 Video: Unclaimed Wealth - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjTI8wMFaWI
This latest message in our Tenure 10 Year Anniversary Series is titled “Unclaimed Wealth” and the subtitle is “We Know Not What We Have”… As I’ve reflected back on the last 10 years and all that God has done and all that we have been through good, bad and ugly I’ve narrowed it down to 2 things I want to pursue for the next 10 years… I want us to become a people know what we have and I want us to become a people who will tell others what they’re missing… Not some of us but all of us… I’m not talking about The Way Brea… I’m talking about Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!!!… A couple weeks ago on a Wednesday night we talked about church choirs and how there will be little black microphones hanging down so the voice of the group can be captured and how I see our church as a choir with little black microphones hanging down in the whole sanctuary… That is my vision for The Way in every area that we would be united in our pursuit of Jesus and united in our sharing of His love with the world… Acts 2:1-2 1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Acts 2:14-21 14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. They were all together and were filled with the Spirit as they waited on the Lord or you could say as they sought direction from God on what to do day by day… Then they found the Lord in the form of the Spirit and the result was they immediately told any who would listen about how to be saved… Matthew 13:44-47 44 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind See we have found Christ and that treasure cost us everything we had before Him… But even once we have Him we continue to seek more of Him like merchants traveling the seas in search of pearls… And finally we realize that as we travel the seas searching for more of Jesus we must cast our nets as fishers of men and women that we want to journey with us as we pursue more of Jesus… So this idea of “Unclaimed Wealth” just makes so much sense to me… Imagine you grab some food and take your change and through it in your change cup but it turns out that one of those nickels was a buffalo nickel was worth $75,000… Or you find an old box of cards but it turns out that box of cards is worth $5,000 and one of the card is worth another $25,000 by itself… Or your family has been dragging an old broke down car around forever but it turns out that that broke down car in the back yard is one of only 3 ever made and even in its current condition its worth 2.5 million… How much wealth in your life has gone “unclaimed”?… 1. For the next 10 years at The Way we endeavor to share with the members of the church what you have in Jesus... I believe we have done that by the grace of God so far but we are going to do it with more intentionality moving forward… We are not going to wait for you to log on to a website and see if you have any “unclaimed wealth”… We’re going to show up to your spiritual doorstep at least twice a week with a check like publishers clearinghouse… We serve the “Triune God” who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… You could say that God is 3 dimensional… Romans 1:20 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse The “Godhead” is the idea of the Trinity and 3 dimensional God who reveals Himself through His creation even without the scriptures… Experiment: This “cube” represents God… The fullness of God is found and seen in the cube… Genesis 1:26 26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; Lights off: Man is created in the IMAGE of God… We are not the fullness of God as the “cube” but we bear His image… We could not have the fullness of the Godhead within us but what we had was more than enough… Man falls and worships the creature instead of our creator and the image and power and presence is lost and we are lost seemingly forever… But then a miracle happens… Philippians 2:6-8 Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Jesus comes in the image of sinful man and begins to literally reverse everything bringing us back into fellowship with God… If man can no longer bear the image of God Jesus says that God will bear the image of man in order to bring us back… We are but a shadow and a vapor but what a shadow and vapor it is… Psalm 91:1 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Hosea 14:7 7 Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall be revived like grain, And grow like a vine. So we have the fullness of the Godhead in the cube… Then we have Jesus taking the form of a man but it still gets better… “Who’s in the cube”???… We see the Father and the Son but its the Spirit that holds possibly the greatest mystery of all… Matthew 12:31 says… every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven See as Christians we have received Christ but we have “unclaimed wealth” hidden within a greater understanding of what had to be done to make a way for us… Connected to that is the greatest “unclaimed treasure” known to man… It’s the work and life and power of the Spirit of God… Colossians 1:26-27 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ IN you the hope of glory… The one who fills the cube is the Holy Spirit and when the Son returns to the Father they send the Spirit to actually live within all who believe… John 14:25-27 25 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. The world can only give us an external “shadow” of love but Jesus sends the internal presence and manifestation of love to dwell within us… Galatians 2:20 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. So I want to share a story that shows us this happening… Luke 24:12-36 12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened. 13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. 17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?" 18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?" 19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see." 25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. 28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them. 30Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" 33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. 36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you." A heart that burns within us for more of Jesus… Continued seeking through the church and gathered body of believers… Jesus continues to reveal Himself as they continue to seek… More peace and the promise of the Spirit coming as we know from week #1 “Deep Breath” Jesus is going to breath on them and tell them to receive His Spirit… Here’s the best news about the “unclaimed wealth” we have in Jesus… Even if we don’t really understand what we have today... we still have it! Your “unclaimed wealth” in Jesus will never be given to another or expire… Its waiting for you and week after week here at The Way we are going to tell you about it and how to claim it!… 1. For the next 10 years at The Way we endeavor to share with the members of the church what you have in Jesus... 2. For the next 10 years at The Way we endeavor to share with those who don’t know Jesus what they can have in Jesus... Matthew 9:9-13 9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him. 10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” As a church we need to share the good news in living rooms and work places and shopping malls and schools and I want us to be a people who tell the lost about their “unclaimed wealth”… Sinners need Jesus (Within us) at their tables to tell them in love that they’re sick but there’s a FREE clinic that specializes in their particular disease with a 100% success rate… We don’t not a physician as Christians… We need to further understand what it means to be well… And the Spirit will teach us as we pursue Him… Here is a story about believers sharing with the unsaved about their “unclaimed wealth”… Acts 16:16-37 16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation." 18 And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And he came out that very hour. 19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. 20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; 21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe." 22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here." 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. 35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, "Let those men go." 36 So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, "The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace." 37 But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out." Casting out demons… Imprisonment is actually so important here in the sense that we have to go as free men and women into the prisons where the bound who think they’re free are actually bound… When we get “there” to the prisons of the people we need to pray and worship and bring light into the darkness… This man was made aware that when he thought he was rich he was poor and when he thought death was the answer he was offered life… Paul and Silas told this man and His family about “unclaimed wealth” with their names on it and they we’re saved and baptized that day… 1 more point… 1. For the next 10 years at The Way we endeavor to share with the members of the church what you have in Jesus... 2. For the next 10 years at The Way we endeavor to share with those who don’t know Jesus what they can have in Jesus… 3. Seek First the Kingdom Do we focus first on our “unclaimed wealth” or on the “unclaimed wealth” waiting for the lost?… Matthew 6:33 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. I believe that while we are going to be intentional about doing these 2 things over the next 10 years they will come naturally if we SEEK FIRST the kingdom… God put this idea of the depreciationlessness of Jesus on my heart this week… I’m pretty sure I made up that word but it means that Jesus will never lose value and we don’t have to worry about losing anything… We will always profit and we can give away as much of Him as we want and still have more than we could ever imaging for ourselves… So in closing what does it mean to seek first the kingdom… If you’re a note taker write this down… F.I.R.S.T…. Is Jesus and His kingdom F.I.R.S.T. in your “Finances”………. Is Jesus and His kingdom F.I.R.S.T. in your “Interest”………. Is Jesus and His kingdom F.I.R.S.T. in your “Relationships”………. Is Jesus and His kingdom F.I.R.S.T. in your “Schedule”………. Is Jesus and His kingdom F.I.R.S.T. in your “Troubles”………. If He’s not make the Son and His kingdom F.I.R.S.T. and let’s see if His promise of “all things being added to you” holds true… Story: The Son A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art. The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift." The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted, "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" Another voice shouted angrily, "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids! "But still the auctioneer continued, "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel, "I'm sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!" God gave his Son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?" Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything. HAVE YOU TAKEN THE SON??? If not you have the greatest "Unclaimed Wealth" in the history of mankind... Claim the Son as your own today!
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