Week 2 | We Own Nothing

Week 2 | We Own Nothing

Genesis 1:26-28; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2; Matthew 25:14-30

Last week, we began a series entitled JUST TITHE: A Call to Biblical Stewardship and revealed the eternal and timeless biblical promise that is absolutely undeniable: GOD OWNS EVERYTHING. Say this with me: God Owns everything.

He not only has the entire world in His hands, He has you in His hands. This morning let’s look at this other promise from scripture: We Own Nothing. Say it with me: We Own Nothing!

It just makes sense that if God Owns Everything, then We can Own Nothing. God alone has the capacity to bless your life when you do things His way.

Discard what pop culture says, and secular advertising promotes. Always ask yourself: What does the Bible say? Remember, we must look through the lens of the Bible when we look at things in this world.

1.What the Bible Says About Stewardship

Gen. 1:26-28 - This appointment by God gave the human family privilege but also responsibility as “caretakers.”

This word for rule is the Hebrew word “radah”, which means “to rule or to have dominion over.”

Adam and Eve were not owners of the Garden; they were tenants or managers or stewards who were assigned to tend to the garden and bring every living thing in it under submission to the will of its Creator.

God is entrusting you with everything you have in your life; not for your personal ownership, but for you to demonstrate your stewardship.

1 Cor. 4:1-2: Servant, in 1 Corinthians 4:1 is a word that refers to an underling, most commonly those who carried out the commands of a military officer or a temple official.

It is from a compound word: under-rower (hyper-eresso) … We are Christ’s under-rowers.

The word “manager” is the word for “steward” in the NT. Though a steward manages a household, ownership of everything he or she manages remains entirely under the master’s control.

Illustration: Jeff Bezos Amazon $188billion 2020

We are blessed with material possessions that are given to us for a season to manage for God’s glory. We are not to be like children, grabbing and saying, “Mine!” It is not ours, but God’s. Everything

Even your body don’t belong to you – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Stewardship is the practice of managing properly all that God has entrusted to us, whether it be time, talents, money, resources, influence, or our total lives.

2.What God Expects from Us(1 Cor. 4:2)

Question: What does God expect from us? Answer: Faithfulness

Faithful means dependable. God can depend on us in the way we handle little things and the way we handle big things. God demands our faithfulness.

Jesus recognized the importance of faithfulness in the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30). God wants to demonstrate what good stewardship for his benefit is all about as it relates to all that he has loaned us. He applauds faithfulness and dependability. This is true about all areas of life, even with the resources God has given to you: Are you faithful? Good stewardship of little things brings greater privilege and responsibility. Poor stewardship of little or big things eventually leads to losing even what one has.

Remember these two principles we have learned:

God Owns Everything

We Own Nothing

God has not called and gifted us to be average. I believe God is calling all of us to renew our faithfulness. The path to security lies in understanding We Own Nothing. Yet, always remember, our Heavenly Father owns it all!

Good servers don’t just sit and wait. Good servers realize the best tips come as a result of active, effective service! Their job is serving tables. Their reward is based upon their faithful service.