Cost of Service

Lord Arthur Wellsley[Duke of Wellington]

(1769 – 1852)

Godfrey Davies:

“I found an old account ledger that showed how the Duke spent his money. It was a far better clue to what he thought was really important than the reading of his letters or speeches.”

- Wellington and His Army,1954

• Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.

• Luke 14:28-30 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he may have enough to finish it; lest perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.

• Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

• Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

• Luke 3:14 Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

• Matthew 6:3-4 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

• Mark 12:41-44 “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

• Luke 3:11 And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

• Luke 6:30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.

• Luke 14:28-30 Which of you plans to build a tower without first counting the cost?

• Matthew 25:14-30 [Parable of the talents]

• Matthew 5:42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

• Matthew 19:21-26 [The Rich young ruler.]

• Mark 8:36 “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

• Matthew 25:1-13 [Parable of the 10 virgins]

3 Points of View

• Looking forward rather than backward

• Looking inward rather than outward

• Looking upward rather than downward

Looking Forwards

Luke 9:62 “Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."”

Looking Forward

Budget

• Luke 14:28-31 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?”

Looking Forward

Investments

• Matthew 25:14-30 [Parable of the Talents]

1. Invest in the work of others

2. Invest in your future service

3. Invest in the future workers

4. Invest beyond the scope of our current service

Looking Inwards

1 Samuel 16:7 “…man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

Looking Inwards

• Mark 12:41-44

“Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Looking Inwards

2 Corinthians 9:6

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Looking Upwards Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters,

for 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 God and money.

Mark 8:36 “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

Looking Upwards

1. The purpose of our service

• We run to achieve a Heavenly prize (1 Corinthians 9:24)

• Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Looking Upwards

1. The purpose of our service

• Luke 12:16-21 – What’s in your barn?

Looking Upwards

2. The motivation for our service

• Matthew 6:1-4 So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Looking Upwards

3. Our reason for (not) serving

• Malachi 3:7 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.