Shelbyville Community Church Shelbyville Community Church

In Matthew 24:3, the disciples ask Jesus a question: “What will the end of the world be like?”

And Jesus answers their question by telling three stories in a row. First, He tells the Parable of the 10 Virgins. The primary point of this parable is: “Be ready, be prepared, don’t miss the party.” Then Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents. This story would seem to say, “Don’t waste your life!” Finally, He tells a story about some Sheep and some Goats. The point of this story could be summarized with “Take care of hurting and forgotten people!”

When you stack these three stories together, Jesus answers their question about the end of the world with: “I want you to depend on the Gospel, declare the Gospel, and demonstrate the Gospel. If you do those three things, you will be fine.” They want to know what they end times will look like, but Jesus is more concerned about how they live and act in light of the end times. They want to know the future, but Jesus wants them to live in the present reality of the Kingdom.

This weekend we’ll look closely at the middle story: The Parable of the Talents. One of the ideas here would be, “If you want to be prepared for the end times, don’t waste your life!” It’s going to be a powerful weekend, and you won’t want to miss it.

Baptism is a picture of a new life! This weekend we have the amazing opportunity to celebrate what God is doing here at SCC through the ancient practice of baptism.

We’re used to thinking that baptism day is about us or the other people who made their declaration of faith alongside of us, but nothing could be further from the truth. Baptism is a celebration and picture of Christ’s loving work of salvation on the cross. It points us to His grace and power in our lives.

For this reason, baptism is a reminder to keep our spiritual appetites sharp. It reminds us to never stop pursuing Christ, seeking to know Him, and letting Him fill us with His grace and mercy. Scripture reminds us: “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time–to show us His grace through Christ Jesus.”

Once upon a time in Silicon Valley there lived a very important and educated man. He routinely worked twelve to fourteen-hour days. Even when he wasn’t at work, he found himself thinking of work so that it was not only his occupation, but his preoccupation as well.

He was vaguely aware that his kids were growing up and he was missing it. But he also reasoned that he was working for them and their future security. Making it big was important to him, partly because of what it could do for his family, but mostly for what it would do for him.

One day he woke up to find his company doing so well it became necessary for him to lead his company through a technological revolution. This was the opportunity he’d been waiting for! He brushed up on his leadership and passionately poured himself out for the benefit of his company.

When he arrived home that night, he told his wife, “Our future is secure! This means we can relax and enjoy life more. Let’s take that vacation together you’ve been talking about.” That night his wife woke up around 3:00 a.m. and noticed her husband wasn’t beside her. She found him hunched over his desk and touched him on the shoulder. He was cold.

His death was a major story in the financial community. His obituary was written up in Forbes and the Wall Street Journal. At his funeral, his friends and co-workers gathered and talked about what an entrepreneur and innovator He had been. They buried him at the cemetery, and then all went home to get on with their lives.

That night the angel of God made his way past all this other graves to the newly dug grave of this man. There on that tombstone the angel of God traced with his finger the 1 word God used to describe this man: “Fool.”

By now you may have recognized this story as an updated story that Jesus actually told 2,000 years ago. In this story, Jesus doesn’t call this man wicked or evil, but simply a fool. Why? Join us this Sunday to find out! It’s going to be a powerful weekend, and you won’t want to miss it.

That's not fair!

These three words make up a phrase that every person has said at some point in their life. Spend time with kids and give one kid a candy bar and the other kid a carrot. That's not fair! It points to our internal desire for justice. When we see something happen that doesn't seem just to us we make it known that it's not fair.

This Sunday, we're going to look at the parable of the vineyard workers. This parable, illustrating the generosity of a vineyard owner, points to one of the biggest pitfalls followers of Jesus tend to fall into.

Followers of Jesus would say they believe God is incredibly generous. I mean, He offered up his son as a sacrifice to make right what was broken between God and man, right? But what happens when God is so generous it doesn't seem right to you? Contractual Christianity is very real, and most likely robbing you from truly experiencing the generosity of God. And in turn, affecting your generosity towards others.

How does a person gain and maintain good standing with God? In the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector, each of them chooses a different approach, both of which are still alive and well today. Some, like the Pharisee, try to gain and maintain that good standing with God out of their own sense of self-righteousness. They choose the way of self. Others, like the Tax Collector, take the way of grace. They know that all they have to bring to God is their sin, guilt, and shame. They know that apart from the grace of God, they don’t stand a chance of maintaining good standing with God. This weekend, Jesus will tell us which approach honors God, and which approach is bankrupt and toxic.

In our geographical area here in south Central Indiana, it’s almost planting time. We are used to seeing the corn and soybeans growing in the summer, but did you miss the week that the seeds were planted into the soil?

Without the seeds being planted, there would be no fields of crops growing later in the season. Unless the soil in the field is prepared properly, the seeds won’t grow and produce the intended crop. You might say, “Duh, farmer, Dan, we’ve been doing and seeing this for a while!”

Jesus told this story in Mark 4:26 - 29, and we will seek to unpack this parables’ application for us this Sunday morning. God is able to produce fruit in and through our lives, and we have a part to play in that growth and maturity.

Jesus said that after the seed was planted in the soil, the farmer went to bed! The seed and the soil in our lives will do their “thing” and fruit will grow in us. We may not know when or how it happens. Sleep on it.