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KEY SCRIPTURE
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, for the sake of the promise of life in Christ Jesus:
2 To Timothy, my dearly loved son.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. 4 Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also.
6 Therefore, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.
8 So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10 This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
…
13 Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
PRAYER
King Jesus thank you the gift of my salvation, for saving me, not by anything I’ve done but by everything you did for me.
Holy Spirit, fan into flame a passion for Jesus, for your mission and for your Word.
Thank you for the gospel, the good news that is set me free from sin and death. Speak through your word, soften my heart where it is hard and help me live in your Spirit’s power and boldness in my life and in this church.
In Jesus name
Amen!
SERMON NOTES
For most everyone in the room, the idea of investment is connected to money.
“Doesn’t the Bible say that, ‘Money is the root of all evil.’?” That’s not really what the verse says…
10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. —1 Timothy 6:10
Money is
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”—Matthew 6:19-24
Lamps and eyes? Your eyes are how you
Because God cares about you, he cares about your
God has created a way for you because you are a Christian to not let money consume your vision - the
Tithing is the only time we are told to test God.
8“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.—Malachi 3:8-10
God warns his people that if you are not tithing, you are stealing from Him. But He also promises blessing if you trust Him with the tithe. This doesn’t mean you’ll be wealthy - it does mean that you’ll be
Investing isn’t just about money though, and the intention is of a return on investment.
5So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.—2 Corinthians 9:5-7
In other words, the more you sow/invest into something, the greater the reaping potential you have!
You sow with an expectation of a specific harvest. You don’t sow corn to reap apples.
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.—Galatians 6:7-10
What happens when you invest the Fruits of the Spirit?
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.—Galatians 5:22-23
What’s the hardest part about investing in God’s Kingdom?
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, for the sake of the promise of life in Christ Jesus:
2 To Timothy, my dearly loved son.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. 4 Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also.
6 Therefore, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.
8 So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10 This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
…
13 Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.—2 Timothy 1:1-10, 13-14
•Timothy isn’t Paul’s biological son - he’s his
•Paul invests in Timothy through his
•He lists three people - Timothy, his grandmother and his mother
These are the first three generations of Jesus’ Church. Timothy’s mother and grandmother
•God wants you and I to invest in the Gospel - the Good News of Jesus.
How do we invest in the things of the Spirit?
We invest in
•God’s Kingdom work in the world
•churches and missions
•people
•our youth and children’s ministries
How do you and I invest in the Gospel?
We also make sure the hope of the Gospel is able to reach the next generation, and the generation after that.
The house illustration
The basement is where the kids hang out. They can be loud and messy.
The main floor is where the parents hang out. They’ve painted, decorated, made the house a reflection of them.
The second floor is for the older parents and younger grandparents. They live in the house but aren’t the primary resident.
The attic is where we store our treasures, scrapbooks, memories and things of the past.
The roof is what protects the house and those who live in the house from the elements. This represents the last generation. They’ve lived in every stage of the house.
Each floor protects the level below. Each generation invests in and fills the generation after.
But we have to remember that the purpose of the church is not to hold onto the past but to be a spiritual home for the next generation. We can’t say ‘this is your home, but you can’t change anything.’
If you’re ready to invest in the future generations of the Church, pray this prayer:
Lord Jesus, give me a passion for your Kingdom. I don’t want to miss the opportunities you’ve placed in front of me. Help me set aside my agenda for yours.
Help me use my gifts, leverage my resources, my passions for a greater return on investment… One that has eternal consequences.
I confess that I can be selfish, I can be short sighted.
Thank you for forgiving me.
Jesus be Lord of my investments.
In Jesus name, Amen —Prayer for investment
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