Sam Kauerauf . Invest to Multiply . July 31, 2022
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Light doesn’t shine when it’s hidden.
“Go” isn’t just a moment, it is an investment.
Matthew 25:19-23 19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’
21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’
23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
Matthew 25:24-30 (MSG) 24-25 “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’
26-27 “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.
28-30 “‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.
Investing in others is a stewardship issue.
Esther 4:14 “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
1.) We don’t invest in others because we don’t think we are good enough.
Matthew 25:24-25 (MSG) 24-25 “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’
We believe that God has too high of standards, but that is just religion. That’s not God.
2.) We don’t invest in others because we are not willing to take risks.
Matthew 25:29-30 (MSG) 29-30 “‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.
People are messy.
Individualism is “playing it safe,” pouring out to others is going on a limb.
“Your walk with God is designed by God to be a community project. Anonymous, consumerist, isolated, independent, self-sufficient, “Jesus and me” Christianity is a distant and distorted facsimile of the faith of the New Testament… Moreover, we think that we know ourselves and we think we’re okay, forgetting the power of sin. That’s why church is, for many of us, nothing more than a thing to attend on Sunday. Church is a formal set of activities. Church is a buffet of regularly scheduled, demographically designed religious offerings. Church is a place where music can be enjoyed and sermons can be heard. Church is what connects us to worldwide missions. Church provides wholesome activities for our children. But church isn’t an interdependent, webbed-together community of personally focused love and grace for us all. But the Bible is clear… We each need to live in an intentionally intrusive, Christ-centered, grace driven redemptive community. It’s not a luxury. It is a spiritual necessity. The question is, “Are you webbed in?”
We can invest in messy people because we, too, are messy.
3.) We don’t invest in others because we don’t want to be responsible.
Matthew 25:25 (NIV) “So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
“I am not responsible for this any further”
4.) We don’t invest in others because we think what we are doing is too small.
Matthew 25:21 ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.”
1.) Invest through prayer.
2.) Invest in the next generation.
Psalm 71:17-18 17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me,and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. 18
Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.
“Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to children. If the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs, the Church should be too.”
You have to do something!
Are you willing?
Isaiah 6:8 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”