Stewards of the Kingdom

Introduction

Matthew 25:19–28 (NASB 95)

19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

As God’s people, we are stewards, stewards of the Kingdom of God

Steward defined

Steward, steuard — "official in charge of the domestic affairs of a (large) household," from Old English stiward, stigweard "one who has charge of the affairs of the household or estate of another," from stig "hall, pen for cattle, part of a house"

In Medieval times, stewards served in domestic roles—in charge of daily running of the castle or house—and administrative—being responsible for the lord’s estate.

Stewards usually were educated in the tasks of their lord’s business, managed the property, inspected the building and grounds, managed money, keeping track of income, expenses, taxes, etc.

Stewards were usually paid well, with some becoming very powerful.

Stewards are servants

Above all else, stewards serve

Anyone who inflates their value in the Kingdom has forgotten their place: there is only one LORD, and we are not him

Servants are part of a kingdom that is not theirs by birth, but is theirs by assignment.

Stewards enjoy privileges

Provisions (food, clothing, shelter, etc)

Privileges (safety, security: peace!)

In many cases, stewards, by proxy of their position, enjoy a place of favor not see even by the owner’s family

Stewards superintend

Since stewards are in charge of affairs for a household, they are in essence managers, overseers of someone else’s estate

They are not owners of the estate, they serve it.

Christians are stewards

We too have a LORD, a Master.

We too serve Him, as is our role, our duty.

We too enjoy the privileges of his Kingdom

We too superintend his estate here on earth

How are we doing?

Tithes / tithing — 1st 10%

Not an OT practice.

Tithing supersedes Mosaic Law

Genesis 14:20 “20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all.”

Affirmed by Christ

Luke 11:42 “42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.”

In OT, tithes went to the tabernacle/temple to maintain the House and it’s keepers

Tithes should go to the local church

Offerings — anything beyond tithes

In the Mosaic Law we see that in addition to the prescribed giving (tithes, sin sacrifices, etc) there were different categories of offerings. Freewill, thanksgiving, etc

Offerings can be given anytime, anywhere, in a variety of formats, and for any amount.

Cash offerings

Items purchase, given, or secured for the work of the Kingdom

Labor, time, energy and effort

--The real question is, Will we be good stewards or poor ones?--

Conclusion

The church gets a bad reputation for money issues. Folks say, “All they ever do is ask for money,”, and yet many of the same people will not hesitate to throw resources away for things that do not matter.

The church needs resources for Kingdom work. For the Christian, giving is a part of our worship, as we recognize that all we have belongs to the LORD, and we are mere stewards.

I can give you list of awesome reasons why you should tithe and give,

and I can also give you a list of consequences for not tithing and giving,

but perhaps the greatest reason is that we are stewards.

Everything we have belongs to God.

Challenge --

1. Tithes — First 10%

2. Offerings — anything/ everything above the tithe

3. Plus — Designated giving is for the work of ministry.