Don't Just Live, Get A Life!

Preaching No.: 2
Key Scriptures: Matthew 25:14-28
Other Verses: John 10:10
Date: 10-31-06

Assessing Your Net Worth for God’s Kingdom

• What is your NET WORTH?
• How much do you value the life that God has given you?
• Do you know your NET WORTH?
• Do you really value your NET WORTH?
• Do you take advantage and maximize your NET WORTH for God’s glory?

TRIVIA:
Bill Clinton (1st) : $ 53 Billion
Warren Buffett (2nd) : $ 46 Billion
Carlos Slim Helu (3rd) : $ 30 Billion
Lucio Tan (451) : $ 1.7 Billion
Manny Villar : P 531.2 Million
Juan Flavier : P 1.2 Million
Eddie Gil : $ 10 Billion (?)

VM: Magkano ang net worth nyo?
EG: Yun nga, papaunlarin natin ang Pilipinas.
VM: Hmm, yung net worth nyo po. Magkano?
EG: Yun nga yung una kong gagawin, aayusin ang Pilipinas.
VM: Yung net worth po.
EG: Ano'ng net worth?
VM: (nanlumo sa sagot): Hmm.. yung halaga po ninyo, yung halaga ng mga ari-arian nyo?
EG: Ah, hindi ko masasabi kung magkano ang halaga ko.


Definition:

NET WORTH

• The financial claim by owners on the total assets of a business, calculated as total assets minus total liabilities equals net worth. Also called equity capital and ownership equity.
• Assets minus liabilities. Total assets less total liabilities.
• The worth of a person or company based on the difference between total assets and liabilities.

ASSETS

• Fixed assets include land, machines and buildings; current assets consist of cash, money owed, stock, investments and work in progress; intangible assets are goodwill, trade marks, patents, etc; liquid assets are funds kept in cash or in a form that can be quickly and easily turned into cash.
• Everything owned by a person or corporation which can be used for the payment of debts. Any possession that has value in an exchange.

LIABILITIES

• Anything that is owed to someone else. In the most general sense, a liability is anything that is a hindrance, or puts one at a disadvantage.
• Liabilities are debts.

For us to know our real NET WORTH, must check first what are our ASSETS and LIABILITIES. Your assets may not only refer to your money, not just your cash at hand, cash in the bank, checks and properties. Your liabilities are not just your debts and loans. We’re talking here about you can share and give to the Lord; on how God can use you in the advancement of His Kingdom.

What are your ASSETS?

1. Money/Wealth/Power

• Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
• No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13)
• For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10)
• Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

2. Health/Body

• My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. (Proverbs 4:20-22)
• Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. (1 Corinthians 6:19)
• Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (Roman 6:13)

3. Time/Effort

• There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-9)

4. Knowledge/Talents/Skills

• Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
• But I said, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God." (Isaiah 49:4)
• Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

5. Relationships

• They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." (Acts 16:31)
• He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church? (1 Timothy 3:4-5)
• But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. (1 Timothy 5:4)

What are your LIABILITIES?

1. Pain/Sorrows

• To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:16-17)
• Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." (1 Chronicles 4:9)
• Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:4)

2. Worries

• Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:25-30)

3. Procrastination

• "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' “‘I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.”Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. (Matthew 21:28-32)
• For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. (Deuteronomy 30:16)

4. Mediocrity/Average

• At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, first fruits and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, for Judah was pleased with the ministering priests and Levites. (Nehemiah 12:44)
• Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. (Exodus 34:26)
• You must present as the Lord's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you. (Numbers 18:29)

5. Selfishness (Me, Myself and I Syndrome)

• A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live. (Proverbs 15:27)
• A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the Lord will prosper. (Proverbs 28:25)
• Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. (Matthew 23:25)

SELF-ANAYLSIS:

• If you have lived on earth for 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, 50 years and above and assess your NET WORTH, how much will your value be?
• How much of your life have you spent in serving God? Or you spent most of your life in earning money for yourself and for your family?

• It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. (Luke 12:38)

• How much of your time/effort/talents have you given to the Lord?

• Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

• Have you entrusted and charged to the Cross all your liabilities?

• Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:4)

• How much increase of NET WORTH did you have this year? Are there any losses?
• Are you willing to surrender your whole NET WORTH to God?
  
• Are you just living for yourself?
• Are you an asset to God‘s Kingdom or a liability, instead?
• Do you enjoy what have? Or do you just plan to save it forever?

• The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

• After assessing your life, what is now your Net Worth that you can offer to God?
• What can God find to us when comes?

• "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew (25:23)

THREE KINDS OF STEWARDS:

1. Good Steward (Matthew 25:18)
2. Better Steward (Matthew 25: 17)
3. Best Steward (Matthew 25:16)

What kind of stewards are we?

Make a life, not just a living.
Don’t just live, get a life!

God bless.
To God be the glory!