Values for Eternity
Lots of Questions today
What should a church be about? What should it be like?
What drives OUR ministry?
What drives YOUR life?
ANSWER is the same - Generally what we value determines what we do, how we spend our resources like time, talent, energy, and money.
Today we begin to look at what we MUST value as a ministry – What we call our CORE VALUES.
These are good things that all of us should have
Yet their importance to our mission makes them focal here
It is a way to share our heart as a ministry with those around us.
We’ll start next week with the first one – INTEGRITY, then SACRIFICE, TEAMWORK, INCLUSIVENESS, CARING, DEPENDENCE, PERSISTENCE, and RELATIONSHIPS
Some are character traits, some are actions, others are attitudes, but all of them are things we must personally and collectively value for our call as a ministry to be fulfilled.
SO today – we’ll start by talking about how to choose what to value – back to that question – what drives you? It is what is important or treasured by you!!
1. Values focus your INTERESTS (v. 22-23)
The eye is the lamp of the body
Good = whole body full of light
Bad = whole body full of darkness
Using the picture of what you see – what you take in through your eyes – having an impact on your whole body.
Just like the body cannot perceive it’s surroundings without eyes that work properly, VALUES (“treasures” from v. 19) affect what you notice, what draws your attention – because it is important to YOU.
The cricket and the Indian
If your values are wrong – everything you look at in your life to gauge how things are going will be wrong
If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness
If your heart is set on the wrong things – SUCCESS WILL BRING FAILURE
You will evaluate your life based on what is important to you – and if your values are wrong, your life will seem LOST, POINTLESS, WORTHLESS
What’s the answer to living like this? How do I know what’s really valuable?
2. Values are determined by DESTINY (v. 19-21)
How do I know what I’m treasuring?
What do you “Store up”
Why does someone “store up”?
Protection – of stuff, of self – storing has the idea of putting aside, taking out of the place where it could be “used up”
WHAT do you want that you’re always trying to get more of?
What would bother you the most if you lost it – practical not theoretical (people lose a job and treat their family like trash)
Control – of situations, of future – has the idea of trying to make sure that things are how they “should be”.
WHAT is it that you look at to see if things are how they “should be”?
What are you counting on to make sure that everything is OK tomorrow?
Where you look to for protection and control is a statement of what you treasure!
The deceptive nature of our flesh means that sometimes you don’t realize what you’re looking to for protection and control until you lose it and your world crumbles (9-11, a job)
Why do you “store up”?
“for yourselves” – this is a self focused life – what do I need, how will this help me, what do I want?
We are commanded NOT to store up for ourselves
Right values are not self focused
Two types of values – on earth and in heaven
Speaking of the physical vs spiritual, temporary vs eternal
Describes the earthly values – why they are empty and worthless
THEIR DESTINY – even if stored!!
No Security – moths (active destruction – something destroys them)
No Control – rust (passive destruction – just sitting there & dissolves!)
No Durability – thieves – can be lost, all things of this earth are temp
As we decide what’s important in this world, we must grip the certainty that all things of this earth are temporary and will be destroyed!
Eternal things – heavenly things - just the opposite (eternal and lasting)
So what things are truly valuable?
What are eternal things? – the
People are eternal – their destiny and relationship with God are eternal
v.21 – Where your passion lies is what you treasure
NOT a call to poverty and monastic living – not about what you have or how much – about what you are devoted to.
What do you gather and protect? Where is your passion?
As a ministry, we must see the things of this world as temporary tools to produce eternal riches.
Fine to have a nice building or good sound equip – but it’s not the point of what we do! We only evaluate progress by eternal measures!
3. Values drive CHOICES (v. 24)
What you value is what you serve!!
It is impossible to serve (value) both earthly and heavenly things
You must choose what you will value – that is what you will serve
Joshua – choose you this day whom you will serve – but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord
Elijah – How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal is god, follow him.
James – a double minded person is unstable in all their ways
The other will be Hated or Despised – to detest or count as nothing
To like one so much that the other one seems like nothing
To be so consumed with one that there is no time, energy, or focus for the other
Values begin to exclude the unnecessary – Values begin to embrace what is important
This is where God calls for each of us to live by CONVICTION – do we believe or is this just lip service.
God wants us to see what is worth pouring our lives into BECAUSE He wants to use us to build the
posted by Hope Christian Fellowship at 12:25 PM
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