Finding God’s purpose in the things we typically use to seek our pleasure. Jump in with us to Sections 162 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT’S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).
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Sermon Notes Slide Key:
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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:
Dads are good for certain things, aren’t we? We’re good for mowing the lawn. If you want a super cheesy joke, we’ve got ya covered. I constantly pretend like what my kids say is something else, “I want cheesy potatoes” you want Jesus tomatoes? They think I’m hilarious ;). But when my kids were little, the same thing would happen over and over again. They would fall down and hurt their knee, or they’d accidentally scrape they’re elbow, or they’d cut off a finger. I’d be right there as super dad, I’d swoop em up into my arms to see if they were ok and then it would happen.
My wife would come around the corner having heard the siren cry of a child and before a word could be spoken, my crying child would do the universal sign for I don’t want you… [reach hands out, hands sprawled outward, head cocked]
man that’s infuriating! 😉
When you’re a kid, moms are typically the “go-to” when you’re hurt.
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We all have an allegiance to certain things over others.
Some of you are UK Fans
And others of you are just wrong… lol
If you really wanted to, you could strip someone down to their allegiances and it would tell you what you need to know about that person, wouldn’t it?
Allegiance is about alignment
In a moment, we’re going to look at Jesus confronting the allegiances and alignment of the Pharisees. We’re going to unpack what He said, and then we’re going to put it away inside of ourselves.
Last week we started this with the reveal from World Vision and looking at the story of the Shrewd manager, do you remember that story?
Jesus told a story about a guy who was a manager for a really rich guy. This guy couldn’t be trusted at all. He embezzled and wasted the master’s money. Finally, he knew he was going to be fired so he began making deals with people who owed his master.
Jesus stops in his story to point out that the people of the world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than we are
-he tells them to use their wealth to Gain friends and then He continues with the story from the master’s perspective now
Luke 16:10-15
10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
this is what we teach our kids, right?
-if you lie you, then I can’t trust you in the future
-this isn’t some big spiritual statement, as much as Jesus describing how things work so He can make a bigger point
Remember why the manager was going to be let go? It was because he had mishandled his masters money…
ILLUSTRATION:
Often times a leader’s primary responsibility is to interpret reality for those who follow them. To give you a framework to think about the circumstances you are in. Parents do this all the time, your kid’s team loses, you tell them, “Wagners don’t ever lose as long as we learn something…”
Jesus has taken this story of the sneaky manager and how he misuses his master’s wealth.
Jesus is framing this parable for us when He says, “Whoever can be trusted with little, can be trusted with more, whoever is dishonest with little, will be dishonest with much.”
Now, he’s going to tell us what the little is, what is the master’s wealth we manage… Listen
11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
Jesus is squarely coming after the money in your pocket and framing it as the “masters” money, not yours.
Now, I get it, if you’re not a Christian, or you don’t believe that Jesus is really God, then maybe you look at this and go… “eh, sorry man, that’s my money.
But if you believe Jesus, and you believe that you didn’t choose where you were born and the parents you had and the million different opportunities that had to happen for you to have that money in your pocket.
Maybe God put that money in your pocket not just for your own pleasure, but for His purposes. Have you ever thought of that?
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What if God has a purpose for your money that’s other than what your purpose is?
Jesus gets it, He knows the argument you’re going to have with this…
-“but how would I know what to do with that money?”
-“it’s my money, I worked for it, why can’t I use it on my pleasure”
Listen as he answers your excuses…
13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
You can’t serve two masters
ILLUSTRATION:
When I first started at Harmony, I had never worked at the lead pastor with an executive pastor – think CEO & CFO. We didn’t have clearly defined expectations of who would do what. I’ll never forget one of our staff being brave enough to come to me and say, “Kent, I feel like I”m getting dragged in two different directions all the time cause I don’t know if I need to list to David or you…”
Why? Because no one can serve two masters
Jesus very clearly says you can’t serve both God and money
Some of you want the benefits of being close to Jesus, relationships that are healthy, a character that people admire, wisdom but you still are ruled by your money and possessions.
Did you hear what Jesus said to the pharisees?
You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
Why did He say that?
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It’s the same reason our world values money…
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The larger our bank account, the more value our life seems to have – the more security we have.
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Do you know why God detests what humans value highly? It’s because we allow that thing to give us the security that only God can give.
-let that settle in for a moment
So, what’s your alignment? What do you run to when things are falling apart, the economy is failing? The world doesn’t make sense?
What do you do with the resource you’ve been given?
let me ask this question,
If your resources are really God’s resources and you are just his investment manager. Do you think He would look at your bank account and say, “they’ve been trustworthy with the little I’ve given them?”
CLOSING:
I was having this conversation with a friend recently about how so many people say that when it comes you just have to let go and let God, but that’s not what Jesus said. What Jesus said was if you seek first the Kingdom of God then all else will be added to you. This answers the questions you have about, “if I start letting God take control of my possessions, who will take care of me”. Jesus is literally giving you the plan – if you seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness. You still have something to do in this. Your job is to seek His Kingdom and He will take care of you – when He sees you being trustworthy, he’ll give you even greater things…
what if you took the step to go all in with Jesus today. What if you chose to follow Him!
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