Two rhetorical questions that reveal the connection between how we manage money and our spiritual maturity...

This week we are looking at the third of the three ways a person who is involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus will invest their lives. We are discovering why consistently investing our treasure in a way that reveals and reflects the generosity of Jesus through regular and proportional giving results in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus.

To do that, I would like for us to look at a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. Yesterday we looked at the reality that, unfortunately in the American church, there seems to be two extremes when it comes to how the church talks about the issue of money or finances. The first extreme is a stream of Christianity which is called the prosperity gospel movement. Other churches, responding to the false message that is the prosperity gospel, end up not talking about the issue of money at all. The reason why these extremes of how some churches talk about money or finances are inaccurate is due to the fact that they do not reflect how Jesus talked about the issue of money and finances.

We then discovered that when we read the four accounts of Jesus life in the Bible, Jesus talked about money a great deal. Money and material possessions were a constant theme of Jesus teaching. There are two reasons why money and material possessions were a constant theme of Jesus teachings.

First, Jesus knew what we know, which is that much of our life involves the use of money. Jesus talked a lot about money because He knew that much of our lives revolve around its use. And because of this reality, money and possessions often compete with the Lord for our devotion. Jesus, understanding this, spent so much time talking about money because He also knew that how we handle and spend money reveals our love and the depth of our relationship with the Lord, because we spend our money on the things we love don’t we?

And it is in this section of the gospel of Luke that we are going to look at this morning that we will see Jesus make a statement that reveals a timeless truth when it comes to how our management of money and finances can impact our love of God and our spiritual maturity. We see Jesus make this statement in Luke 16:10. Let’s look at it together:

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

Now to fully understand what Jesus is communicating here, we first need to understand the context in which Jesus makes this statement. Just before this verse, Jesus told a parable, which is an earthly story designed to reveal a deeper spiritual truth. In the parable, Jesus revealed the reality that those who are His followers will demonstrate the proof of their faith and their relationship with Him by how trustworthy they are in handling the money, possessions, and treasure of this world.

With that context in mind, Jesus, after telling the parable, explained that when it comes to how we handle the money possessions, and treasure we have been given, the issue is not about the amount of money, possessions, and treasure. In other words, Jesus is explaining to His disciples that the amount of treasure is not the issue.

Jesus point is that the amount of treasure that one possesses does not make one more or less spiritual, because money, possessions, and treasure are amoral; they are not inherently good or evil. The thing about money that makes it so powerful is that money exposes the motives of our hearts. That’s why we can find ourselves feeling so convicted, I mean uncomfortable when the subject of money is brought up in church.

Instead, Jesus here is revealing the reality that the issue is faithfulness. Maybe you are thinking “if I only had more money then everything would be ok. If I only had more money, I would be able to get out off debt and pay off my credit cards and make my house payments.” Jesus, with this statement is saying “no everything wouldn’t be ok”.

Jesus point is that the reason that we are in the financial situation that we are in, whether good or bad, is due to how we have handled the money that we have been given. Just adding money to the problem does not solve the problem, because the problem is not a lack of money; the problem is a lack of faithfulness with the money that we have been given.

Jesus point here is that if we are unfaithful, we are unfaithful; whether it is with $10, $100, or $1,000,000. After exposing the problem, Jesus continued by explaining the implications that our level of faithfulness with our finances and money can have on our relationship with God in Luke 16:11-12:

"Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? "And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?

In these verses, Jesus reveals for us the reality that how we handle money, possessions, and treasure here on earth impacts the depth of our relationship with God and our spiritual maturity. Jesus uses two rhetorical questions to hammer His point home. First, in verse 11, Jesus asks “if you have been unfaithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, then who will entrust true riches to you?” Jesus was not looking for the disciples to answer the question, because the answer to the question is obvious.

Jesus point here is that if we are unable to demonstrate faithfulness with the temporary treasure that we are given while on earth, then we will be unable to demonstrate faithfulness with the vastly greater spiritual treasure that flows out of a growing and maturing relationship with Him. And so we can find ourselves in a place where we are not growing spiritually in our relationship with Jesus because Jesus is not going to give to us the true treasure that flows out of a growing and maturing relationship with Him if we fail to demonstrate faithfulness with the temporary things of this earth, including money, possessions, and treasure.

And to hammer His point home, Jesus asks a second rhetorical question in verse 12: “If you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” Again, Jesus is not looking for an answer, because the answer is painfully apparent. Jesus point is that is we are unfaithful with someone else’s treasure, we prove to be unworthy of being given anything of our own.

For example, let’s say that you have a teenage son or daughter that continually uses your car. And they want you to go out and buy them a car of their own. Yet every time they borrow your car they leave it a mess; they use all the gas; they don’t take care of it; and they get in several accidents. So are you going to give them thousands of dollars so that they can buy a new car for themselves?

No you are not going to do that because they have not demonstrated faithfulness with your car. What you may do is go out and buy them a $500 clunker so that they stop wrecking your car; but you are not going to reward their unfaithfulness by giving them a new car.

Here is something to consider: how many of us feel like we are driving around in a $500 clunker when it comes to our spiritual life? How many of us would describe our spiritual life and our relationship with Jesus in such terms?

Could it be that the reason that our spiritual lives and our relationship with God stagnates and suffers is due to the fact that we are failing to be faithful with what He gives us materially and financially?

Tomorrow we will see Jesus make that point unmistakably clear...

Two faulty extremes when it comes to how churches talk about money and material possessions...

At the church where I serve, we just came to the conclusion of a sermon series entitled Invest. During this series, we discovered why investing our time in a community group, our talents on a ministry team, and our treasure in a way that reflects the generosity of Jesus results in us experiencing a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus.  And as we go through this series, our hope and prayer was that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands in a way that results in us investing in these environments so that we can move on a spiritual journey that results in us taking the next step in our relationship with Jesus, regardless of where we currently are at in our relationship with Jesus. 

This week I would like for us to spend our time together looking at the third of the three ways a person who is involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus will invest their lives. I would like for us to spend our time together discovering why consistently investing our treasure in a way that reveals and reflects the generosity of Jesus through regular and proportional giving results in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus. To do that, I would like for us to look at a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke.

However, before we jump into this section of the gospel of Luke, I would like for us to address a potential elephant in the room, so to speak. And that elephant in the room involves how many people perceive how the church talks about money. You see, unfortunately in the American church, there seems to be two extremes when it comes to how the church talks about the issue of money or finances.

The first extreme is a stream of Christianity which is called the prosperity gospel movement. These are the people that you see sitting in the big golden chairs on TV that tell you that if you just had enough faith God would give you health, wealth and prosperity.  The problem with the prosperity gospel movement is that the message of the prosperity gospel is a false message that promotes a means to an ends spirituality- have faith in God so that you can use God to get what you really love and are devoted to, which is money, health, and great relationships.

So other churches, responding to the false message that is the prosperity gospel, end up not talking about the issue of money at all. There are churches and pastors that are afraid to talk about money either because they are afraid that they may offend someone or that they may give the appearance or impression that all the church wants is money. Now the reason why these extremes of how some churches talk about money or finances are inaccurate is due to the fact that they do not reflect how Jesus talked about the issue of money and finances.

You see, when we read the four accounts of Jesus life in the Bible, we discover that Jesus talked about money a great deal. Money and material possessions were a constant theme of Jesus teaching. In the four accounts of Jesus life, there are approximately 500 verses on the subject of prayer. Similarly, there are approximately 500 verses where Jesus talked about the subject of faith. Now faith and prayer are essential aspects of our relationship with God, so you would expect Jesus to spend a lot of time talking about them. If you were to guess, how many verses do you think there would be in the Bible where Jesus talked about money? 50? 100? 500?

What if I told you that there are approximately 2, 350 verses where Jesus is dealing with the issue of money. Now you may be here and are wondering “why would Jesus spend so much time talking about money?” There are two reasons why money and material possessions were a constant theme of Jesus teachings.

First, Jesus knew what we know, which is that much of our life involves the use of money. Jesus talked a lot about money because He knew that much of our lives revolve around its use. This morning, is there anything in our day to day life that does not involve money?

And because of this reality, money and possessions often compete with the Lord for our devotion. Jesus, understanding this, spent so much time talking about money because He also knew that how we handle and spend money reveals our love and the depth of our relationship with the Lord, because we spend our money on the things that we love, don’t we?

And it is in this section of the gospel of Luke that we are going to look at this week that we will see Jesus make a statement that reveals a timeless truth when it comes to how our management of money and finances can impact our love of God and our spiritual maturity. Tomorrow, we will begin to look at this statement together…

The investment of our talents on a ministry team requires exercise...

This week we have been looking at the second of the three ways a person who is involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus will invest their lives in. This We have been  discovering why consistently investing our talents serving God by serving others as a part of a ministry team will result in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus.

In Romans 12:1-8, we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us a timeless reason why investing our talents as part of a ministry team will result in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus in that the investment of our talents on a ministry team exposes us to the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus. Transformational spiritual growth occurs when we are leveraging the spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given us in a selfless way that serves others. We encounter God as we use the spiritual gifts we have been given to help others encounter God. We experience God’s transformational activity in our lives as we help others experience God’s transformational activity in their lives.

However, to invest our talents on a ministry team in a way that exposes us to the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus requires three things. So far we have seen Paul reveal for us the reality that the investment of our talents on a ministry team requires the right attitude. Individuals who experience a growing relationship with Jesus will leverage their spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities on a ministry team with a humble recognition that it is the Lord who has brought them into relationship with Him and given them the gifts, talents, and abilities to serve others. And because of that reality individuals who are growing in their relationship with Jesus will not be full of themselves but will place others before themselves.

In addition, we have seen Paul reveal for us the reality that the investment of our talents on a ministry team requires partnership. Just as there are many different parts of our human bodies that have different functions and roles but partner together to help it function as it was designed, there are many individual followers of Jesus who partner together to form the body of Christ and help it to function correctly. And just as a growing and maturing body has every part partnering together in growth and maturity, for the local church, for the body of Christ to grow and mature so as to be the vehicle that God uses to reveal His Son Jesus to the world around us, every part must be partnering together as we invest our talents serving God by serving others as a part of a ministry team.

And as we partner together as part of a ministry team, God is at work in and through that partnership to move us towards a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus. Now you may be here this morning and right about now you are thinking to yourself  “Well Dave that sounds great in theory, but how do we partner together so as to move from independence or dependence to the interdependence that results in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus? What does that look like?” If you that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that you are asking a great question. We see Paul answer this question and, in so doing, reveals the third requirement that is necessary in order to invest our talents on a ministry team in a way that exposes us to the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus in Romans 12:6-8:

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Here we see the Apostle Paul call followers of Jesus throughout history to exercise the spiritual gifts that we have been given. Paul here is pointing followers of Jesus to the reality that God’s grace in our lives is not only evidenced in our rescue and salvation; God’s grace in our lives is evidenced in the spiritual gifts we have been given. All of us, when we become followers of Jesus, are given at least one spiritual gift. Now you may be wondering “what is a spiritual gift?”

A great definition of a spiritual gift is that a spiritual gift is a God given inner motivation that enables us to meet the needs of others in a way that builds up others spiritually. When we read the letters that make up the Bible, we discover that these spiritual gifts can be divided into two main groups. The first group are called speaking gifts. These gifts are the gifts of evangelism, exhortation, pastor- shepherding, and teaching. The second group are called serving gifts. These gifts are the gifts of administration or leading, faith, giving, mercy, and helps or serving.

And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the reality that the investment of our talents on a ministry team requires exercise. Paul’s point here is that God expects us to respond to the gifts that we have been given by Jesus by exercising those gifts, so that we can grow and mature in our relationship with Jesus and accomplish the kingdom mission that we have been given by Jesus as we to partner together as a church.

However, the harsh reality is that for some of us, we have not been exercising when it comes to investing our spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities gifts that God has given us. And because some of us have not been exercising, some of us find ourselves weak and immature spiritually. Paul here is revealing for us the reality that the church, as the body of Christ, grows stronger in partnership the same way our physical bodies grow stronger. Just as our physical bodies need to exercise to grow and mature, we need to exercise in partnership with one another, with the right attitude, in order to experience a growing relationship with Jesus.

So here is a question to consider: When will you take the step to your talents on a ministry team so as to expose the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a way that moves you toward a growing relationship with Jesus? Because, as the Apostle Paul points out, investment of our talents on a ministry team exposes us to the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus. And the investment of our talents on a ministry team requires the right attitude, requires partnership, and requires exercise...

The investment of our talents on a ministry team requires the right attitude and partnership...

This week we are looking at the second of the three ways a person who is involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus will invest their lives in. We are looking at how consistently investing our talents serving God by serving others as a part of a ministry team will result in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus. To do that, we are looking at a section of a letter that is preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of Romans.  

And in Romans 12:1-8, we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to how investing our talents serving God by serving others as part of a ministry team will result in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus. And that timeless truth is this: Investment of our talents on a ministry team exposes us to the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus. The timeless reality that that individuals who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ consistently invest their spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities in a selfless way to serve others.

And because of this reality we have set as a goal that everyone who attends City Bible Church would be investing their talents serving God by serving others as part of a ministry team. We feel strongly about this goal because we believe that transformational spiritual growth occurs when we are leveraging the spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given us in a selfless way that serves others. We encounter God as we use the spiritual gifts we have been given to help others encounter God. We experience God’s transformational activity in our lives as we help others experience God’s transformational activity in their lives.

However, to invest our talents on a ministry team in a way that exposes us to the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus requires three things. We see Paul reveal the first of these three requirements in Romans 12:3. Let’s look at it together:

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

In verse three, Paul uses a play on words to explain that, as followers of Jesus, we are not to be arrogant about our status as a Christian. When Paul uses the phrase to think more highly of oneself than he ought to think, this phrase literally means to have an arrogant opinion of oneself. Instead of being full of ourselves as followers of Jesus, Paul explained that we are to have sound judgment as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

Paul’s point here is that as followers of Jesus, we are to carefully consider with wisdom the reality that it is God who has given is the gift of faith and brought us into relationship with Christ. It is not what we have done for God; because all of humanity has selfishly rebelled and rejected God as a result of a selfish pride that places ourselves before God and others. Instead, Paul reminds followers of Jesus throughout history that it is what God has done for us through Jesus that brings us into relationship with Him. And this reality should cause us as followers of Jesus to be self controlled in our opinion of ourselves and lead us to a life of humility.

And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the reality that the investment of our talents on a ministry team requires the right attitude. Individuals who experience a growing relationship with Jesus will leverage their spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities on a ministry team with a humble recognition that it is the Lord who has brought them into relationship with Him and given them the gifts, talents, and abilities to serve others. And because of that reality individuals who are growing in their relationship with Jesus will not be full of themselves but will place others before themselves.

Now a natural question that arises here is “well, what exactly were the members of the church at Rome arrogant about when it came to their status as a Christian?” Paul provides the answer for us in what he says next. And it is what Paul says next that we discover a second requirement that is necessary in order to invest our talents on a ministry team in a way that exposes us to the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus. So let’s look at what Paul says next in Romans 12:4-5:

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

In these verses, we see Paul use the analogy of the human body to explain that, just as that there are many parts that compose our bodies and each of these individual parts have a different role and function that helps the body function correctly; so we, who are many, are one body in Christ. And because of that reality, just like the individual parts of the human body, there are many individual followers of Jesus who partner together to form the body of Christ and help it to function correctly.

Paul’s point here is that as followers of Jesus we are not independent but interdependent. However, some members of the church at Rome viewed themselves as being independent of other followers of Jesus and had become arrogant because of the spiritual gifts that God had given them. And just as it was in the Roman culture of Paul’s day, while we live in a culture that values and celebrates independence, independence is not a Biblical value; freedom is a Biblical value, independence is not. And in a similar way, as followers of Jesus we are not to be dependent. As followers of Jesus we are not to be in a place in our lived where we are constantly depending on others. Instead of the two extremes of dependence and independence, Paul is calling followers of Jesus throughout history to live in interdependence with one another.

And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the reality that the investment of our talents on a ministry team requires partnership. Just as there are many different parts of our human bodies that have different functions and roles but partner together to help it function as it was designed, there are many individual followers of Jesus who partner together to form the body of Christ and help it to function correctly. And just as a growing and maturing body has every part partnering together in growth and maturity, for the local church, for the body of Christ to grow and mature so as to be the vehicle that God uses to reveal His Son Jesus to the world around us, every part must be partnering together as we invest our talents serving God by serving others as a part of a ministry team.

And as we partner together as part of a ministry team, God is at work in and through that partnership to move us towards a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus. Now right about now you are thinking to yourself  “Well Dave that sounds great in theory, but how do we partner together so as to move from independence or dependence to the interdependence that results in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus? What does that look like?”

If that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that you are asking a great question. Friday we will see Paul answer this question and, in so doing, reveals the third requirement that is necessary in order to invest our talents on a ministry team in a way that exposes us to the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus…

Investment of our talents on a ministry team exposes us to the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus...

At the church where I serve, we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled Invest. During this series, we are going to discover how investing our time in a community group, our talents on a ministry team, and our treasure in a way that reflects the generosity of Jesus results in us experiencing a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus.  And as we go through this series, our hope and prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands in a way that results in us investing in these environments so that we can move on a spiritual journey that results in us taking the next step in our relationship with Jesus, regardless of where we currently are at in our relationship with Jesus. 

This week I would like for us to look at the second of the three ways a person who is involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus will invest their lives in. I would like for us to look at how consistently investing our talents serving God by serving others as a part of a ministry team will result in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus. To do that, I would like for us to look at a section of a letter that is preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of Romans.  

And in this section of this letter, we see Paul reveal several aspects of how investing our talents serving God by serving others as part of a ministry team will result in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus. However, to understand what the Apostle Paul is going to communicate to us, we first need to understand the context of this section of the book of Romans. So to do that, let’s look together at Romans 12:1-2:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

To fully understand what Paul is communicating in theses verses, we first need to understand what Paul means when he uses the word therefore. With the word therefore, Paul is pointing the readers of this letter to what he had previously said in the letter. In the previous section of the book of Romans, in Romans Chapter 9-11, Paul revealed to the readers of his letter the reality that the fact that God is right is revealed by how God has intervened in the history of the Jewish people.

At the end of Romans 11, Paul broke out in worship over the immeasurable depth of God’s wisdom and knowledge. At the end of this chapter, Paul proclaimed that for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever Amen. In other words, everything comes from God; everything comes through God; and everything is for God; now that is pretty comprehensive.

With that context in mind, Paul begins this section of his letter by strongly appealing and urging the members of the church at Rome to respond to the fact that God is right. In light of the God’s response of rescue from selfishness and sin through Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection; In light of God’s activity through the history of the Jewish people, God has been revealed to be right. And the fact that God is right should result in a response from His followers.

Paul then reveals exactly how followers of Jesus should respond God’s rightness and response of rescue: “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” When Paul use the phrase “spiritual service of worship” this phrase refers to a carefully thought through act of worship. As followers of Jesus, we are to respond to God’s transformational activity in our lives through Jesus Christ by living in a way that is worthy of God as an act of worship to God that is pleasing to God.

Paul’s point is that God responded to our selfish rebellion and rejection of Him by sending His Son Jesus, who offered His body to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful life so that God could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. And in light of what Jesus has done for us by offering His body as a sacrifice for us, we should thoughtfully respond by offering our lives as His followers in a lifestyle of worship worthy of God.

But not only are we to offer our lives as His followers in a lifestyle of worship, Paul explained that we are not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Paul here is revealing the reality that, as followers of Jesus, we are not to model ourselves after the times we live in by embracing the faulty worldviews and cultural conventions that are around us. Instead, as followers of Jesus, we are to allow God to change our fundamental character, so that we may grow and mature in our relationship with Jesus and be able to determine what God wants our lives to be focused and centered on.

In the rest of the book of Romans, Paul unpacks for us what a life that is offered to Jesus in a lifestyle of worship and that is being transformed into a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus looks like. And in Romans 12:3-8, we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to how investing our talents serving God by serving others as part of a ministry team will result in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus.

And that timeless truth is this: Investment of our talents on a ministry team exposes us to the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus. The timeless reality that that individuals who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ consistently invest their spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities in a selfless way to serve others.

And because of this reality we have set as a goal that everyone who attends City Bible Church would be investing their talents serving God by serving others as part of a ministry team. We feel strongly about this goal because we believe that transformational spiritual growth occurs when we are leveraging the spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given us in a selfless way that serves others. We encounter God as we use the spiritual gifts we have been given to help others encounter God. We experience God’s transformational activity in our lives as we help others experience God’s transformational activity in their lives.

However, to invest our talents on a ministry team in a way that exposes us to the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus requires three things. Tomorrow we will look at these things together...

Investment in a community group exposes us to the practical teaching of Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus...

This week we are looking at how consistently investing our time, in addition to consistently attending a corporate worship gathering, in a community group, will result in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus. When you engage those who are growing and maturing in their relationship with Jesus, what you find is that they are not just talking about theology or doctrine; those who are being transformed by their relationship with Jesus Christ talk about how the message and teachings of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible have changed their life.

You see, the message and teachings of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible were not simply meant to be informative: the message and teachings of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible are meant to be transformative. And when you engage people who are in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus, their conversations are dominated by how the teachings of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible have transformed their life. We see this reality revealed for us in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Matthew.

Wednesday we looked on as Jesus began to conclude His sermon by telling a parable. Now a parable is an earthly story designed to reveal a deeper spiritual truth. In parable Jesus explained that some people will choose to build and live out their lives upon His teachings. There are some people who will choose to put into practice Jesus teachings as they live in relationship with Him and others.  The decisions that they make on how they invest their time, treasure, and talents will be based upon Jesus teachings.

And as a result of those decisions, Jesus stated that when the rains, floods and winds come and slam against that house, it will not fall. In essence, Jesus is stating that the person who hears Gods commands and demands as communicated and explained by Jesus and acts by putting them into practice in their lives will not see all that they have built or invested in implode. Because, this morning, the reality is that the level of our spiritual growth and maturity is based on what it is built on. Jesus then continued His parable by talking about the second type of person in verse 26- 27. Let's look at it together:

"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell-- and great was its fall."

Jesus then continued His parable by introducing another character into the parable. Jesus explained that, unlike the person who builds and invests their lives upon the commands and demands of God that are communicated to us through the letters that make up the Bible, this person builds their lives on another foundation. It could be the foundation of prideful self­ promotion and position; it could be the foundation of money and possessions; it could be the foundation of pleasure. Notice that the houses themselves are identical in nature; the only difference between the houses is the foundations that they are built on.

But, as Jesus communicates in verse 27, the wrong choice of foundation has dramatic and eternal consequences. For those whose lives are built on anything other than Jesus teachings, when the storms of life that test the strength of our spiritual life come and more importantly, when we stand before God at the final judgment and the quality of our relationship with God is revealed for what it truly is, the collapse of all that has been built and invested in will be of epic proportions and the destruction will be complete.

You see, Jesus told this earthly story to reveal the deeper spiritual truth that for Jesus, it is not what you know; it is what you do that matters. Jesus point in this parable is that obedience matters. Simply knowing doctrine and theology is not enough; it is what you do with what you know that counts. And those who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus live a life that is marked by life change, not head knowledge.

And intuitively we understand this, don’t we? Obedience matters. At the end of the day, God is not concerned about what you know; and God is not nearly as concerned about church attendance as He is about obedience. Jesus is not in Heaven taking roll. Church attendance makes you a Christian about as much as sleeping in the garage makes you a car.

Throughout His sermon, Jesus makes it clear that obedience is more important than knowledge or attendance. Whoever hears these words of mine and acts on them. Not whoever hears theses words of mine and memorizes them. For Jesus hearing and acting are inseparable.

Now that does not mean we should never come to church. What it does mean is that, as followers of Jesus, we should come to church for the right reasons. We should come to church not because it saves us or because it gets us spiritual brownie points; we should come to church to enter into an environment where we worship God and expose ourselves to the practical of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible so that we can experience life change that results in us becoming more like Jesus in our character and conduct.

And it is here, in this famous parable that Jesus told to conclude a famous sermon, that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to why consistently investing our time in a community group will help us move on a spiritual journey that results in a growing relationship with Jesus. And that timeless truth is this: Investment in a community group exposes us to the practical teaching of Jesus in a way that moves us toward a growing relationship with Jesus.

People who are in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ invest their time, in addition to consistently attending a corporate worship gathering on Sundays, in a community group. And it is in community groups that we are exposed to the practical teaching of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible that calls us to not only know more. In community groups that we are exposed to the practical teaching of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible in close community that calls and challenges us to live a life that looks like Jesus because obedience to the teaching of Jesus matters.

But there is a tension that we all experience when it comes to the practical teaching of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible that often cause us to hesitate or push back when we are exposed to it. And that tension comes from the fact that the teaching of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible that calls for life change is not calm, quiet, or peaceful.

The teaching of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible is often disturbing and unsettling. The teaching of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible often causes discomfort for those who are listening. I say that because when Jesus taught people were often disturbed or upset. Let me give you just a few examples. In Luke 4:28, after Jesus gave a sermon, here is how the people responded:

And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.

In John 8:59, after having a conversation with the religious people of His day, here is how they responded:

            Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him,

And we discover how the crowd responded after listening to what Jesus had to say in His most famous sermon, which we looked at earlier, in Matthew 7:28-29:

When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

The crowd responded to Jesus sermon with amazement. Now when it says that the crowds were amazed, it was not “wow that was a cool sermon”. It was not “wow, I was really fed today”. It was not “wow that really ministered to my heart”. The word amazed literally means that they were be filled to the point of being overwhelmed with fear. The practical teaching of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible is uncomfortable, disturbing, and unsettling because growing and maturing spiritually is often uncomfortable, disturbing, and unsettling.

You see growth can often be painful; whether it is the growing pains that accompany physical growth or the growing pains that accompany a growing and maturing relationship with God. And just as a parent leverages practical teaching and explains to their children that growing pains are a natural part of the pathway to adulthood, as followers of Jesus, God leverages the practical teaching of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible to grow and mature us spiritually.

This morning, that is what we are such big believers in community groups here at City Bible Church. That is why we have as a goal that everyone who attends C.B.C. would be investing their time in a community group. We believe that the circles that are community groups are betters than the rows of corporate worship gatherings because transformational spiritual growth occurs in community with others where those supportive and encouraging relationships can be developed where people can take that next step in their relationship with Jesus wherever you are at in that relationship with Jesus.

And, as a church, we believe that the earlier the better when it comes to community groups. That is why we have community groups for every age and stage of life here at City Bible Church so that every age and stage of life can be exposed to the practical teaching of Jesus. So with all that in mind, here is a question to consider: When will you take the step to get into the community that you need the most by being a part of a community group where you can be exposed to the practical teaching of Jesus?

Spiritual growth and maturity is based on what it is built on...

This week we are looking at how consistently investing our time, in addition to consistently attending a corporate worship gathering, in a community group, will result in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus. At the church where I serve, we believe that the circles that are community groups are betters than the rows of corporate worship gatherings because transformational spiritual growth occurs in community with others where those supportive and encouraging relationships can be developed where people can take that next step in their relationship with Jesus regardless of where one is at in that relationship with Jesus.

Now when we talk about community groups, we are not talking about simply getting together to read the Bible. And we are not talking about simply getting together to connect with others. You see, a community group is not simply a Bible study. While we study the message and teachings of the letters that make up the Bible in a community group, a community group is more than acquiring knowledge about what the letters that make up the Bible say and mean. Instead, a community group is about taking the message and teaching of the letters that make up the Bible and discovering how to live out that message in our day to day lives.

We talked about the reality that a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus is not about how much we know about God. A growing and maturing relationship with Jesus is about how much we know God and how we live our day to day lives in relationship with God. And when you engage those who are growing and maturing in their relationship with Jesus, what you find is that they are not just talking about theology or doctrine; those who are being transformed by their relationship with Jesus Christ talk about how the message and teachings of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible have changed their life.

Now I am not saying that theology and doctrine are not important, because theology and doctrine are essential components of our faith and our relationship with Jesus. What I am saying is that theology and doctrine that does not lead to transformation is merely information. You see, the message and teachings of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible were not simply meant to be informative: the message and teachings of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible are meant to be transformative. And when you engage people who are in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus, their conversations are dominated by how the teachings of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible have transformed their life.

We see this reality revealed for us in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Matthew. In this section of the gospel of Matthew that we are going to jump into this morning, Jesus was ending a famous sermon, which we call the Sermon on the Mount. And as Jesus ended this famous sermon, we see Jesus tell a parable that revels for us a timeless truth as to why consistently investing our time in a community group will help us move on a spiritual journey that results in a growing relationship with Jesus. So let’s look at this parable together, beginning in Matthew 7:24-25:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

As Matthew gives us a front row seat to this famous sermon, we see Jesus begin to conclude His sermon by telling a parable. Now a parable is an earthly story designed to reveal a deeper spiritual truth. To fully understand this parable, however, we first need to understand a few things.

The first thing we need to understand is what Jesus means when He uses the phase "these words of mine". These words of mine refer to everything that Jesus has said in this sermon. So with this phrase, Jesus is reminding the crowds listening of all of that He has said in His sermon and is basically saying "With these truths in mind, let's talk about two types of people.”

Jesus then described the first type of person as someone who hears the truths that Jesus had proclaimed in this sermon and acts on them. Now this phrase "to act" literally means to carry out an obligation of a moral or social nature. Throughout His sermon, Jesus revealed the reality that God makes demands on His people. Jesus point here is that there is one type of person who will act on the demands that God makes on His people by putting into practice what has been demanded of them.

Jesus refers to the person who puts into practice what has been demanded of them as a person who builds his house on a rock. What Jesus is communicating here is that some people will choose to build and live out their lives upon His teachings. There are some people who will choose to put into practice Jesus teachings as they live in relationship with Him and others.  The decisions that they make on how they invest their time, treasure, and talents will be based upon Jesus teachings.

And as a result of those decisions, Jesus stated that when the rains, floods and winds come and slam against that house, it will not fall. Now the picture that Jesus is painting for the crowds listening is the picture of a monsoon storm very similar to what we experience here in the summer months. Just like here in Arizona, every Jewish person knew that during certain times of the year incredible monsoon storms would turn normally dry washes into raging rivers that would overflow their banks and threaten their homes. It was never a question of if, but when, for these storms.

But what storms is Jesus referring to? These storms could refer to the crisis of life that tests the strength of our spiritual life. And while that could be true, when we look at the context of where this fits in Jesus sermon, it is more likely that He is referring to the final judgment when the nature and quality of our relationship with God will be revealed for what it truly is. Now when Jesus uses the words "to fall" He is literally referring to something that collapses in on itself. We see this word picture in our modem experience when we see a large building demolished through the use of explosives.

So, in essence, Jesus is stating that the person who hears Gods commands and demands as communicated and explained by Jesus and acts by putting them into practice in their lives will not see all that they have built or invested in implode. Because, the reality is that the level of our spiritual growth and maturity is based on what it is built on. Jesus then continues His parable by talking about the second type of person in verse 26- 27.

We will look at this type of person on Friday….

To know about or to know.... that is the question...

Last week, we spent our time together looking at an event from history that is recorded for us in a section of an account in Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Matthew, where Jesus provided a timeless goal for followers of Jesus that serves as the foundation for the mission and vision that God has given us at City Bible Church.

We talked about the reality that the church is the only organization that does not exist for the sake of its members. Instead, the church exits for the mission that we have been given by God as God has Divinely designed the church to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal His Son Jesus to the world. We talked about the reality that God places the local church in distinctive environments to be distinctively different. And from Matthew 5:14-16, we unpacked the reality that God has placed City Bible Church in Bullhead City to be a city in a city that is striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city.

When then talked about the reality that when we read the Bible, we discover that individuals who were involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus consistently invested their lives in three specific ways, which led us to three specific goals for us in 2019 as followers of Jesus. First, we discovered that those who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus consistently invested their time with other Christians as they gathered corporately for regular weekly worship gatherings and as they scattered to experience community in homes throughout the week. This reality led us to set as a goal that every regular attender would invest their time, in addition to attending one of the three worship gatherings that we have on Sundays, in a community group.

Second, we discovered that those who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus consistently invested their talents serving God by serving others through the exercise of their spiritual gifts. This reality led us to set as a goal that every regular attender would invest their talents serving God by serving others as part of a ministry team. 

Third, we discovered that those who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus consistently invested their treasure to support God’s kingdom mission through regular and proportional giving. This reality led us to the goal that every regular attender would invest their treasure in a way that reveals and reflects the generosity of Jesus.

We talked about the reality that our desire is to be a church that creates environments where people can move on a spiritual journeys from being consumers, who are either shopping for answers when it comes to Jesus and the Bible, or who view the church as a place where they receive spiritual goods and services, to being owners, who own a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus, to move to be investors who embrace and invest their time, talent, and treasure to advance the kingdom mission that God has given us. As followers of Jesus, we accomplish the mission that God has given us when we live as missionaries that engage and embrace the kingdom mission that we have been given to live spirit-filled, gospel-centered lives that reveal and reflect Christ to those around us as we love and serve those that God has already placed around us who are far from God.

Now a natural question that could be running through your mind at this point is “well Dave that all sounds great, but why should I engage in these goals that you have talked about? And how exactly do these goals help me move on this spiritual journey from being a consumer to an owner to an investor? How does investing my time in a community group, my talents on a ministry team, and my treasure in a way that reflects the generosity of Jesus result in me actually growing in my relationship with Jesus?

If those questions are running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking great questions. And for the next three weeks, we are going to spend our time together answering those questions in a sermon series entitled “Invest”. During this series, we are going to discover how investing our time in a community group, our talents on a ministry team, and our treasure in a way that reflects the generosity of Jesus results in us experiencing a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus.  And as we go through this series, our hope and prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands in a way that results in us investing in these environments so that we can move on a spiritual journey that results in us taking the next step in our relationship with Jesus, regardless of where we currently are at in our relationship with Jesus. 

This week I would like for us to look at the first of the three ways a person who is involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus will invest their lives in. I would like for us to spend our time together looking at how consistently investing our time, in addition to consistently attending a corporate worship gathering, in a community group, will result in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus. As a church, we believe that the circles that are community groups are betters than the rows of corporate worship gatherings because transformational spiritual growth occurs in community with others where those supportive and encouraging relationships can be developed where people can take that next step in their relationship with Jesus regardless of where one is at in that relationship with Jesus.

Now when we talk about community groups, we are not talking about simply getting together to read the Bible. And we are not talking about simply getting together to connect with others. You see, a community group is not simply a Bible study. While we study the message and teachings of the letters that make up the Bible in a community group, a community group is more than acquiring knowledge about what the letters that make up the Bible say and mean. Instead, a community group is about taking the message and teaching of the letters that make up the Bible and discovering how to live out that message in our day to day lives.

You see, a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus is not about how much we know about God. A growing and maturing relationship with Jesus is about how much we know God and how we live our day to day lives in relationship with God. Think of it this way: When people who are demonstrating a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus talk about the Bible, what do you hear them say about it?

Do people who are growing and maturing in their relationship with Jesus spend their time talking about the key theological issues of our time? Do they sit at the firehouse discuss and debate their views on the great tribulation? Or whether we choose God or God chooses us? No, they don’t. You see, here is the interesting thing. When you engage those who are growing and maturing in their relationship with Jesus, what you find is that they are not just talking about theology or doctrine; those who are being transformed by their relationship with Jesus Christ talk about how the message and teachings of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible have changed their life.

Now I am not saying that theology and doctrine are not important, because theology and doctrine are essential components of our faith and our relationship with Jesus. What I am saying is that theology and doctrine that does not lead to transformation is merely information. You see, the message and teachings of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible were not simply meant to be informative: the message and teachings of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible are meant to be transformative. And when you engage people who are in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus, their conversations are dominated by how the teachings of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible have transformed their life.

We see this reality revealed for us in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Matthew. In this section of the gospel of Matthew that we are going to jump into this morning, Jesus was ending a famous sermon, which we call the Sermon on the Mount. And as Jesus ended this famous sermon, we see Jesus tell a parable that reveals for us a timeless truth as to why consistently investing our time in a community group will help us move on a spiritual journey that results in a growing relationship with Jesus.

Tomorrow we will begin to look at this parable…