Monthly Archives: March 2014

Sermon Connection

SACRIFICE

The Iron Cross

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? Luke 9:23-25 (NASB)

Sacrifice is usually found in circumstances that call us to be better than we are. An example from history is found in the following story. “Early in the nineteenth century the king of Prussia, Frederick William III, found himself in great trouble. He was carrying on an expensive war; he was endeavoring to strengthen his country and make a great nation of the Prussian people. But he did not have enough money to accomplish his plans. He could not disappoint his people, and to capitulate to the enemy would be unthinkable.

After careful reflection he decided to approach the women of Prussia and ask them to bring their gold and silver jewelry to be melted down and made into money for their country. He resolved, moreover, that for each gold or silver ornament he would give in exchange a bronze or iron decoration as a token of his gratitude. Each decoration would bear the inscription, “I gave gold for iron, 1813.”

The response was overwhelming. And what was even more important was that these women prized their gifts from the king more highly than their former possessions. The reason, of course, is clear. The decorations were proof that they had sacrificed for their king. Indeed, it is a matter of history that it became unfashionable for women to wear jewelry. So the Order of the Iron Cross was established. Members of this order wore no ornaments, save a cross of iron for all to see.”

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for loving me even thou I am unloving. Please help me to never forget the precious sacrifice You gave for me. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sermon Connection

SACRIFICE

Not Just Another Word

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? Luke 9:23-25 (NASB)

When I went to college, I was a little later in life than most. I was 24 years old when I started. I was not too old, but my situation was compounded by the fact that I had a family to support. I had a six year old marriage with two children. We had our struggles getting through college and seminary. I have often said that I was so smart that I crammed seven years of school into eight! There were times when I wanted to quit and get on with living life, but there was an expression I heard during orientation that I would remember during the rough days that helped me keep going. It was “deferred gratification” and I have never forgotten it.

There have been times when “deferred gratification” has been likened to sacrifice. Deferred gratification is the ability to wait in order to obtain something that one wants. It is the same process we use when we save our money to buy something that we really want. We put off the simpler things like eating out so we can save money to buy the more expensive items later. Dave Ramsey says, “Live like no one else now so you can live like no one else later.” It is a great concept, but it does not compare to sacrifice that our Lord taught.

Deferred gratification is generally focused on getting want you want by devising a plan to obtain it. It generally speaks of this world and a temporary delay in order to achieve your goal. A good example would be saving to get the house you have always wanted.

Sacrifice is different! Sacrifice is defined as the “surrender of something of value as a means of gaining something more desirable or of preventing some evil” by Dictionary.com. Hey, wait a minute that sound like deferred gratification. I believe that there is a major difference between the two that is incredibly important. The former is generally focused on the things that we think will make life better and the latter is focused on the essence of life itself.

In Luke 9:23-25, Jesus is teaching His disciples about sacrifice. The imagery is very clear as He talks about their own instrument of death, their cross. He continues by saying “What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?” (Luke 9:25 MSG) We diminish the meaning of sacrifice when we relegate it to getting more things!

Kyle Idleman is the Teaching Pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. In his book “Not a Fan”, he writes “Jesus was never interested in having fans. When he defines what kind of relationship he wants, “Enthusiastic Admirer” isn’t an option. My concern is that many of our churches in America have gone from being sanctuaries to becoming stadiums. And every week all the fans come to the stadium where they cheer for Jesus but have no interest in truly following him. The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren’t actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them.”

Are you willing to sacrifice the things you want, your plans and your dreams to experience Life? Follow Him!

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

It is so hard to look past the things of this world that seem to shine so brightly. Help me to learn what true value really is and to give all that I have to receive it. In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

 

Sermon Connection

THE ART OF INVESTING

The End Game

“storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” 1 Timothy 6:19 (NASB)

A simple search of google for the term “End Game” will produce pages of results dealing with everything from a chess game to the bonus round of a game show. When I stop to think, it is fairly accurate to use the terminology with games. I am reminded of the popular philosophy, most can be found on bumper stickers, which reads “He who dies with the most toys wins!” However, if your goal in the game of life, your “End Game”, is to collect as many material possessions as you can, you will be sorely disappointed!

If the “End Game” is not toys, what is it? In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus tells a parable to the crowds about the “End Game”. There was this farmer that had a great year. He had bumper crops, so much so that he tore down his barns and built bigger ones to hold everything he had. This kind of reminds me of all the storage facilities that dot our landscapes today. He said to himself, I have finally made it! I can now live the life that I have always wanted. I can sleep in, play golf whenever I want, eat the best of everything, and drink the best wines. I can finally take life easy. I will even have more than enough to leave a nice inheritance for my children. The parable ends with God saying “You Fool! This very night your soul is required of you” Luke 12:20a (NASB).

All of us want to be successful. However, we dare not place the material possessions of this world as our greatest treasure. The bible says in Isaiah 33:6b (IBC) that “Respect for the Lord is the greatest treasure.” What is your greatest treasure? Could our success lead us to live lives of intoxication where we play the fool? Will our success be our downfall? Our destruction? This is a struggle that every generation must face “so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” 1 Timothy 6:19b (NASB)

In a speech made in 1863, Abraham Lincoln said, “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Forgive me where my pride has elevated me to feel self-sufficient. Forgive me where I have place acquiring stuff over You. I thank You for the material possessions I have and the opportunities in this life to work at my chosen profession. However, You, above all else, are my greatest treasure! Help me to use all that I am and all that I have for Your glory. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sermon Connection

THE ART OF INVESTING

Inherent Possibilities of Wealth

“Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,” 1 Timothy 6:18 (NASB)

Tom Hanks in the 1994 movie of Forrest Gump says “Stupid is what stupid does.” A popular saying that exemplifies that wrong thinking results in wrong actions. The Apostle Paul is confronting a common theme in humanity, wealth. He is encouraging young Timothy on what to teach about wealth. He showed in the previous verse the dangers of wealth and now shows him the inherent possibilities. He gives three phrases that require a closer look. First, he says to “do good”. It has always amazed me how a person who has been arrested for a horrible crime can be reported by friends and family as a “good” person. If we adapt the saying of Forrest Gump, it might read “Good is what good does”. James tells us in 1:22 to “…prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

Paul continues saying “be rich in good works”. In the previous chapter, he gives the qualification of a widow who is to be put on a list most likely for benevolence. He writes in 5:10, “having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work.” In so doing, he helps define what he means by “good works”. The meaning is further exemplified in telling them “to be generous and ready to share”. In Matthew 6:20-21, Jesus says “But 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. Jesus reminds us to place of trust in God not in our possessions.

The question begs to be asked, “So what?” If you are wealthy, and if you live in this country, even the poorest of us are richer than 85%  of the world’s population, be generous and share with those in need. Because of your wealth, you have possibilities to help like no other.  Someone once wrote “If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating, as possibility”. Take a moment today and look at the possibilities you have and “Do Good”.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Help me to see the different possibilities in my life. Give me the courage to step out, as I trust You, to be generous and share with others in their need. As You have given me so much more than I need, help me to share with others. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Sermon Connection

THE ART OF INVESTING

Inherent Dangers of Wealth

Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17 (HCSB)

Most of us think that poverty is the biggest problem of our day. It is or has been a major concern for most every nation on the earth. It has dominated much of the political landscape. It reached a melting point in our society on January 8, 1964 with the State of the Union address by then President Lyndon B. Johnson. He urged congress to pass the Economic Opportunity Act which was unofficially known as the “War on Poverty”. The poverty rate then was 19% and today, after 50 years fighting this “war” and spending trillions of dollars, the poverty rate in the USA in 2011 was about 15.9%. However, what is more striking to me is in 1964 the children in poverty was about 23% and today it is 22%. I hope someone will dare ask the question, “If money is not the answer, what is?”

The old expression “You can’t see the forest for the trees” has tremendous significance here. Sometimes we must step back from a problem to see the bigger picture. The better question to ask might be “Is there a bigger problem than poverty?” The answer is a resounding YES! The problem has never been the divide between the rich and the poor, but the great divide between God and man. The greater our society is separated from God the greater our society will be separated from each other.

We need to heed the warning found in Deuteronomy 8:12-14, “When you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” I know you probably thinking that if our silver and gold increased we would not have the problem of poverty in this country, but you would be wrong.

Paul was instructing Timothy on how to teach the people in the church. He said in 1 Timothy 6:17, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.” Paul was telling Timothy of some of the inherent dangers in having wealth that are important for us to remember today. First, do not be conceited, that is to say, do not think too highly of yourself. Another way to put it is not to look down on others who do not have what you have. The second is not to place your trust, your hope, on the uncertainty of money. Both of these create a danger that separates us from God. They gives us a false sense of value of who we are in light of who God is and they encourage us to be more self-centered that ever before. It is called PRIDE.

Moreover, it will separate us from each other as we begin thinking that we are better than someone else. The more self-centered we become the greater the divide. The more self-centered we are the greater the poverty. We dare not forget God. He is the one in whom we can place our hope for He is the God “who richly provides us with all things to enjoy”.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Please forgive me when I have thought too much of myself and too little of You and others. Help me to live with a right perspective that I might enjoy what you have given by knowing the greatest joy is in serving You by serving others. I place my trust, my hope in You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sermon Connection

THE ART OF INVESTING

Traveling the Road of Diversity

Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17 (HCSB)

The art of investing has one primary goal: to end up with more, if possible much more, than when you started. Most people are taught two major principles: protect what you have and grow it into more. Learning to invest is a lesson that sooner or later will take you down the road of diversity.

Diversity teaches us not to invest all our money on any one product. It is the smart investor who diversifies his portfolio. That is to say, invest your money into several different areas to ensure that if one area fails the others may not. However, principles learned in one area are often applied universally in other areas.

“An elderly man was desperately ill. Knowing the time for his departure was near, he called for his closest friends to come see him one last time. Attending him were his doctor, his pastor and his business manager.

The old man said, “I know you can’t take it with you, but who knows for sure? What if the experts are mistaken? I want to account for all possibilities. So I’m giving you each an envelope containing $100,000. When I die, I want you each to slip the envelope in my jacket pocket at the funeral service. Then, if I do need money in the life to come, I’ll be ready. And I’m giving the envelopes to you because you are my most trusted friends.”

Shortly thereafter, the man did die. Each of his three friends was seen slipping something into the deceased’s coat pocket as he walked up to the casket to pay his final respects.

Following the service, while these friends were visiting with each other, the doctor, with a sheepish look on his face, said, “Guys, I have a confession to make. You know with the cost of medicine today, I don’t make that much money. The hospital is desperate for funds. We can’t even replace the CAT scan machine that’s broken down. So, I took $20,000 for the new CAT scan and put the rest in the coffin.”

The minister cleared his throat and looked down at his shoes. He said, “I, too, have a confession to make. As you know, our church is seriously overburdened by the needs of the homeless.

I couldn’t just see burying that money. So, in hopes of helping the homeless, I took $50,000 out of the envelope and put the rest in his pocket.”

Looking sternly at the doctor and the minister, the businessman exclaimed, “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I am astonished and deeply disappointed that you would treat a solemn trust so casually. He was our friend. I want you to know that I placed in his casket my personal check for the full $100,000.” (From Sins We Love, by Randy Rowland, p. 125-126)

The uncertainty of the stock markets drive our decision to diversity our holdings. A gambler would call it “hedging his bets”. However, the Christian has no need for such philosophies with regards to hope: His hope is firmly and completely in Christ. He must be “All In!”

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Help me to live my life in a way that I know I am “All In”! I want to be 100% invested in You. I have no other choices and there are no other options. In Jesus Name, Amen.

SERMONS

I was always told when considering what stocks to buy to remember the “Golden Rule”. No, not the one that says “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, but the one that says “Buy low and sell high.” This seems to be the most important rule to remember. However, I think there is even one more important than that. It is making the decision to invest in the first place! When can talk about investing, we can analyze it and follow it, but until we participate in it we will never benefit for all the studying. The same is true about Biblical principles. They must be practiced to do any good.

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