Stewardship: What is it and why does it matter?
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Introduction - Talk about managing a business you own and one you don’t own.
Biblical example of a Steward/Manager.
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there.
2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.
3 Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand.
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge.
5 It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field.
6 So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
7 It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge.
9 “There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”
Explain - Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his stuff - all of it except his wife. Big responsibility.
Later - because of this small thing - one household, Joseph was made overseer of the nation of Egypt - second only to Pharaoh. Same thing small or big he was responsible for someone else’s stuff.
With this message I will answer three questions:
What is a Steward?
2. What does Stewardship do for us?
3. What does Stewardship do for God?
What is a Steward?
Definition (OT & NT)
O.T. - Overseer - Hebrew, paqid, to assign a duty, responsibility or obligation to someone.
N.T. - Steward - Greek - epitropos - someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else (including subordinates); can refer to a high position in government.
Expand on the definitions.
b. When did Stewardship begin? Gen 2:15
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.
The Garden of Eden was God’s garden - He put them there and asked them to take care of it.
c. Has it changed? In a way YES! - the Apostle Paul said:
1 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.
God still owns everything. Everything we have came from God. We need to choose how we use it. Will it be for His glory or for our own. Explain Stewards of the mysteries of God...
2. What does Stewardship do for us?
a. Strengthens Christian Character.
The purpose of a stewardship is to strengthen every believer in the local church. Everyone, from little children should know how to handle allowance money, to retirees living on a fixed income, should know how to manage God’s resources. Stewardship emphasizes that all money belongs to God. If we realize we do not own our money, it is easier to give it away and give it back to God. For example, if we drive a company car, we know that it is not our car, but is to be used for business. God wants us to treat our possessions with that attitude. God is letting us use the money He gives to us for His business. A Christian’s business is God’s business. Just as a company gives a sales person rules and limits on how the company car is to be used, God has instructed us on how to use our time, talent, and treasures. Therefore, stewardship is about how to manage God’s resources. A Christian is called to be a disciple, which means to live a disciplined life. Because stewardship is management, or discipleship, it is an expression of the Christian life. Stewardship does not just involve money. It involves something deeper. It involves a discipleship to Jesus Christ that can be expressed in the way we use our money.
b. Increases obedience. 1 Co 7:19
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.
So what matters is that we keep the commandments of God. It takes time to learn the commandments of God, however, as you learn them you should be willing to keep them. And as we continue to keep them we should be more willing and then become joyful in our keeping of them. One of the commandments is to be a joyful giver. 2 Co 9:7 says:
7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Hands that give grudgingly are tight fisted miserly hands that don’t know how to obey. However, cheerful hands are open hands. Cheerful hands give willingly and have learned to obey. The hands aren’t only open with the checkbook but with time, talents and whatever might be needed. Be cheerful - have open hands.
c. Allows us to share our blessings.
Who here believes they are blessed? Let’s put our blessedness in perspective. The annual income for the average African is about $9,000 US Dollars. So, if your annual income is $10,000 you make more than the average person living in Africa. If your income is at or above the median annual wage of $54,000 in the US you are very blessed. That’s more than 5 times as much.
The question is - Do you believe those blessings come from God? Do you believe they are given to you for your use? How many of you believe you should share those blessings with others or give it back to God? James 1:17 says:
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
The crazy thing is that some of us are blessed more than others. Some of us make more money than others. Some of us have more to give than others. When the church began, in the early days, the new believers were so filled with joy that they were putting everything they had in a common pot so that no one would be without. What would that look like today? Could it work? Did it work then - scriptures don’t tell us how that worked out? But I have a story from one of the senior saints up in Auburn.
She told us the story of her being a part of a commune -
3. What does Stewardship do for God?
a. We give back to God for His glory. 1 Peter 4:10 says:
10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
(Manifold - various, diversified)
Like any investment-oriented businessperson, God expects a good return on His resources. He has placed Christians in control of His business (think back to the garden - cultivate it and keep it). If we look at one of the parables of Jesus, specifically the parable of the talents Matthew 25:14-28. We will see that the Master was looking for a return on what He gave to each of His servants. He didn’t expect any particular amount, He just wanted it used for His glory. He even expected it of the guy that only received one talent.
In application, God created us in His image and likeness. He has given us a good mind, strong wills, and the opportunities to make something of our lives for His glory. God now comes and wants us to be accountable for our gifts and abilities. Good stewardship would see all Christians have a good return of finances and other gifts to God so that the work of God may prosper. If we never give back some of the blessings to God or use our time and talents for His glory we might as well be the guy with one talent who buried it so he wouldn’t lose it. Don’t be that guy - God took his talent away and gave it to another.
b. Teach Judgement. (God teaches us to judge between right and wrong)
Christians should know that they will be judged, and that judgment is based on their stewardship. In Jesus’ parables on this subject, the landowners judged their managers based on their faithfulness. Because the owner delegated the vineyard to workers does not mean they owned it. Even though the workers might develop an emotional attachment to the vines and the vineyard, the farm still did not belong to them. Yet the workers always treated the farm as if it were their own. The issue is always ownership. Who owned the vineyard? We need to be remember “who owns the vineyard.” That means we remember who owns our houses, our bodies, and our investment portfolios. If God is the owner of all things, and He allows us to manage this stuff for His glory, then a judgment day is coming. God will judge us, not on the basis of what we did not have, but for what we have done with what we have been given. You might complain and say, “The church is after my money.” Yes, you could have a bitter antagonistic opinion about giving, but ultimately it is for our own good. We must learn that stewardship can be hard, but once you do it actually becomes easy.
For example when a person is cut and injured, pain is associated with the wound. Do you doubt the knowledge of the doctor who inflicts more pain on the already sore area by cleaning it out and then applying iodine or an antiseptic to the wound. The doctor doesn’t do it to hurt needlessly, but to help in the healing process. Without the medication, there would be the risk of infection. Without giving back to God through good stewardship, we risk the infection of selfishness, materialism, and worldliness. Who wants that mess.
This leads us to a third thing that stewardship does for God.
c. Reveals our hearts. Mt 6:19-20 says:
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
The problem with possessions is that they possess us, rather than our possessing them.
We don’t have to be terribly rich for this to be true. It all depends on our heart. If we hang onto the things we own so tightly that we wouldn’t want to see them get broken, stolen or go up in smoke we might have a possession problem. At its very least keeping our fists closed to tightly will keep us from enjoying God’s continued blessing and at the very worst will turn us into misers like old Ebenezer Scrooge. Remember that guy? He was so tight fisted he wouldn’t even get some coal so Bob could stay warm while he slaved away for him.
A biblical example of this shows up with the rich young ruler who wanted to know how to receive eternal life. He lacked only one thing - open hands. Jesus told him: Luke 18:22 “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Don’t let your grip on the things of this world keep you from eternal life in the kingdom of God.
In the end stewardship reveals our hearts because we must give an account for the way God has blessed us and how we have used those blessings. We must do some self-evaluation, make a new commitment to God, and potentially have a time of revival in our lives.
God owns it all and has given us everything we have. He doesn’t need it back. He wants us to have open hands and give some of it back willingly and joyfully.
Exit - Repeat a few things:
What is a Steward? someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else (including subordinates). We know when it began - in the beginning and that it hasn’t changed since the beginning.
2. What does Stewardship do for us? We know that stewardship strengthens our character, and leads us into deeper obedience. It also allows us to share the blessings we have received from God for His glory.
3. What does Stewardship do for God? We know that stewardship helps God because we give back to Him, We learn about judgement, and we reveal our hearts to God.
We don’t need to give everything back to God - but we do need to steward over what He has given us well and give back to Him cheerfully.
Take away questions -
How blessed are you?
Do you share that blessing with others?
Are you miserly about your giving or are you sacrificial?
How well do you think you are doing with stewarding over that which God has given you?
Let’s Pray.