirrel prepare for winter? They go out and find acorn after acorn. They bury it here and there, carry some of them to their nests, and put some of them in your eaves. It doesn’t seem like they have a plan at all. And it certainly doesn’t seem like they will find all of their little hiding places.

Fortunately, the investment strategy of Jesus is more manageable and far more profitable!

The Nature Kingdom Investments

Let’s look a little more closely at the passage from the book of Matthew…

Matthew 6:19–24 NIV

Kingdom Investments are Treasures

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Kingdom Investments are Treasures

Kingdom Investments Have Clear Perspectives

His story was about a successful peasant farmer who was not satisfied with his lot. He wanted more of everything. One day he received a novel offer. For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day. The only catch in the deal was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown. Early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground. Well into the afternoon he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point. He quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run, knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder would be lost. As the sun began to sink below the horizon he came within sight of the finish line. Gasping for breath, his heart pounding, he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered across the line just before the sun disappeared. He immediately collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth. In a few minutes he was dead. Afterwards, his servants dug a grave. It was not much over six feet long and three feet wide. The title of Tolstoy's story was: How Much Land Does a Man Need? Bits & Pieces, November, 1991.

Just like the peasant farmer, Jesus points out that the treasures of this world are insignificant compared to the treasures of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is not saying that we should be monks and own nothing. He is simply pointing out that we must understand true value. Have you ever spent time thinking about the treasures we have from God?

Grace

Mercy

Eternal life

Matthew 6:22–23 NIV

Relationship

Family

Friends

Home

Promises of God

Understanding the plan of God

Luke 11:33–36 NIV

33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Gifts of the Spirit

Armor of God

Luke 11:33

Etc.

It would be a great exercise to take time to thank God for the treasures He has given you, especially those that death cannot take away.

Kingdom Investments are Focused

Kingdom Investments Have Clear Perspectives

An investment perspective is very simply – the way that you see the investment working out. It has a lot to do with your perception of the investment. How do you SEE it?

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Here I want to defer to Bud Allemang’s recent post which makes the point for me. He wrote:

Matthew 6:24 NIV

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Learned something new today. Perspective...

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye [perspective] is the lamp of your body. When your eyes [perspective(s)] are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

The eye is your perspective. Now, replace the word “eye” with “perspective” and reread.

Avoiding Investment Traps

When Adam and Eve were in the Garden, they had Gods perspective. When you have a certain perspective, you tend to believe in that perspective. When they ate of the tree, they lost that Godly perspective and so disbelief crept in....

is a part of the sermon on the mount. Not only has Jesus given the beatitudes but He continues to reveal His investment strategy. As disciples we need to keep our perspectives clear of the smoke of this world.

Kingdom Investments are Focused

Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Earlier this year our community groups studied this idea in a series by Andy Stanley called “Guardrails”. He makes a great statement,

We can believe in God yet still be fueled by greed if finances are our chief concern and the object of our ultimate dependence. And when we face financial difficulties, we’re quick to ask God for help. God is like our backup financial plan. He’s on the periphery.

But the Bible tells us that God wants to be the master and ruler of our lives, not our backup plan.

The key to breaking the power of greed is simple. It’s a habit we develop through our decision to allow our heavenly Father to rule our lives. That habit is described in just three words: give, save, live.

Learning to deal with money and material things is a challenge for all of us. We often struggle with figuring out how to deal with bounty and scarcity. I’ve learned that both pride and poverty are ugly attitudes of the heart. Let me show you…

When you think about your situation in life…

Pride says, “I deserve more!”

Poverty says, “I should feel guilty.”

Gratitude says, “Thank you!”

When someone says, “Wow, you have a nice house!”

Pride says, “We were going to build a bigger one.”

Poverty says, “It was a foreclosure.

Gratitude says, “Thank you. The lord has blessed us!”

When someone says, “That’s a nice suit!”

Pride says, “It’s tailor made.”

Poverty says, “It was half price.

Gratitude says, “Thank you!”

When someone says, “That’s a nice car!”

Pride says, “I’ve got three of them.”

Poverty says, “It’s a company car.”

Gratitude says, “Thank you!”

Pride wants people to think that we paid more. Poverty wants people to think we paid less. Gratitude doesn’t care what people think; it only cares what God thinks! When someone remarks about something you exercise stewardship over, just tell the truth and be grateful.

Kingdom Investors are focused only on what God thinks.

Avoiding Investment Traps

Stuffing Your Own Mattress

Day Traders – Moths and Rust

A pastor friend of mine recently posted a short story…

There was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn. Every year he won the award for the best grown corn. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering the corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.

“Why sir,” said the farmer, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”

So it is with our lives…Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all… (Author Unknown; ).

The farmer had it right. In the Kingdom of God disciples need to realize that not only are the treasures eternal but believers benefit from one another. The Apostle Paul talks about the body of God working together. It is how the body works best, with the head being Christ and each of us working collectively and uniquely for the Kingdom.

Day Traders – Moths and Rust

Hackers, Phishing – Thieves!

Jesus emphasized the fact that moths and vermin destroy the treasures of this world. Alan Wiesman wrote a book called “The World Without Us” and he has an interesting video about the deterioration of a home left unattended. The deterioration begins when the roof begins to fail – about 20-25 years for a shingle roof. Water becomes the greatest destroyer. After that the bugs begin their work until years down the road the home becomes unrecognizable.

Disciples understand that their investments need to be outside of the things of this world. Things that are eternal. This does not mean that their lives don’t have an impact on people and the world around them. They certainly do- but these investments have eternal value. I remember the story of Jonathan Edwards and the legacy he left.

Ephesians 6:12 NIV

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Jonathan Edwards, was a Puritan Preacher in the 1700s. He was one of the most respected preachers in his day. He attended Yale at the age of thirteen and later went on to become the president of Princeton college. He married his wife Sara in 1727 and they were blessed with eleven children. Every night when Mr. Edwards was home, he would spend an hour conversing with his family and then praying a blessing over each child. Jonathan and his wife Sarah passed on a great, godly legacy to their eleven children.

John 10:10 NIV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jonathan Edwards’ legacy includes: 1 U.S. Vice-President, 1 Dean of a law school, 1 dean of a medical school, 3 U.S. Senators, 3 governors, 3 mayors, 13 college presidents, 30 judges, 60 doctors, 65 professors, 75 Military officers, 80 public office holders, 100 lawyers, 100 clergymen, and 285 college graduates.

Hackers, Phishing – Thieves!

Today’s financial investment companies are up against some of the most talented hackers and phishing schemes ever. They have to employ encryption, firewalls, and security features that we probably can’t even imagine.

Great ROI!

As believers we need to be aware that we live in a battling world.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Fortunately, we are secure with Christ.

All God's giants have been weak men, who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them." James Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, wrote those words, but even more, he lived them. "I am the very little servant of an illustrious Master," he told a congregation in Australia.

Great ROI!

Fanny Crosby wrote more than 9,000 hymns, some of which are among the most popular in every Christian denomination. She wrote so many that she was forced to use pen names lest the hymnals be filled with her name above all others. And, for most people, the most remarkable thing about her was that she had done so in spite of her blindness.

Born in Putnam County, New York, Crosby became ill within two months. Unfortunately, the family doctor was away, and another man—pretending to be a certified doctor—treated her by prescribing hot mustard poultices to be applied to her eyes. Her illness eventually relented, but the treatment left her blind. When the doctor was revealed to be a quack, he disappeared. A few months later, Crosby's father died. Her mother was forced to find work as a maid to support the family, and Fanny was mostly raised by her Christian grandmother.

One well-meaning preacher remarked, "I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when he showered so many other gifts upon you,"

Fanny Crosby responded at once, as she had heard such comments before. "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I was born blind?" said the poet, who had been able to see only for her first six weeks of life. "Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior."

We’ll never regret our investment in the Kingdom of God for Jesus.

[1] Blomberg, C. (1992). Matthew (Vol. 22, pp. 122–123). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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