Strategy - Where Do We Go From Here?.

Nate Schlomann

[0:00] Good morning, Village. We’re so glad you’re here this morning. My name’s Nate. I’m one of the pastors here. [0:04] So no, I’m not just doing announcements. You’ve got me for the whole morning. [0:08] Steve and his family are enjoying some much-needed rest. They’re on vacation. [0:11] They’ll be back next week to start the Jonah series with us. You don’t want to miss that. [0:15] You’ve got those invite cards to invite everyone out next week. [0:19] This morning, what I get to do is kind of put an end cap on the Core Values series.

[0:23] That’s going to be kind of fun because I get to talk about some big thematic issues. [0:27] So that’s pretty good. If you’ve been with us the last 10 weeks, [0:30] you know that we’ve been going through our Core Values as a church. [0:33] These are four things that we feel from our understanding of Scripture [0:36] help us see how we’re supposed to live the Christian life. [0:38] Four things that we see as the big things of Scripture, specifically how the church operates

[0:43] and how us as Christians and individuals operate. [0:46] And so, we’ve been going through that for 10 weeks and now we’re wrapping that up. [0:51] First thing I want you to remember is redemption. It all starts with Jesus. [0:55] Jesus saves us on the work of the cross. We’re reconciled to God and put right with him. [1:01] It’s always got to start with redemption. It’s something that we can never forget. [1:05] Redemption changes us from the inside out. And so, we get a new life with Jesus.

[1:10] When we’re redeemed, that’s always going to put us on mission. [1:13] Redeemed people go on mission when they’re taking that message of redemption to the people all around them. [1:17] And we’ve defined the mission of Jesus as using everything that God has given us in our life [1:22] to see as many people as possible come to know Jesus and come to know the redemption and hope that can be found in him. [1:28] Next, we’ve got community. Mission will always drive us into community because we can’t do the mission alone. [1:34] That’s why community is so important. We’ve got to have people around us, supporting us, helping us to be on mission.

[1:39] But our church isn’t a social club. We’re not a community for ourselves. We’re a community of people on mission. [1:44] So, it’s very important that mission drives us into community and that’s what our community is for. [1:48] Finally, we have culture. And this is where the other three things take place. [1:53] Culture is our recognition that God saved us and put us in a specific place and at a specific time. [1:58] And for us, that’s Midlothian, Virginia, 2010, Greater Richmond area. [2:03] So, we realize that we’ve got to be strategic in how we take redemption and mission to the people around us because it’s a specific culture we’ve been put in.

[2:10] It’s also a recognition that there’s other cultures throughout this earth that God also sent his son to die for. [2:15] So, we have to be strategic in how we reach those cultures. [2:19] So, those are our core values. These kind of form a framework for the Christian life. [2:23] A framework for what we’re supposed to be doing as Christians and also a framework for how the church is supposed to be operating. [2:28] These core values influence what we do as a church and why we do the things that we do as a church. [2:33] What I’m afraid of though is I think we have the tendency, and we have things like core values, to take these and treat them as nice ideas that we talk about on Sunday mornings.

[2:43] I think church in our context does that a lot. [2:45] We often will come in and church will be about once a week gathering together and talking about some nice ideas. [2:52] But you know and I know that if nice ideas don’t change us, they don’t really mean much. [2:57] That we can say all the right things, we can think all the right things, we can believe all the right things. [3:02] But if it doesn’t produce change, that’s worthless. [3:05] And so rather than just having these core values for us, what I want to do today and what I want to do as a way to end the core series is ask the question,

[3:14] what are we supposed to do in light of these core values? [3:17] They can’t just be nice things that we think about. [3:20] We’ve got to ask the question, where do we go from here? [3:22] Now that we have these core values that help us understand the big picture of scripture, what do we do with our life? [3:27] Where do we go from here with that? [3:30] We’re going to look at a parable this morning.

[3:31] I think it’s really going to help set up that question for us and it’s going to help answer this idea of what do we do with our life? [3:37] It’s going to be in Matthew chapter 25. [3:39] You can go ahead and turn there now. [3:41] In the book of Matthew, most of Jesus’s parables, he’s answering the question, what is the Kingdom of Heaven going to be like? [3:47] What is it going to be like for the followers of Jesus when they’re living life the way God intended? [3:52] We’re not just talking about heaven.

[3:54] Okay, we’re also talking about Kingdom of Heaven, which is also here on earth. [3:58] As the followers of Jesus are starting to live life the way God intended them to live. [4:03] So that’s what Jesus is talking about in most of his parables. [4:05] And specifically in this section of Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus is telling his disciples what it’s going to be like for them and what they should be doing until he returns. [4:14] He’s talking about what they should be doing until he returns. [4:16] So that’s very important for us asking this question of what should we do in light of the core values.

[4:22] Go ahead and start reading in verse 14.

[4:26] For it will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. [4:32] To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. [4:37] Then he went away. [4:39] He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. [4:44] So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. [4:47] But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

[4:52] Now, after a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. [4:57] All right, we need to stop here and make sure that we understand what’s going on here. [5:00] Got a master and he’s going away for a while and he gives his servants some money. [5:04] Don’t get hung up on the word talents. [5:06] In Israel at that time, a talent was actually a measurement of money. [5:10] So we’re not talking about things you’re good at talent show kind of deal.

[5:13] We’re talking about money. [5:14] The master goes away. [5:15] He gives his servants money. [5:17] And this is actually a large amount of money. [5:18] Scholars think a talent was equal to about 20 years wages for a laborer. [5:22] So this is hundreds of thousands of dollars, millions for the five talent guy.

[5:26] All right. [5:27] So the master leaves and gives his servants some money and he expects that they’re going to do something with it and grow it while he’s gone. [5:32] We know that because at the end there, he says he comes back and settles accounts with them. [5:37] All right. [5:37] So let’s read on verse 20. [5:41] And he who had received the five talents came forward bringing five talents more saying,

[5:46] Master, you delivered to me five talents. [5:48] Here I have made five talents more. [5:50] Master said to him, well done, good and faithful servant. [5:53] You have been faithful over a little. [5:55] I will set you over much. [5:56] Enter into the joy of your master.

[5:59] And he also who had the two talents came forward saying, Master, you delivered to me two talents. [6:04] Here I have made two talents more. [6:06] His master said to him, well done, good and faithful servant. [6:09] You’ve been faithful over a little. [6:10] I will set you over much. [6:11] Enter into the joy of your master.

[6:13] So the first two servants take what they’ve been giving and they work hard with it. [6:17] They go out, they invest, they start business and they double their money. [6:22] So the master is quite happy with this, right? [6:25] I read on verse 24. [6:27] We’re going to finish up the parable.

[6:30] He also who had received the one talent came forward saying, Master, I knew you to be a hard man, [6:36] reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. [6:39] So I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground. [6:42] Here you have what is yours. [6:43] But his master answered him, you wicked and slothful servant. [6:47] You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gathered where I scattered no seed.

[6:51] And notice there’s a question mark there. [6:53] The master is not agreeing with what he just said. [6:55] He’s just saying, if that’s what you thought of me, you’re wrong, by the way. [6:58] But if that’s what you thought of me, you at least should have done this. [7:01] Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers. [7:04] And at my coming, I should have received what was my own with interest.

[7:07] So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. [7:11] For to everyone who has will more be given. [7:13] And he will have an abundance. [7:15] But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. [7:18] And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. [7:21] In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

[7:25] So this story kind of speaks for itself, right? [7:27] We’ve got a master going away. [7:29] He gives three of his servants money to invest and grow. [7:34] Two of them do a good job with it. [7:35] They end up doubling it. [7:37] They bring it back to him. He’s happy.

[7:39] The last servant, not so good. [7:41] He doesn’t do anything with it. [7:42] He buries it. He comes back to the master. [7:45] He says, here, at least I gave you back what you gave me. [7:47] And he’s not happy at all, to put it lightly. [7:50] The question we’ve got to ask ourselves is what is this parable saying?

[7:53] Parables had a meaning. [7:55] Jesus is telling these stories because he wants his disciples to understand the principle here. [8:00] So we’ve got to figure out what that principle is. [8:02] I think the master is Jesus. The master is God. [8:04] I think that’s pretty clear from the context and other parallel passages. [8:08] And the servants are us.

[8:09] The servants are Jesus’s followers. [8:12] So we’ve got God. [8:14] And we understand now that he’s given us something to do with until he returns. [8:19] So what is that thing? [8:20] Now we’ve got to ask the question, what does a talent represent? [8:24] What is it that God has given us that he expects us to use and work with and grow until he comes back?

[8:31] I certainly I don’t think talents are referring to money for us, just resources. [8:36] I think it includes that. [8:37] But I don’t think it’s just that. [8:38] I think scripture is pretty clear that God doesn’t value us just based on our paycheck. [8:42] And I think also we know God gives us so much more than just our money. [8:46] So I don’t think that’s what talents are referring to.

[8:48] I also don’t think talents are referring to talents, what we’re good at. [8:52] I don’t think that’s only it either. [8:53] And again, it’s the same reason. [8:55] I think Jesus has a much bigger picture in mind here with what the concept that he wants us to get. [9:01] I think it’s a lot bigger than just our money. [9:02] It’s a lot bigger than just things we’re good at.

[9:05] We’ll get it this way. [9:05] What is it for followers of Jesus? [9:07] What is it that we would say that God gives us? [9:11] Everything, right? [9:12] I mean, followers of Jesus would say everything that we have is from God. [9:15] All our money, all our time, all the resources that we have.

[9:19] Even more than that, though, think bigger. [9:21] All the opportunities that we have in life. [9:23] Everything that comes into our life that we’re able to use is from God. [9:28] And I think that’s the big picture of this parable that Jesus wants us to get. [9:31] I think he’s telling us everything that I’ve given you, [9:35] everything that I’ve given you in this life, that’s what I want you to use to build my kingdom until I return.

[9:41] And so that’s a pretty big concept, I know. [9:43] But it’s a pretty big question that we had of what we’re supposed to do with our life. [9:47] And so I think it takes a big concept like that. [9:49] So I’m going to start to try to answer this question of what is it that we’re supposed to be doing with our lives as we follow Jesus. [9:54] And the first thing is I’m going to say is we’re supposed to use everything that he’s given us to build his kingdom. [9:59] I realize it’s a big idea.

[10:02] We’re going to keep plowing away with that. [10:06] All right. [10:07] I want to take a little detour though, right here, because I think there’s a little game that some of us like to play at this point. [10:14] See, in this story, we have three servants, right? [10:17] One’s got five talents, one’s got two, and one’s got one. [10:20] I think a lot of us like to say, okay, I understand that.

[10:24] But you know, I’m not really good at much. [10:26] There’s not really a whole lot I have to offer. [10:28] I don’t have a lot of money. [10:30] So I think I’m kind of a one talent kind of person. [10:33] I think a lot of us play this game. [10:34] And so when we’re thinking, OK, if I’m a one talent person, then all God wants for me is two talents.

[10:40] So I go to church, even go to a community group. [10:42] I give some money. [10:43] I try to be a nice person. [10:45] It should be about two talents, right? [10:47] So I’m good. [10:49] I think in a lot of different ways and variations, we play this game.

[10:52] We think I can’t expect so much from me because I only have so much to give. [10:58] And what I’m hoping to do right now is convince you that most of you are five talent people [11:03] because I don’t think we recognize the place God has put us. [11:07] And I don’t think we have a very global perspective of all that God has given us.

[11:14] How about some global poverty statistics? [11:16] Who doesn’t like global poverty statistics, right? [11:19] They’re always different. [11:19] There’s always interesting. [11:21] We don’t know where they come from, but they’re on the Internet. [11:23] So they got to be true.

[11:26] All right. [11:27] Half the world’s population lives on $2.50 a day or less.

[11:34] A billion people in the world struggle just to have clean water every day. [11:39] And two and a half billion people don’t have basic sanitation that they have access to. [11:44] I could keep going on lists and lists of things that will convince you [11:49] that you have it rather well off in America, but I think you know that. [11:53] And here’s the point. [11:54] Talents aren’t just talking about material goods and well-being anyway.

[11:58] People who are in those conditions are loved by God just as much as us, [12:03] redeemed by God just as much as us, [12:05] and on mission for God just as much as us if they’re followers of Jesus. [12:09] But the thing is they don’t have nearly the opportunities that we have [12:12] just because of where we were born. [12:15] But there’s poor in America, too.

[12:17] 13% of Americans are below the poverty line, [12:20] which the government defines as $22,000 a year or less for a family of four. [12:25] That’s struggling. [12:26] That’s definitely struggling, right? [12:28] There’s probably people in our church even who are struggling like that. [12:31] But I still don’t think we have very good historical perspective

[12:36] because even that 13%, the bottom 13% in America, [12:40] who really are struggling, I’m not denying that at all, [12:42] but their quality of life and the standards that we have now [12:45] is equivalent to what the middle class was 40 years ago. [12:48] And even that bottom 13% of America, even today, [12:51] with a lot of lifestyle things that we have,

[12:53] the size of our houses, the food that we can afford, [12:56] the education and health care that we have access to, [12:59] it’s still greater than the middle class in most other developing countries. [13:04] We are extremely blessed for where we live, [13:07] and it affords us a lot of opportunities to live for the mission of Jesus. [13:12] One more thing, and then I’ll be done with this,

[13:14] and I think this is the most staggering one, really. [13:16] In America and over all developing countries, [13:20] in the last 100 years, the average lifespan has raised 30 years. [13:26] What that means is just because you were born when you were born, [13:29] and not 100 years ago, you’re going to have 30 more years [13:33] to give to the mission of Jesus than other people would have had.

[13:36] That’s huge. [13:38] That is so huge because I think talents have a lot more to do with opportunity [13:42] than the stuff we have or the skills we have. [13:44] The reason I think that is because the Bible is full of stories of people [13:48] without a lot of skills and without a lot of money, [13:51] who just made themselves available, and God used them.

[13:55] So because you’re an American, because you live where you live, [14:01] I think you have so many more opportunities and so much more availability [14:04] to live for the mission of Jesus and to use everything in your life [14:08] to build his kingdom than most people who have ever lived on earth. [14:12] That’s just the truth. I think we’re all five talent people. [14:15] So we’ve got to accept that and figure out what we’re going to do with that.

[14:20] That’s all I’ve got there. [14:22] Now we’ve got to get back to our question. [14:24] We’re still asking, what is it that we should be doing [14:27] with these core values that we say we’re about? [14:29] What are Christians supposed to be doing with their lives? [14:33] I think there’s a frustrating answer in this parable.

[14:37] You’ll see why I say it’s frustrating. [14:39] Look at verse 15. If we could get that back up on the screen, please. [14:44] I think there’s a key idea here with this idea of ability.

[14:50] Notice what the Master gave the servants their talents based on. [14:55] He gave them their talents based on their ability. [14:58] So he got the Master, he sees his servants, he sees what ability they have, [15:02] and so he gives them the appropriate amount of money. [15:04] The one with more ability gets more money. [15:07] Well, here’s the problem with us.

[15:10] Who gave us our ability? God did. [15:14] So God both gave us our ability, [15:16] and he’s giving everything in our life that we have to build his kingdom. [15:20] So we’ve got God, and he gives us our ability, [15:22] and then he says he wants us to use that ability that he’s given us [15:25] with everything else that he’s given us to build his kingdom.

[15:29] Let me tell you why that’s frustrating. [15:31] Because essentially we’ve asked God what should we do, [15:33] and his answer is whatever you can do. [15:35] That’s frustrating. If our boss told us that, we’d be a little frustrated. [15:38] Because we’re people that want to know two things. [15:41] We want to know where the line is so that we can be sure we’re across it,

[15:44] and we want to know how much is enough. [15:47] And God doesn’t work like that. [15:48] That’s the law, and Jesus fulfilled that. [15:51] There’s no line, and we could never do enough, so Jesus had to do it for us. [15:56] This isn’t a mission that we can sign up for out of guilt [15:59] or out of a need for acceptance,

[16:01] because our guilt is already covered in Jesus, [16:03] and we’re already as accepted in Jesus as we’re ever going to be. [16:07] This mission, this thing where we’re using everything in our lives [16:10] to see as many people as possible come to know the redemption in Jesus, [16:14] where everything that God has given us, our time, our opportunity, our talents, [16:19] we’re using all of that to build his kingdom,

[16:21] it’s something that we’ve got to sign up for out of love for the one who redeemed us. [16:25] That is the only thing that’s going to sustain us in this mission, [16:29] because there is no line to cross, and there is no enough or not enough. [16:35] Tell you what, this is a hard thing to understand, [16:37] but you could walk out of these doors and never do anything again for the mission of Jesus. [16:42] You could just say, I’m out, I don’t care about building God’s kingdom,

[16:47] and in the cross you will be just as accepted as you ever were, [16:52] because the cross covers everything. [16:54] The problem is, I don’t know if you really know him, if that’s your attitude. [16:57] I don’t know if you’re really redeemed.

[17:02] When we are redeemed, Jesus changes our life, [17:04] and he wants our whole life to be used for his mission.

[17:08] What I want to do now is I want to look at three big things that I think we see in this parable. [17:13] They’re going to kind of wrap around this idea of God giving us everything in our life, [17:17] and us needing to use everything he’s given us to further his kingdom, to advance his gospel. [17:22] So the first thing I want you to see is that following Jesus requires effort. [17:28] Remember that I started this morning by saying that I want to make sure that we’re not just letting these core values be nice ideas. [17:35] They’re not just nice things that we think about and say that’s nice.

[17:38] They’ve got to be things that we engage in and that we really make true in our lives, [17:42] and we see life change from. [17:45] The thing is that requires effort. [17:47] We see that in this parable. [17:49] The Master gives the servants money, and they have to work hard with it. [17:53] Just because they’re given this money doesn’t mean that they don’t have to work with it.

[17:58] That’s a principle that I think we need to understand. [18:01] I think we have a problem here because our redemption in Jesus is given to us freely. [18:07] There’s nothing we could ever do to earn it. [18:09] I think we have the tendency to think that something that’s given freely can’t demand anything of us. [18:14] That’s not the case, but it is the case in our lives a lot of time. [18:18] For instance, if we’re given a gift for free,

[18:20] usually we’re not nearly as careful with that gift as if it’s something we had to work really hard for. [18:26] A better example probably is these kind of gifts that keep on giving, [18:30] that we’re kind of annoyed that we got, like when the grandparents give our kids a dog that we didn’t want. [18:36] Now this free dog comes with years of expenses and time expenses and things we have to do. [18:42] We’re not too happy about that free gift, are we?

[18:46] It’s a different economy with God. [18:48] It can’t work like that because everything that we have is from God. [18:53] So every gift that He gives us is going to be free. [18:57] But just because our redemption is free doesn’t mean that it’s cheap. [19:02] That’s what we’ve got to understand. Grace is free, but it’s not cheap. [19:05] The reason is not because we have to do anything to earn our redemption,

[19:09] not that we have to do anything to keep our redemption, but it’s because redemption changes us. [19:13] So when we’re redeemed, our life is changed. We now have Jesus’ life. [19:17] And I’ve got bad news for you. Jesus’ life is a life where we work hard for the gospel. [19:23] So grace is free, but it’s not cheap. [19:25] Once you have redemption, you are called to work hard for the gospel. [19:30] And that’s really what our core values are all about.

[19:33] Our core values are about what our lives are going to look like once we’re redeemed. [19:36] Once we’re this new creation, we’re going to start being people that live for redemption, [19:40] that are on mission, that get into community, that go into culture. [19:44] And that’s hard work. [19:46] Also, please remember that redemption might be free for us, but it wasn’t free for God. [19:51] Redemption cost God a lot. His son had to die for our sins.

[19:56] So grace is not cheap, and we’ve got to get rid of this idea that we can say a prayer and have grace, [20:00] and then we’re good forever. It’s just not in the Bible. [20:04] Okay, once we receive redemption, Jesus has demands on our life. [20:08] And we’ve got to accept that. We’ve got to learn how to work that out.

[20:15] The main thing I want you to get from this point, following Jesus requires effort, [20:19] is that you’ve got to engage. [20:21] You’ve got to take these things that we talk about on Sunday morning, [20:23] and I’m so glad that you’re here every morning, [20:25] but you’ve got to take these things and work them out in your life, [20:29] and figure out how they fit and what it means that you need to change because of it.

[20:32] They can’t just be things that you hear. It takes effort. [20:35] It’s not a passive thing. That’s why we plug community groups so much. [20:40] You need a place where you can go, and you can talk and engage with other people about the things that we’re talking about. [20:46] But, a little secret for you, just showing up to community groups isn’t going to do it. [20:50] You can show up to community groups every week, and you can sit there and not engage, [20:54] and not put any hard work, and you’re still not going to change. It still takes effort.

[20:58] I think the biggest thing that has helped me in my life that you can do is ask questions. [21:02] If you’re not sure, ask. We so want to get to know you. [21:06] Every week, Steve’s back there in the back. He wants to talk to you. [21:09] We love calls. We love emails. [21:11] We want to help you work out these things because following Jesus does require effort, [21:15] and there’s so much to be gained by doing it.

[21:19] The next thing that I want to talk about is that sacrifice is for our own joy. [21:25] This is really important. We’ve got to understand that when we’re sacrificing for the mission, [21:29] it is for God’s glory. Of course, that’s why we were created, but it’s also for our own joy.

[21:37] Clearly today, in this parable, we’re seeing some sacrifice, right? [21:40] The servants who are given the money have to work hard, and that’s sacrifice, [21:44] and they work hard, and they increase the money, and the Master’s happy. [21:48] Sacrifice is something that’s been a part very often of our Core Values series. [21:51] Almost every other week, Steve talked about sacrifice in some way, [21:55] because that is a theme throughout Scripture.

[21:57] We were called to sacrifice our lives for the Gospel. [22:00] I think often we act like sacrifice for the Gospel is this thing that we have to do because God saved us. [22:07] God saved us, and now we own one, and so we’ve got to sacrifice for the Gospel. [22:11] I think we almost start to get this Christian masochism kind of thing, [22:17] where we think our goal and our value is found in how much we can punish ourselves for the Gospel [22:22] and how much we can do that we didn’t really want to do, but we’re doing it for Jesus.

[22:25] And there’s some value in that. That is not how God set this thing up to work at all. [22:32] You’ve got to understand. Look in verse 21. [22:35] Actually, let’s get that up on the screen again. Verse 21, please. [22:38] What did the Master say to the servant who’d sacrificed to build his kingdom? [22:44] He said, well done, and then he said, enter into the joy of your Master. [22:48] He says that again with the next servant. He says, enter into the joy of your Master.

[22:53] I think we’ve got to understand that all our sacrificing, everything that we’re doing, [22:58] using everything that God has given us to further his kingdom is for ultimately our own joy. [23:04] We don’t do it out of some kind of attempt to win favor with God because we can’t win favor with God. [23:10] I think we’ve talked about that quite a bit, right? [23:13] We can’t win favor with God, but the reason we sacrifice our lives is because we believe in a greater joy [23:18] that can be had in Jesus that we might not necessarily see right now.

[23:21] We trust that God knows what’s best for us, and he knows that this way of life that he’s set out for us [23:27] is the thing that’s going to bring us the most joy. [23:29] We’ve got to remember that, and we’ve got to believe that. [23:32] God is not up there saying, now that you’re saved, you’re going to really suffer for me. [23:36] That’s not God. God is leading us in this mission. [23:39] He’s saying these things that look like sacrifice to you are really for your best interest.

[23:45] You don’t know what’s really best for you. [23:47] You need to live the way that I’ve told you to live, which is giving everything you have to the mission. [23:53] That sacrifice is going to lead to your own joy. [23:56] Jesus said that he came to give us life and give it abundantly. [24:00] That’s what he’s talking about. [24:02] Finally, I think the most important thing that you need to see from this parable of the talents is that your life matters.

[24:09] This is really what I want you to hear this morning. [24:12] Your life matters greatly to God. [24:15] What you do with your life matters greatly. [24:19] I think because we are so sinful, and we are, [24:23] and because God had to save us through no effort of our own, which he did, [24:28] I think that causes us to think that we’re just worthless.

[24:31] We’re just pawn scum, and we’re not worth anything. [24:35] And that could not be farther from the truth. [24:37] It is precisely because God saved you, because he sent his Son to die for you, [24:43] that your life matters greatly. [24:46] When you’re redeemed, you’re given Jesus’ life. [24:49] And that’s a life that matters. And you’re given Jesus’ mission.

[24:52] And that’s a mission that matters. [24:54] And now, you’re using all these things that God puts in your life to build his kingdom. [24:58] And that is a life that matters. [25:01] I think this parable is important because it helps us to see how seriously God takes what we do with our time on this earth. [25:08] Our Master is coming back, and he’s going to want to know what we’ve done with everything that he’s given us. [25:14] And you all know how much you’ve been given.

[25:17] You know how much you’ve been given. [25:19] And so, these core values that we have, this church that we do together, that we are together, [25:26] it’s not a hobby for us. [25:28] It’s not something we do because we think it’s fun, although we have a lot of fun. [25:33] It’s not something we do because we think we need to be good people. [25:37] This is something we do because we really believe that what we do in this life matters for eternity.

[25:43] And I’m not talking about mere morality when I say that. [25:46] I’m not talking about good and bad. [25:47] What I’m talking about is what we do in this life to advance the Gospel and increase the mission of Jesus. [25:52] What we do in this life to bring redemption to as many people as possible in our lifetime. [25:58] That’s what matters for eternity. [26:00] Morality, that’s just a byproduct of our new life in Jesus.

[26:03] But I’ve got to tell you something. [26:05] God is not pleased by your goodness and badness. [26:09] The reason I can say that is because all your goodness is from God. [26:13] Your righteousness is like filthy rags. [26:14] All your goodness is for God. It’s His. [26:16] What God is pleased by is your obedience.

[26:19] And that involves goodness, but it involves so much more than that. [26:23] Your obedience also involves your obedience to this call, to this mission. [26:26] Your obedience to say, yes, I believe that everything that I have in my life should be used to build your kingdom. [26:34] That’s what pleases God. [26:37] God is a creator. [26:38] He created us to worship Him.

[26:40] He created us to bring Him glory. [26:42] He’s also created this big story that we see in Scripture. [26:46] And our core values try to help frame that for us in our part in that story. [26:51] Because God’s created this big story. [26:52] And the most amazing part about it is that our life matters in that story. [26:57] He wants us to play a part in His story that He’s created.

[27:02] And that really should blow you away. [27:05] And so what part are you playing in that story? [27:08] That’s the question I have for you. [27:10] That’s what these core values mean. [27:12] What part are you playing in God’s story? [27:14] Your life really matters.

[27:17] If you don’t know Jesus today, if you’re not a follower of Jesus, [27:21] I got to tell you everything that you’re working towards, [27:24] the life that you’re building, it doesn’t matter. [27:27] All that you’re struggling for, all that you enjoy, [27:31] all that you’re suffering through to build, [27:33] it’s going to be gone someday if you’re not a follower of Jesus.

[27:37] And no one’s going to remember who you were. [27:40] I don’t know the names of my great-great-grandparents. [27:45] When I was going through this, I just realized that. [27:48] I have no idea what their first names were. [27:49] And they’re my relatives, and they haven’t even been gone a hundred years. [27:53] So without Jesus, what we’re building doesn’t matter.

[27:57] But the Gospel says, and this is what’s so amazing, [27:59] we don’t have to leave these doors today with a life that doesn’t matter. [28:03] Because when we’re redeemed, when Jesus takes our sins and gives us His righteousness, [28:08] we also get His life, and that’s a life that matters. [28:11] We get to live on His mission, and that’s a mission that matters. [28:15] And if you do know Him today, that’s the message that you’ve got to take out these doors.

[28:20] That’s the message that Melothi in Virginia needs to hear. [28:24] Because we’re full of people who are living lives that don’t matter.

[28:29] And God wants everyone’s life to matter. [28:32] God’s given you a lot of things in this life. [28:35] A lot more than you probably realize, I think. [28:37] He’s given you all your time, all your ability, all your resources. [28:41] Everything He’s given you, He’s given that to you so that you can build His Kingdom. [28:47] You guys are people who have so much opportunity.

[28:50] You’re five talent people. You really are. [28:52] But you’ve got to engage with what God wants you to do to build His Kingdom. [28:58] You’ve got to engage with that, and that’s why we’re here. [29:00] We’re here because we want to see you engage with that. [29:02] We want to help you in that journey. [29:04] To see what can you do to use everything that God has given you,

[29:07] that huge standard, that big picture, everything God has given you to build His Kingdom. [29:14] That’s what our core values are about. [29:16] That’s why we have them, because they help us in that journey. [29:19] All right. We’re going to go to Communion now. [29:22] We take Communion as a church every week. [29:25] This is something that we really value as a community.

[29:28] If you’re new with us this week, if you’re a believer, this table is open to you. [29:32] The reason that we take Communion every week is because it’s a reminder of the Gospel for us. [29:38] When we take this bread and take this cup, [29:41] we’re not just remembering that Jesus died for our sins, though we are doing that. [29:45] But we’re remembering so much more than that. [29:47] We’re remembering the whole Gospel.

[29:48] We’re remembering that it’s Jesus’ life that’s now lived in us. [29:53] And because of that, we have a new mission. [29:56] So when we take Communion, we remember that everything that God has given us [30:00] were to use for His Kingdom and His mission. [30:03] So when you take Communion this morning, I want you to think about that. [30:07] Count the cost.

[30:09] And if you’re a believer, count the cost and then know that your joy lies in following Jesus in that way. [30:14] And then come and take Communion. [30:16] The band’s going to play a song. [30:19] And while they play that first song, take as much time as you need. [30:21] Reflect and then come up and take Communion. [30:24] All right. Let’s pray.

[30:26] Father, I just want to thank You as a church for our redemption. [30:31] I just want to thank You that You’ve given us a life that matters, Jesus, [30:34] for all the opportunity that You’ve given us. [30:36] Each one of us are blessed. [30:38] Father, we thank You for that. [30:39] God, help us to know what to do with all that You’ve given us.

[30:45] God, help us to follow You more and more each day. [30:49] Help us each day to give more and more of our lives to this mission that You’ve called us to. [30:54] Thank You for Your grace, Jesus. Amen.