Throughout this series we will seek to understand and answer the question:What does God expect of me?

We believe whole heartedly that it is only by the grace and mercy of God that we can be saved. There is absolutely nothing we can ever do to EARN our salvation.
But truths such as the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God do not nullify the fact that He has expectations about how we are to live our lives.

Our teaching series is based on Jesus's parable of the talents.

What we do with what we have been given matters to God. God expects his people to utilize what they have been given for the growth of His Kingdom. That’s exactly what Jesus wants us to see in this parable.

Within our teaching series we are seeking to understand what God expects with our time, our money, and ultimately our very lives.

This week's message focuses on money.

The context for this story is deeply connected to the anticipation of Christ's return. Jesus focuses specifically on how people should live in response to the anticipation of Christ's return.

In both Matthew 25 and here in Luke 19, Jesus told a story like this to illustrate the truth of his coming again and the judgement that will bring. But he also wanted his disciples to see how they should live in the meantime.

Each servant has been entrusted with money, the master's money. It hasn't been earned, but instead, it's a gift.
And they have been instructed to "put the Master's money to work"

What you do with what money you’ve been given, matters to God.

As we are acknowledging throughout this series, this is a hard word from Jesus. In the parables, the hard-working wise servants aren’t just rewarded
but the lazy and faithless servant receives the ultimate punishment.

But the purpose of this parable isn't to be harsh, the purpose is best described in a word: URGENCY.

What are the implications of this story, especially for us?

1. We are rich
No matter how rich you may feel, we have all been given much according to God's economy

2. It's not really 'ours'
It ultimately is the master’s money, and it has been entrusted to us.

3. We can't keep it, but we can invest it
God's heart is not that we would feel guilty, but that we would feel responsible.

Verses for further study/reflection:
Hebrews 13:5
Proverbs 13:11
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Luke 12:15
Romans 13:8

Matthew 6:19-24
9 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Mark 12:41-44
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”