Mountain Life Church / Life Pack/June 17, 2012 The Safe, Enormously Profitable Investment
Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/June 17, 2012
The Safe,Enormously ProfitableInvestment
The Safe InvestmentSermon Notes
June 17, 2012
I. Advice from the World’s Greatest BrokerA. Where to invest
Earthly investments• Insecure• Temporary• Tempting• Controlling
! Heavenly investment• Secure• Eternal - You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on
ahead• Joyful• Freedom
B. Where I invest...1. Reveals my heart2. Determines who wins
II. My Desires Determine My InfluenceA. The Clear or Single Eye
B. The Bad Eye
Write any notes from the week here
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III.Two MastersA. Evidence of Two Masters
• My body is full of darkness• Anxiety
B. The Way of a Disciple• No worries!• One focus
Table TalkTeensRead Matthew 6:19-34
Question One:One’s attitude toward wealth is another barometer of righteousness. The Pharisees were intent on building great treasures on Earth.
★ Why should we store up treasures in Heaven instead of Earth?
★ What are your treasures on Earth that you are storing and how does that reveal your heart?
Question Two:Read Matthew 6:24, the Pharisees were slaves to the master of greed, and their desire for money was so great that they were failing in their service to their true master, God.
★ List some things that people tend to put more of a priority on than God.
Question Three:In Matthew 6:25-34, God has built into His creation the means by which all things are cared for. The Pharisees in their pursuit of material things had never learned to live by faith.
★ What are things that you tend to worry about, and do you have faith that God will care for you?
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Life Group Questions for June 17, 2012
“Good News” SeriesMessage = The Safe Investment
Ice Breaker: Tell about one of the most interesting hair-‐‑doo’s you’ve ever had.
Read Ma-hew 6: 19-‐‑34
1. What do you observe about this passage?
2. Ask the group to throw out some ideas of what the eye symbolizes in verses 22-‐‑23.
3. What do you think Jesus means that our body will be full of light, or our whole body will be full of darkness?
4. Have you ever tried to worship two gods? Tell what it was like.
5. Randy spoke of worry and anxiety being an alarm that rings inside of us when we are worshiping two gods. Do you deal with worry very often? Please explain.
6. Based on this passage, what does a disciple of Jesus look like, or act like, in regard to money? Do you think you resemble this description?
7. What do you think Jesus means when He tells us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness in verse 33?
8. Pray for one another.
Table Talk
ElementaryMatthew 6: 19-34Day 1 - Read Matthew 6: 19-34. I suggest reading it in The Message version for something different. (see www.biblegateway.com for this version if you do not have it). What does this passage tells us about worry?
Day 2 - Think about "worry" for a moment. What types of things do you do when you worry? (i.e. some people bite their nails, others eat, some people become crabby, etc.) Instead of doing these types of things, catch yourself in the act of worry and instead choose to praise Him. For He cares for you and is able to supply all of your NEEDS!
Day 3 - Make a list of all the things you worry about. (Friends, grades, assignments/tasks you have to complete, money, etc.) Now make a list of all the blessings in your life. Do not just write down the obvious blessings (family, etc.), think also of the little things that are truly a blessing to you. There is an old song called "Count Your Blessings" and it goes something like this, "Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done...!” When we take a moment to think about our blessings, we become more aware of them. God has provided for you! Compare the two lists, I'll bet if you are honest with yourself, your blessings far outweigh your worries! Thank You, Jesus, for taking care of my needs TODAY!
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Table TalkPreschool & Nursery:Read Matthew 6:19-21 with your child.
Depending on the age/understanding of your child, talk about heaven and how Jesus wants us to be with Him because He loves us.
• What are treasures?• What should we treasure?• Who helps us build treasures in heaven?
Bible Verse: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21
Prayer: Father, we may never have much in the way of earthly treasure, but help us to be faithful each day in building up treasures in heaven. Amen.
Activity: Take time with your child this week to help them bless someone, a family member or neighbor. Explain how sharing and being generous can fill their heart with treasure in fulfillment of Jesus’ wishes.
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Personal Devotion PagesThe following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom.
LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God.
BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol:
INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol:
ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him.
These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don’t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming.
Enjoy!
Day OneThis week, we will provide some questions from Randy Alcorn’s book, The Treasure Principle for you to ask God. Take your time and answer transparently.1. Time and again in Your Word, Lord, You make a direct
connection between experiencing grace and expressing grace through giving. Grace is Your lightning, and giving is our thunder in response. So here’s my question: Has the degree of my giving suggested that I have recognized and embraced the full extent of Your grace in my life? Or does it suggest I need to recognize and respond to Your grace in deeper and more heartfelt ways?
See that you also excel in this grace of giving… For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:7, 9)
Memorize Ma-hew 6: 19-‐‑21. Read 2 Corinthians 9:15 and Romans 8:32.
Memorize Ma-hew 6: 19-‐‑24. Read 2 Corinthians 9:15 and Romans 8:32.
Memorize Ma-hew 6: 19-‐‑25. Read 2 Corinthians 9:15 and Romans 8:32. See also Acts 17:26 and Ephesians 2:10.
For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
~Matthew 6:25, NAS95
Jesus uses the major part of the Sermon on the Mount to talk about the disciple and money. Jesus tells His disciples not to store up treasure on earth, but rather in heaven. If we begin to be greedy, it greatly affects our influence and witness. The Teacher seems to think that the Love of Money is a huge temptation for anyone! Then Jesus draws the line in the sand. You can’t be my worshiper and a worshiper of money. No can do!
Then Jesus gives the evidence of worshiping money: anxiety. Most folks don’t realize that anxiety is also called, worry. Anxiety is the first cousin of FEAR. When we walk with any other god, we walk in fear.
John tells us, There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Paul tells us, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7)
The loving Father does not bring fear with Him when He enters relationship with us. When I worship Him, and worship Him alone, He brings courage, faith, and confidence!
Take some time to ask the Lord if you honestly deal with fear on a daily basis. Ask a trusted friend or confidant to tell you if they see fear, worry, or fret in you. Then, instead of dealing with the fear, take time to repent for loving another god. Once you kick out the other god, fear will have no hand hold or foot hold in your life.
Father, thank You that fear is an alarm system set up inside of me to tell me when I am worshiping another. Help me to be sensitive to that fear alarm and to cast down my idols.
Day Five
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Day Five1. If I don’t release my resources now for Your kingdom causes,
will I be in danger of becoming more wrapped up in earthly, rather than heavenly, treasure? By postponing giving, will my heart become hardened to Your promptings to give? Will I then leave myself unprepared for eternity?
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-‐‑19)
See also Maahew 6:12 and Hebrews 3:15.
2. Please show me, Jesus: How can I beaer communicate with and pray with my spouse and children so we can walk together down this exhilarating road of giving? Help us, Lord, to both lead and encourage one another, without leaving each other behind.
A prudent wife is from the Lord. (Proverbs 19:14)
See also 2 Corinthians 9:7 and Ephesians 5:22, 25.
What am I doing – and what should I be doing – to train my children to be regular, joyful, and generous givers?
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
See also 1 Corinthians 11:1 and 16:2.
3. Finish your Bible memorization today.
Day OneDo not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
~Matthew 6:19, NAS95
The New American Standard Version is quoted above because it literally translates Jesus’ words about storing treasures. Note that Jesus used these words, Do not store up for yourselves... For yourselves tells us that Jesus is NOT telling us to store for someone else, but for ourselves! Jesus goes on record as being for rewards and openly states that He is not against storing up treasurers. In His profound wisdom, Jesus lets us in on a stock tip. He tells us that where we invest is extremely important.
However, Jesus’ statement goes against conventional wisdom and human nature. He’s asking us to invest our money into the invisible. For Jesus, heaven will be a much longer ride than our stint here on earth and so we should invest our money into heaven rather than into this present life.
Jesus points out that storing up earthly treasures is an insecure investment. We buy a new car, and sooner rather than later, the new wears off and we’re no longer excited about it. A new cell phone is exciting only until technology brings out a new one with more bells and whistles. Suddenly our once awesome cell phone becomes obsolete.
As I write this devotional, a wild forest fire rages near Fort Collins, taking with it homes, ranches, and lots of earthly treasure. Nothing more starkly illustrates Jesus’ point. Stuff on this earth doesn’t last.
Jesus’ investment proposal is based on giving selflessly to others and to the needy. As we give to others, we invest for ourselves in heaven. The question is this: Do I believe it? If so, I must put my money where my mouth is.
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Day Two1. Father, could it be that You have raised me up – with the
financial assets You’ve entrusted to me – for just such a time as this? Is it more than a coincidence that you have entrusted me with such resources just at that point in history when an unparalleled number of people have such great needs and there are unprecedented means and opportunities to help them?
“And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, ESV)
See also Acts 17:26 and Ephesians 2:10.
2. Is my life revolving around you? Open my eyes, Father. What am I holding on to that’s robbing me of present joy and future reward? What am I guarding and keeping for myself that’s preventing me from having to depend wholeheartedly on You? Since money and things have mass, and mass exerts gravity, and gravity holds us in orbit, what can I give away that will bring me greater freedom? Which of “my” assets can I give to You, so that You will be my center of gravity?
“No servant can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.” (Luke 16:13)
See also Psalm 42: 1-‐‑2 and Maahew 5:6.
3. Continue memorizing and meditating on the scriptures for this week.
Day FourThe eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, 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 that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
~Matthew 6:22-24, NAS95
When my desires (my eye) are pure and focused on Him, He illuminates my whole body. No wonder he called us The Light of the World! When Jesus is the desire of my life, and all other desires pale in comparison to Him, that is when I am truly illuminated. I am illuminated with a clear capacity to hear His voice and to be led by His Spirit. I am illuminated to influence others, not because it’s some chore I have to work up, but because I am a living, breathing light bulb of Holy Spirit power.
This section in the Sermon on the Mount is about money. Jesus seems to think, even in a society that is not even close to as materialistic as ours is today, that people have a tendency to worship money.
He calls us out on this. He says we cannot worship two masters. We’re hard wired to worship only one God, and we simply cannot worship both God and money. If money is simply a tool to use to glorify God, then our whole body is illuminated, but if money becomes my provider, my solution, and my salvation, then I have... Well, Jesus tells us in the next verse... I get anxious and worried!
Worry is a built-in alarm system in every person. Worry is the evidence that I have another god... My eye is not clear, my treasure is invested in moths and rust. When I trust in Him, I have a natural tendency not to worry!
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Day TwoBut store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
~Matthew 6:20, 21, NAS95
The mark of a great teacher is this: they can communicate profound and even complicated truths in a simple, understandable way. I have had my share of teachers and professors who do just the opposite. Because of their lofty knowledge, they tend to take a simple truth and complicate it.
In verse 21, Jesus says something that slays me with it’s depth and leaves me with no defense because of its simplicity. My heart will always go where my treasure is stored. My passion will follow my treasure.
I saw this first hand when my son played hockey one season when he was young. I got to know some great people who were especially passionate about hockey. They invested large amounts of time, treasure, and energy into their sons’ love for hockey. One blue collar dad told me that he spent $18,000/year for his sons to play hockey, so he was therefore not able to tithe. His entire garage was converted to a training room for his hockey playing sons, and his afternoons, all of them, were spent in training his boys or their teams.
His heart followed his treasure. I will always put my money where my heart is, and vice versa. The condition of my heart is not seen in my church attendance or in the worn pages of my Bible. The condition of my heart is best seen in my bank ledger.
Based on where I invest my treasure, what do I value above all things? Am I investing in eternity or in moths and rust?
Day Four1. Lord, I’ve sometimes wondered why You’re not blessing me
more financially. Could it be that I’ve been spending money on myself first, rather than giving You the first-‐‑fruits of what You’ve provided?
“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested liale. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be liale. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you, the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and caale, and on the labor of your hands.” (Haggai 1:4-‐‑11)
See also Malachi 3:8-‐‑11 and Luke 6:38.
2. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week.
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Day Three Day Three1. Lord, am I honoring You as owner and CEO/CFO of the assets
You’ve entrusted to my care? Or am I treating You as a mere financial consultant, to whom I pay a fee (2 percent, 10 percent, or…)? Have I been acting as if I own the store and You work for me, rather than recognizing that You own it and I work for You?
“The land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants.” (Leviticus 25:23)
See also Deuteronomy 10:14 and 1 Chronicles 29: 11-‐‑12.
2. Where in my community – or in the whole world – do You want me to go, to see and participate in meeting physical and spiritual needs through Christ-‐‑centered ministries? A soup kitchen? The inner city? Prison ministry? Pro-‐‑life work? Is a short-‐‑term mission trip or long-‐‑term service overseas part of Your exciting plan for me and my family?
“[Josiah] defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” (Jeremiah 22:16)
See also Proverbs 28:27 and Romans 10:13-‐‑15.
See also 2 Corinthians 8:14 and Acts 11:29.
3. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week.
...for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
~Matthew 6:21, 22, NAS95
Can you translate for me, Jesus? I mean, first you’re talking about investment ideas and now you’re talking about my eye being the light of my body?
In college, I read this passage wondering just what Jesus meant to say. Is He telling me that if I get a speck in my eye, it makes problems for my whole body? If my eyesight degenerates, does it affect my whole body? Nothing seemed to make sense.
For most of us, we don’t take the time to read the CONTEXT of a verse that perplexes us. Context is the best explainer of Biblical meaning.
In this passage, the meaning of the eye is directly related to my treasure and my heart because of the preceding verses. Therefore, the eye is a metaphor for desires and passions. Jesus implies that when we see something we desire with our eye, it is directly connected to our heart. If the desires of my heart are clear (the Greek word means, single), then my whole body is illuminated. When the desires of my heart are polluted, then my whole body is full of darkness, confusion, maybe even full of fear.
I will tend to invest my treasure into what I’m passionate about, the things I desire greatly. God desires to be my consuming desire.
David says it best: One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple. Psalms 27:4, NAS95.
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