Investing the Gospel

Luke's Gospel, chapter 19, and we'll begin reading at verse number 11.

I've entitled the message, Investing the Gospel.

Investing the Gospel.

Let's look at this together from God's Word, Luke 19 and 11.

The Bible says,

He said,

The first came before him, saying,

The second came, saying,

And he said to him,

Then another came, saying,

Slaughter them before me.

I want to ask you a question this morning.

How's your gospel investments going?

How's your gospel investments going?

Your first core as a church, as we just rehearsed that together,

is gospel focused.

Lakeside Bible Church is gospel focused.

That's your desire, your aim, a core conviction of who you are.

Gospel focused.

So in light of that,

how's your gospel investments going?

This is the question for our consideration today.

In what ways are you investing the gospel right now with your life?

You might find in your Bible above this paragraph in Luke 19,

a header such as the parable of money usage.

Some translations say the parable of the 10 pounds,

or as it is in my Bible, the parable of 10 minas.

Now that header in and of itself,

which is not scripture, by the way,

might cause you to think that this is a simple lesson on financial stewardship.

But that's not it at all.

Jesus is using a parable involving financial investments

as a simile for a much more significant investment

than just dollars and cents or pounds and minus.

This is about your life actively investing the gospel

or as we look at it collectively and corporately as a church this morning.

This text is about Lakeside actively investing the gospel.

For five years now,

you have existed in this community

on the Lakeside of Charlotte,

assembling together as a church

to preach the Bible

and to invest the gospel

in every home in this area.

My challenge to you today

is to encourage you to continue investing the gospel.

That for the next few months

and the next year

and the next five years

and as the Lord continues to use this congregation,

I not only want you to look back

and celebrate what God has done in five years,

I want you to look forward and say,

let's increase our investments.

Let's be more active than ever investing the gospel.

Let's take a look at our strategies

and evaluate if our strategies

are effectively being used to invest the gospel

here where we are

and what God wants us to do in the community.

That's what this parable is ultimately about.

It's not about money per se.

It's not about financial investments and stewardship,

although those things are important

and certainly discussed in scripture.

This particular text is about investing the gospel.

So I want you to see a couple of things, all right?

Here's the first thing I want you to see.

If you'd like to take notes,

feel free to write down these outlines

in your handout there.

I'll tell you as we go along, all right?

Number one, the first thing we see

is that Jesus addresses their expectations.

Jesus addresses their expectations.

Verse 11, as they heard these things,

he proceeded to tell a parable

because he was near to Jerusalem

and because they supposed

that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

So in this context of Jesus' ministry,

crowds have been following and observing Jesus

for a long time now.

They believe that he is Israel's Messiah

who has come from God.

They also knew very well the Old Testament scriptures

which prophesied that the Messiah would reign as king

over all the earth from Jerusalem.

So the closer Jesus gets to Jerusalem

in his earthly ministry,

the more excited they are as they expect

in just a matter of days,

Jesus is going to overthrow all government entities

and bring God's perfect kingdom to this earth.

They supposed that to be the case

and they expected this to happen

as soon as Jesus gets to Jerusalem.

And one of the reasons why

that was at the forefront of their minds

is because of the many Old Testament prophecies

that spoke of the Messiah's work.

One particular text in Zechariah chapter 14 says this,

Zechariah 14 · chapter mention

On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives

and the Mount of Olives shall be split into two

from east to west.

Then the Lord my God will come

and all the holy ones with him.

On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost

and the Lord will be king over all the earth.

On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.

Well, it sounds like this may be coming to fulfillment,

at least in their ears it did.

Scriptures like this were on their minds.

They're expecting the restoration of David's throne

and the elimination of all kingdoms.

All kingdoms except God's kingdom.

But they can't seem to grasp

as Jesus taught them again and again

that before the full and perfect kingdom of God

is established on earth,

the Messiah must die.

He must rise again

so that his primary mission is accomplished.

The mission of God's gospel work

going throughout the world.

saving his people from their sins.

Yes, he will one day

establish the completed and full kingdom of God

upon this earth.

But that was not to be done yet.

So to address their expectations,

he tells them a parable.

A parable to prepare them

for what will soon be

his departure

and delayed return.

By the way,

it is in that interim period

that you and I live right now.

Between the already

and the not yet.

Between the king's departure

and the king's return.

Where are we

on God's timeline

of prophetic events?

Well,

the king has departed

into heaven

where he sits

on the right hand

of the throne of God

interceding on behalf

of his people.

And now we are waiting

for the king to return.

And when he returns,

he will establish

fully and finally

his perfect kingdom

on this earth.

But it was not happening

at that moment

that they supposed

it was going to happen.

Verse 12,

Jesus says,

therefore,

he tells this parable again

to address this issue,

that a nobleman

went into a far country

to receive for himself

a kingdom

and then return.

So again,

on the backdrop

of their expectation,

Jesus is saying,

look,

the king is going

to be leaving soon

to build and complete

his kingdom,

but he will return

and bring it fully

to this earth

just as you expect.

But it's not happening

when you think

it's going to happen.

It will, however,

happen.

Now, before I move on,

I think it's very important

that as we talk about

investing the gospel

and the gospel kingdom of God

that we be reminded

of the full message

of Christ's gospel.

What is the gospel?

The gospel is a word

that means good news,

the good news of God,

the gospel of God,

and here it is,

that God,

in the form of Jesus Christ,

came from heaven

for us.

He lived sinlessly

on this earth

for us.

He died sacrificially

as our substitute

on the cross

for us.

He rose again

from the dead

three days later

for us.

He ascended back

to heaven

and is interceding

for us

at this moment

for us.

And one day,

one day,

He will come

again

for us.

And when He comes

again,

all the kingdoms

of this world

will become His.

And He will rule

and reign on this earth,

a new earth,

forever and ever.

Friends,

this is the gospel.

And we must understand

the full message

of the gospel.

The gospel is not just

that He came

the first time.

It's not just

that He died.

It's not just

that He rose again.

It's also that

He is coming back.

He will return

and His kingdom

will be perfectly

established

on this earth

forever and ever.

So Jesus is addressing

their expectation here.

They think

the kingdom

is coming back

in just a matter

of days

as He,

the believed Messiah,

is making His way

to Jerusalem.

But Jesus says,

no, I need to tell you

a story to help

you understand.

It's not happening

when you think

it's going to happen.

In fact,

I'm going to leave

and I'm going to be

gone for a while.

And as I'm gone,

there's some important

things I need you to do

before I come back.

That leads me

to the second thing

I want you to write

down in your notes.

The first thing

is that Jesus

addresses their expectation.

The second thing

that Jesus does here

is He speaks

of their devotion

to the king's mission.

Jesus speaks

of their devotion

to the king's mission.

So again,

let's go back

to the parable.

Verse 13,

the king is leaving

for the far country

and as he does,

he calls ten

of his servants

and gave them

ten minas.

And he said to them,

engage in business

until I come.

But his citizens

hated him

and sent a delegation

after him saying,

we do not want

this man to reign

over us.

What Jesus does here

in this parable

at the very beginning

is He presents

two groups of people.

The first group

is the king's servants

and the second group

is the king's enemies.

There are two groups

of people that exist

in this world today.

And perhaps even

in this room.

There are the king's servants

and there are

the king's enemies.

And that's how

he outlines them

here in the text.

Let's start

with the king's servants.

They are given here

a responsibility

while they wait

for the king

to return.

And in the parable,

the responsibility

comes in the form

of, notice this,

one mina.

One mina.

Now this is how

we know Jesus

is not referring

to talents

or abilities

in this parable

as He does

in other parables.

Because the minas

here are equally

given to the ten

servants.

One mina

per servant.

Now when Jesus

uses talents

and abilities

in other parables

and other places

of the scripture,

He often

divvies those out

if you will

in different quantities.

Somebody

might get five,

another two,

and someone over here

eight,

and another person

one.

But this is different.

This is how we know

it has nothing to do

with skills

or talents

and abilities.

There's something

of equality

being spoken of here.

Ten servants

and every servant

gets the same amount.

One mina

per servant.

Now financially

speaking,

a mina back

in this day

was worth about

three months

of salary.

And the king

wanted his servants

to each take

the same amount

of money,

three months

of salary,

and use it

to invest

in the building

of his kingdom

until he returned.

So again,

look at the parables.

The characters

are clear.

Jesus is the king,

right?

The servants

are his people,

believers.

And let me ask you

this question.

Think for yourself

for a moment.

What is the one

same

and equal gift

that Jesus

has given

to all

his people?

the gospel?

The gospel.

The gospel.

That is the one

same

and equal

gift

that all

of his people

has received.

So this is not

abilities.

This is not skills.

This is not talents.

Like,

some can sing

and others

of us,

we just,

we're barely

hanging on

for the ride,

right?

Some people

have the gift

of teaching.

Others would be

deathly afraid

to stand up

in front of other people.

We can talk about

skills and talents

and gifts.

That's not what

we're talking about here.

We're talking about

the one

same and equal

gift that God

has given

every single

one of his people.

And that one

same and equal

gift is the

gift of the

gospel of Jesus

Christ.

Nobody in this

room has more

gospel than

someone else.

Nobody in this

room who follows

Christ has less

gospel than

someone else.

We all have the

same equal

amount of

gospel.

God has saved

us.

He has chosen

us.

He has called

us to

himself.

He has

redeemed us,

adopted us.

We are all

equally the

same his

people.

And that's

what Jesus is

emphasizing here.

You've all

received the

same gospel.

Now go and

individually,

each one of you,

invest the

gospel as my

servants until

I return.

You see,

the gospel work

of saving

lost sinners

and conforming

them into the

image of Jesus

Christ.

That is the

king's mission.

That's the

king's mission.

And he is

calling you and

I to devote our

lives, our

lives, not just

our Sundays.

Oh, get this.

Not just our

Sundays.

He is calling us

to devote our

lives as his

servants to

investing in that

gospel work.

So I'll go back

to the question

at the beginning

on your fifth

anniversary.

In what ways is

your life busy

investing your

mina?

In what ways is

your life busy

investing the

gospel?

Perhaps for some

of us it may even

begin today by

making a decision

to devote

yourself to

becoming a

gospel member of

this particular

fellowship.

To help this

church collectively

together invest

the gospel through

its various

ministries.

Oh, friends,

there is so much

work to do, so

much gospel work

to do.

But we need more

gospel investors

who will take what

Jesus has given

them in his free

gift of grace and

start working that

investment for the

kingdom of God.

So maybe it

begins for some

of us there,

joining the

fellowship, seeing

how I can serve in

the life and

ministry of

Lakeside.

What about at

home with your

family?

What gospel

investments are you

making with your

family?

In the life of

your children,

your grandchildren,

spouses?

What about bringing

the lost to hear

the gospel?

I am often

challenged with the

thought of whether

or not I work

really hard.

Do I work really

hard week after

week getting

unbelievers to

Laurel Baptist

Church so that

they might see the

gospel and hear

the gospel?

I have been working

really hard on one

particular couple.

I helped run the

baseball league in

the town of

Harrisburg.

So there's one

particular coach I've

been praying about

and working with for

about two years now.

When are you going

to come visit?

When are you going

to come visit?

When are you going

to come visit?

Guess when he

texted me and told

me he was going

to come visit?

Last night.

Last night.

Hey man, we're

coming tomorrow.

I'm like, oh.

I hope he's there

this morning.

I'm going to find

out soon.

My father's

preaching.

I hope he comes

back next week.

But no, honestly,

are we working hard

to invest the gospel

by inviting our

friends and family

to come and hear

the gospel message

of Jesus Christ?

Oh, listen to this

statement by Richard

Baxter, an old

Puritan pastor.

There's a book he's

written called

The Reformed Pastor.

It's a small little

encouraging book for

men of God like

myself.

I read it annually.

Listen to this

statement he made.

He said, we have

greater work here to

do than securing our

own salvation.

We are members of the

church and we must

labor to do good.

We are trusted with

our master's mission to

do our best to propagate

his truth and grace and

church and to bring home

souls and honor his

calls and edify his

flock and further the

salvation of as many as

we possibly can.

What's he talking about?

There's more to do than

just believe the gospel.

We as his servants are

called to invest the

gospel.

Can I just spend a few

moments being very

transparent and frank?

The work that the king has

given us to do, it's

challenging work.

It's not easy.

And let me be the first to

tell you that it often

requires a great deal of

sacrifice.

It's hard work to invest.

Requires much.

But it's also significant

work.

Because we're talking about

eternity here.

And until he returns, it

will be an ongoing work.

That is, it's an

unfinished task.

But the finish line is

not here on earth.

The finish line is when

the king comes.

Think about it in terms

of your anniversary as a

church family because I

think it's so important to

remind ourselves of this on

the day like today.

What God has given you to

do in this community.

Look right here.

It is not easy.

It's not easy.

Not this kind of church.

Not a church that preaches

the gospel.

Not a church that lives by

the Bible.

That's not easy to do.

It requires sacrifice.

And it requires sacrifice

from more than the pastor.

And more than the leaders.

It requires sacrifice from

all of us.

But listen to me.

Nothing is more important.

Nothing is more important

than this.

Because what God has given

you to do is eternally

significant.

That is already in five

years heaven has been

impacted by Lakeside Bible

Church.

Already.

It's easy to get caught up

about where we meet and

what side of town we may be

on and all these kind of

physical needs.

But really it's about

eternity.

It's investing in eternity.

And heaven is already

impacted by what you've

done in five years.

The baptisms.

The salvations.

What the Lord is doing.

It's eternally significant.

But I need you to know

that what you're doing here

will never be a completed

work.

Not until Jesus declares

it finished.

By his return.

I don't know about you

but I'm a task oriented

person.

I govern my life by

task list.

To do list.

And my OCD

personality gets a little

bent out of shape when I

can't check that box off

at the end of the day.

Sometimes even erroneously

so my mind gets so focused

on checking it off the list

completing the task.

Well that's a hard thing

to be fixated on

when you're involved

as the Lord's servant.

We have a task list

but only he

listen

only he gets to check

off the box.

Only he gets to determine

when it's finished.

When it's completed.

We have to keep working it.

We have to keep investing it.

We're servants.

And we need to be busy

serving.

Well that's the king's

servant.

Let me just mention

briefly the king's enemies

and I'll give you the last

point.

We'll wrap this up.

Again he mentions two

groups of people.

The king's servants.

The second group of people

is the king's enemies.

And I think what Jesus

is doing here is he's

trying to show us that

there is a group of people

who do not want them

to be their king.

Think about that.

The king's servants

are those who want

Jesus as their king.

But the king's enemies

are those who do not

want Jesus as their king.

They hate him.

And the rejection of him

is emphatically clear.

Look at verse 14.

We do not want this man

to reign over us.

Do you know that that

very statement right now

right there in verse 14

that is the ultimate reason

why lost sinners remain lost.

That's the reason.

It's not that they remain lost

on account of insufficient evidence

for the reality of Jesus.

Nor does it have anything to do

with the perceived injustices

of those who profess

to know and follow him.

No, no, no.

Lost sinners remain lost

because they do not want

Jesus to rule their lives.

They don't want Jesus

as their lord and king.

And the king calls them rebels.

Oh, may you and I

not be numbered

among those rebels.

The king's enemies

who reject his lordship.

Instead, may we commit ourselves

as servants of the king,

a servant who has received

the gospel and is devoted

to the king's mission

of building his kingdom

by investing the gospel.

Here's the third thing

you can write down.

Let's follow him in sequence.

You ready?

The first thing in the text,

Jesus addresses their expectations.

Secondly, Jesus speaks

of their devotion

to the king's mission.

And then thirdly,

Jesus prepares them

for a coming day of reckoning.

Jesus prepares them

for a coming day of reckoning.

So the parable continues.

Okay, look at it.

Verse 15.

When he returned,

having received the kingdom,

he ordered these servants

to whom he had given the money

to be called to him

that he might know

what they had gained

gained by doing business.

In other words,

the king returns,

and when he returns,

he summons all of his servants

to stand before him

and give an account

for how they invested

what he had given them.

Spiritually speaking,

I gave you the gospel.

Now I want to see,

since I'm back,

how you invested the gospel

that I gave you.

That day's coming

for all of us,

by the way.

It's not a day

where sin is judged.

Don't misunderstand.

It's not a day

where sin is judged.

Sin is judged on the cross.

It has already been judged

in Jesus.

But it is a day

where our work for Christ,

our investments,

will be revealed.

1 Corinthians 3.

Each one's work

will be made known.

In other words,

each one's investments

will be made known.

For the day will disclose it

because it will be revealed

by fire.

It will test

what sort of investments

he has made.

So verse 16 says,

the first came before him

and said,

Lord, your mina

has made 10 minas more.

And he said to him,

well done, good servant.

You've been faithful

in a very little.

You'll have authority

over 10 cities.

The second came saying,

Lord, your mina

has made five minas.

And he said to them,

now you're going to be

over five cities.

You see what's happening here?

You follow in the sequence?

These two servants

took their one mina

invested it

and what happened?

It multiplied.

The point is,

they worked it.

They invested

what the king

had given them

and it pleased the king

that they had done so.

And he responded to them

by giving them

a generous reward.

Remember,

it's not about money,

it's about the gospel.

I noted several things

about these particular servants

just by how the Lord

rewarded them.

I noted here

that they were not lazy,

apathetic,

or casual

with their gift.

They intentionally,

urgently,

and faithfully

invested it.

I have a friend

who is deep into

financial investments.

Some of you

may be into that.

I went to visit him

in Nashville

a couple of weeks ago

and we're sitting

in his office.

He said,

I want to show you

what I'm learning.

And he's showing me

all the lines

and the pre-investments

and how to click on it

when you buy it

and what to click

when you sell it.

And he shows,

and all I,

I mean,

he sees dollar signs

on this graph.

All I see is lines

going everywhere.

I have no idea

what's going on,

but by the end of the day

he had pocketed

about $700

through his investments.

I'm like,

man,

I need you to start

handling my money.

Some of you get that.

I don't get that.

But I think

one of,

all of us

at least understand

that to be

that glued into it,

you can't be lazy,

apathetic,

or casual.

You gotta be intentional.

You gotta be faithful.

You gotta be urgent.

You gotta be ready.

Always investing it.

That's what these servants did.

Notice also

that they humbly

took no credit

for how their mina

had multiplied.

Do you notice

what he said

in verse 19,

or actually

both of the servants,

one in 16,

one in 19.

The servants said,

your,

mina

has made

more minas.

That's the servant

talking to the king.

That's the believer

who is serious

about investing

in the gospel

talking to Jesus.

He didn't say,

my mina

did this.

Your mina

did this.

Friends,

the gospel

grows

by its own

power.

Our responsibility

is simply

invest it

and the gospel

will grow the kingdom

and all the glory

and credit

is going to go

to the king

and his gift.

It's not us

looking around

saying,

look what my church

in Lake Norman

did.

No,

Lord,

look what your church

is doing

as we invest

the gospel

in this community.

I wrote down

also that they

were commended

and rewarded

on account

of their faithful

work.

Jesus says to them,

well done,

good servant.

Speculation is often

circled about these

cities.

What do the cities

mean?

It may very well

speak of the

generosity of

the various degrees

of reward

that God will give

his servants

in the new heaven

and new earth.

I don't intend

to spend much time

on that this week

other than God

rewards accordingly

as he sovereignly

determines.

But then notice

this in verse 20.

Another came and said,

Lord,

here is your mina

which I kept laid

away in a handkerchief.

For I was afraid

of you because

you were a severe man.

You take what you

did not deposit

and you reap

what you did not sow.

So for the young

people in here

who do not know

what handkerchiefs are,

they are very

elegant tissues.

And the imagery

is he had a little

cloth,

a handkerchief,

some tissues

in his pocket.

He took the mina,

put it in the

handkerchief,

and maybe he kept it,

maybe he buried it.

The point is

he did nothing

with it.

He had nothing

to show for

when the king

came back.

The only thing

he had to give

the king

was the mina

that was already

given to him

at the very beginning.

But that's not

what the king

requested.

He did not want

the servant

to inactively

sit in isolation

keeping the gift

to himself.

It was given

to him

to invest.

And of course

the excuse

is absolutely

bogus.

He actually

blames the king

for his failure

to invest.

Accusing the king

of being a lord

who takes

but never gives.

A lord who is selfish

but never generous.

I mean how can

any of us this morning

say that the lord

is not good,

that he's not gracious,

that he is not

generous toward us,

that he doesn't

deserve our

investments.

The servant

was the one

who was unfaithful

not the king.

So the king

says in verse 22

and verse 23

if what you're

saying is true

then why didn't

you just put

the mina

in the bank?

Well the reason

he didn't

is because he

was too lazy

to do even that.

Or at the very

least he allowed

his emotions

and feelings

to immobilize him.

Either way

Jesus called him

a wicked servant.

A wicked servant.

Because look right here.

He didn't

invest the gospel.

Now brothers and sisters

we should shudder

at the thought.

We should shudder

at the thought

that Jesus

might consider

any one of us

as wicked

servants.

So Jesus

takes the mina

from that wicked

servant

and he gives it

to the one

who has ten

minas.

The age old

question is

whether or not

this wicked servant

was truly a

Christian or not.

Was he truly

a saved man

or not?

That's the age

old question.

And to provide

you an answer

in relation to

what I think

here it is

you ready?

I don't know.

That's my answer.

There does

seem to be

however

a clear distinction

in the parable

between those

who are his

and those

who are not

his.

And as we see

in verse 27

the wicked servant

is not among

those who are

not believers

in the parable.

I think

a hint

to where his

standing

with Christ

may be

could be

looked in

other scriptures

to inform us.

1 Corinthians 3

for example

says if the work

that anyone

has built

on the foundation

survives

he will receive

a reward

if anyone's

work is burned

up he will

suffer loss

though he

himself will

be saved

as only through

fire.

It's just a little

insight but it

does suggest that

there are those

and this is the

point

there are those

who barely

get in

so to speak.

There are those

believers who just

barely cross the line.

they will not

have any

rewards to

enjoy in

eternity

and on the

day of the

king's return

they will

experience great

loss but they

themselves will

be saved.

But then

and this is

how we close

then there

there are those

believers whose

devotion to the

gospel is so

strong that when

the king returns

they will receive

a generous

reward from

God

making the

kingdom of God

for that Christian

so much

sweeter.

It reminds us

today that as we

wait for his

return there is

much more to do.

If we are

inactive sitting

on our hands

keeping to

ourselves the

gift God has

given us while

not investing it

in the church

investing it in

the community

investing it in

our families and

throughout the

context of our

lives I pray

today that we

will wake up

to the reality

that such

inactivity is

disobedient to

the king's

commands.

And on the

day of reckoning

he will

address it.

You've been

put here

not only in a

location but

you've been put

here in a

location with a

trust.

The gospel

will be

and again I

ask you the

question for

self-evaluation

in what ways

and with what

kind of urgency

and sacrifice

and strategy

are you

investing it?

All of those

are important.

Urgency.

Not casual

investments.

Urgent

investments.

Sacrificial

investments.

Not convenient

investments.

Strategic

investments.

Not just

we'll cross the

bridge when we

get there.

But no

organizing,

strategizing,

doing what we

can to invest

the gospel.

Lakeside there is

so much more

to do and I

want to encourage

you this morning

to keep investing

the gospel.

I want to

encourage you

who are not a

part of this

fellowship to

prayerfully join

this congregation

of believers and

help them invest

the gospel.

We don't always

know when returns

on investments

come in.

Financially or

spiritually.

We don't always

know that.

But here's what I

can guarantee you

and I want you to

think about this

verse.

Jesus when he

sent his disciples

out before his

ascension in Mark

16.

The Bible says

that the disciples

went everywhere

preaching the

gospel.

They went

everywhere investing

the gospel and

the Lord

worked with

them.

Lakeside

go today in

this community

wherever you

live Cornelius

Davidson Huntersville

Mooresville wherever

you reside as you

go go investing

the gospel knowing

that the Lord has

committed himself

to work with

you to go

before you

to work with

you to use

you until he

returns.

Well I don't

think we can

pray without

at least

drawing quick

attention to

verse 27.

because we've

talked a lot

about the

king's

servants

let's

close by

addressing the

fate of the

king's enemies.

Verse 27

it says

it's for those

enemies of

mine who did

not want me to

reign over them

bring them here

and slaughter

them before me.

It's quite a

picture isn't

it?

The point is

that day of

reckoning is not

only to address

the work of the

king's servants

but it will also

be a day when the

king's enemies

will be fully

and finally

condemned.

And here's the

message.

Reject the

king and you

will have no

place in his

kingdom.

Wherever your

heart may be

before the

Lord today

maybe you are

convinced and

assured that you

are a follower

of his but maybe

you're exploring

maybe you're

interested maybe

you're trying to

figure this whole

Jesus is Lord

thing.

I need you to

understand this as

you go home and

meditate on the

scripture today.

To reject

Jesus as king

is to have no

place at all

in his kingdom

today, tomorrow

and forever.

The first step

for gospel

investment is to

receive the gospel

and that is to

receive the gospel

by making Jesus

your king.

By trusting him

as your Lord and

Savior who took

your place, died

for your sins

and longs for

you to be

his.

You don't have

to become Jesus

by first becoming

a part of the

church, giving

money to the

church, all of

those things.

It's by faith and

trust in Christ.

Put your faith and

trust as Christ, as

the king.

The king who is

coming again and

become his and

allow him to show

you and teach you

through the wonderful

gift of his church

how to invest the

gospel in your life,

in your family and

in this world.

So my prayer for

all of us, from

those from Laurel,

from those from

Lakeside, my prayer

today is Lord make

us faithful servants

who invest the

gospel.

Thank you.