Faithful Stewardship

1 Cor. 4:1-2 “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” Faithful Stewardship

Somebody asked me one time what happen to me after I gave my life to Jesus. I told them, “All I know is I was one way and now I am this and the one in the middle was Jesus.”

In our text, Paul is speaking of the ministers of Christ being stewards of the mysteries of God. Church, WE are the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. You and I are subordinates of Christ and are stewards. A steward is one who is charged with occupying their masters goods, yet they have no goods of their own. And IF we are to accomplish this great task, we must be a faithful steward.

Stewardship is understanding and celebrating how we use the resources of God with which we have been blessed to build and advance the kingdom of God in every area of our lives. 1 Corinthians 4:2 “it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” Let us be found faithful in stewarding what God has given us! It ALL belongs to HIM! Ps. 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.”

4 Key Aspects of Stewardship

1. Ownership- everything is God’s (Psalm 24:1-2) – We are given the task to manage while He waits to return

2. Responsibility - a matter of trust (Luke 12:48) – You make the choice what you will do with the gifts Guided by Holy Spirit and Biblical principle

3. Accountability - answer for choices made (Matt. 25:30) – You will answer for how you manage the gifts, the possessions you have been entrusted with

4. Reward - God’s response to you – “Well done, good and faithful slave/servant (Matt. 25:23)

So what about about ‘Faithfulness’?

We Must Demonstrate Faithfulness

If we are to be Faithful Stewards in our ministries, in our homes, on your jobs, with our time, treasures, talents, and our stuff - then this is what it will look like.

Doing what God wants instead of what you want. Following His will. You have God’s Will and your will. Demonstrating Faithful Stewardship is not taking the easy route to do what you want to do, but doing God’s Will.

What about this? Do you believe that it’s God’s Will to attend church? How often? What do we have to go by?

Heb. 10:23-25 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Now what our flesh will tell many of us is that we don’t have to come to church to be a Christian. However, God’s Word states otherwise. We’re to ‘not forsake the assembling’ which means that if we don’t come when the church assembles, we are disobeying His Word.

Now if you choose to be faithful to His Will - then you’ll be here no matter how comfortable that couch feels. No matter what ‘things you have to do’ - because it’s not about being faithful to you, it’s about being faithful to His Will.

What about serving. 1 Peter 4:10 “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” You have a gift but you do not use it to serve one another. And when you do serve, its for you. Others are saying, they have enough people for that.

What about your giving? Mal. 3:10 “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.” 2 Cor. 9:6-8 “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” You want the blessings of God but you don’t want to give God what belongs to him. 10% of everything you own should be given to God.

If we’re faithful unto God’s Will we’ll place His above ours. Acting in a manner that would be pleasing in His sight

This will lead us to be faithful in God’s ways. Acting ‘Christ-like’. This is asking the constant question ‘What would Jesus do’ in regards to our decisions of life. If we’re to be faithful unto God’s Ways, then our behaviour will be modified to where we bring honor unto the LORD instead of reproach.

The fruit of the Spirit will show rather than the flesh: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, righteousness, truth (Gal. 5:22).

Being faithful unto God’s ways, should cause us to act accordingly. Then we are to be Faithful in sharing the ‘Good News’ of Jesus Christ. Faithful unto God’s witness.

Prior to Christ’s ascension, Mar. 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Matt. 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Paul said: 2 Cor. 5:20a “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ...”

If we’re faithful unto God’s Witness, we’ll tell others about Him. Why? Because Christ has commanded us to. Because it’s our role upon this earth.

To tell others, we must know what to tell. So we are Faithful unto God’s Word.

Besides the Holy Spirit, He’s given us nothing greater today than His Word. It’s through His Word whereby we know His Will, ways, witness. It’s through His Word where we understand everything belongs to Him.

God has preserved His Word for us. Men have bled & died to pass down His Word unto us.

If you have little to no interest in His Word, you have little to no faith in it. Either in the Word itself or the fact that we’ll be Judged by the things written therein.

If we’re faithful unto God’s Word, we’ll spend time in the Bible

Remember the words of James Jam. 2:17-18 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” Jam. 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

Your actions dictate your faith or lack thereof - and your faith dictate your actions or lack thereof

Demonstrate Faithfulness

We Must Decide to be Faithful

Deciding to be Faithful to God and the things of God is a choice. Not only is it a choice, but it’s your choice. No one but you can choose to be faithful to the things of God.

To be faithful to God’s Will | God’s Ways | God’s Witness | God’s Word; we must choose.

That’s not anyone’s decision but your own. Your mommy, daddy, son, daughter, pastor nor the Christ Himself can make that decision for you. It’s yours & yours alone.

YOU will make the choice to be faithful to the Things of God. And you will be RESPONSIBLE unto God for what you choose.

Oftentimes, we make excuses for the ones that we love. But standing before Christ you will have no one making excuses for what you choose. You’ll stand on the decisions you’ve made, whether good or bad.

Paul said: 2 Cor 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

This being the case, I implore you to choose to be a Faithful Steward!

Too many us are living our days for life here and then we live as though this is all there is. We lay our plans out only for this life. Jesus told of successful farmer who thought foolishly - Luke 12:16-21. Our time down here is limited therefore our plan should be one that lends itself toward eternity. I call this Living Meant For Eternity. This is really what Faithful Stewardship is all about. It’s how we as faithful disciples of Jesus journey through this life. Living For Eternity!

It means we understand God is the creator and owner of everything.

It means we understand God loves us so much that some of what He owns, he entrusts to us.

It means we understand that how we manage what God has entrusted us flows out of our relationship with God.

Oh Lord, let my activities be governed by the consciousness of eternity. And I do that by following the mandates of the Word of God.

“Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” James 4:14

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:33-34

Maybe you need to just tell somebody, “All I know is I was one way and now I am this and the one in the middle was Jesus.”