Joke: Little boy goes to a new church. He sees a plaque with an American flag and a list of men’s names on it. His asked his dad, “Daddy, what is that for?” His daddy told him, “It was a list of men who died in the service son.” His son looked at him with fear in his eyes and said, “Was it the 9:00 or 10:00 service?”
Title: For Everything Else, There’s Master Card
Text: Multi-texted, Topical
Introduction: My wife had a yard sale this past weekend. Think of the things sold in yard sales.
Those things lose their value.
Dryer: $10.00 Suits: $5.00 Bicycles: $5.00
Shirts: $.25 Dresses: $1.00
These are items that once held much greater value.
Think about things that you would not put in a yard sale.
Baby pictures
Wedding book
Grand daddy’s old shot gun.
Tell about the Master Card commercial. Little boys at a ball game. Puffy hand $6.00, popcorn $2.00, their first major league game – priceless. The caption “There are some things money can’t by. For everything else, there’s Master Card.”
WORTH AND VALUE What holds worth to you? What do you care about? What are your values?
1. Bad News: Our Country: The greatest nation on earth, but moral decay is rampant.
A. Read Highlighted Gallup Poll Results
B. These polls scream out relativism and humanism and universalism.
1. Relativism says, “I do want God, I just want Him relative to my terms.
1. My feelings rule. If I agree with the rule, fine, but don’t infringe on my rights.
1. Whatever man wants that what he gets.
2. Think of what that does to morality.
3. Listen to what Solomon the wisest said.
(Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 NCV) I said to myself, "I will try having fun. I will enjoy myself." But I found that this is also useless. {2} It is foolish to laugh all the time, and having fun doesn’t accomplish anything. {3} I decided to cheer myself up with wine while my mind was still thinking wisely. I wanted to find a way to enjoy myself and see what was good for people to do during their few days of life. {4} Then I did great things: I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. {5} I made gardens and parks, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. {6} I made pools of water for myself and used them to water my growing trees. {7} I bought male and female slaves, and slaves were also born in my house. I had large herds and flocks, more than anyone in Jerusalem had ever had before. {8} I also gathered silver and gold for myself, treasures from kings and other areas. I had male and female singers and all the women a man could ever want. {9} I became very famous, even greater than anyone who had lived in Jerusalem before me. My wisdom helped me in all this. {10} Anything I saw and wanted, I got for myself; I did not miss any pleasure I desired. I was pleased with everything I did, and this pleasure was the reward for all my hard work. {11} But then I looked at what I had done, and I thought about all the hard work. Suddenly I realized it was useless, like chasing the wind. There is nothing to gain from anything we do here on earth. His final conclusion was (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NCV) Now, everything has been heard, so I give my final advice: Honor God and obey his commands, because this is all people must do. {14} God will judge everything, even what is done in secret, the good and the evil.”
A. Universalism Your ok I’m ok, God will save all good people.
1. Jesus even went so far as to say, (Matthew 7:21 NCV) "Not all those who say that I am their Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. The only people who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do what my Father in heaven wants.”
1. Let’s get something perfectly straight. Those in heaven will only be those people who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb and are abiding in the teachings of God. Those who are saved by His grace and mercy.
2. Did you hear the stat a while ago? Almost half (44%) believed that a person, who was good, would go to heaven without believing in God.
**READ “PARADOX”
2. Good News: For everything else there may be Master Card, but Jesus is the answer to the problems of this world.
**The sad thing is many people don’t even know about how to find this great treasure. Tell about the young man at band camp last week who talked of writing dark poetry. I asked him why didn’t he write brighter things. He said, because that’s the kind of life he had to live. I told him that I had the answer to his dark life. His name is Jesus. His way is the best way.
**You see, we need to begin living our lives by the VALUES set forth by our Lord.
** We, so often, live a rules based religion and try and invite people into that kind of life. (Are there rules to keep, yes, but our focus has gotten somewhat blurred on what is real and true and right)
‒ While we argue petty issues, people are dying in their sins.
‒ While we try and figure out how to run church programs, people are missing out on the grace of God.
**But if we begin to live by focusing on the VALUES and not to the RULES, we will be blessed.
The Values are the things that money can’t buy.
I know your asking, “What are the proper values?” There aren’t really that many, because once you realize the true values, everything else falls into place.
3. The Greatest Values
A. NUMBER 1 VALUE (Matthew 22:37-38 NCV) Jesus answered, "’Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ {38} This is the first and most important command.”
1. You say that’s too easy, we all love God.
2. True, we might say it, but it is not true that all love God.
3. The Bible says that we shall know them by their fruits.
4. (Luke 6:46 NCV) "Why do you call me, ’Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say? The wise and foolish builders.
1. I cannot say I love God and prove it without things that manifest that love anymore than I could love my family without things that manifest that love.
1. Caring for you family.
2. Worshiping God.
3. Changing your views and giving in to Him.
4. Walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
B. NUMBER 2 VALUE (Matthew 22:39-40 NCV) And the second command is like the first: ’Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’”
1. Well you just don’t know my neighbor
1. John said that we could not even love God whom we have not seen if we did not love our brother who we have seen.
2. What can this mean?
1. Loving our neighbor mean I won’t let him be lost.
2. Loving my neighbor means I hold him accountable for what is right and he the same for me.
3. Loving my neighbor means I have to deny myself. (Luke 9:23 NCV) "Jesus said to all of them, "If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing to give up their lives daily to follow me."
C. Anything of spiritual value will fall under these to categories. {40} All the law and the writings of the prophets depend on these two commands."
Conclusion: The conclusion is to live our lives by values and not so much by rules. When we value God and the things of God the rules won’t be a problem.
What are you and I gonna do about it?
Preaching has as its goal the change the walk of man.
‒ What I say does not matter in the greater scheme of things unless it comes from God and the same for what you do.
‒ How are you doing as a dad, husband, mother, wife, child?
There are some things money can’t buy. True Happiness, Healthy Family, Faith, Friendships
