Stewardship for God’s Glory Finances

Last week, we looked at stewardship of the Gospel. Our goal is to work the Gospel and keep or watch over the Gospel. Our desire is to be excellent managers of the Gospel.

This series on Stewardship is looking at 4 areas of our lives to help our new year get off to a great start.

We have looked at Stewardship of the Body, Stewardship of possessions, and Stewardship of the Gospel. Today we will look at Stewardship of our finances.

I expressed last week that all of us abide in something. Many abide in popular celebrities, maybe politicians, athletes, teams, podcast, talk show host, tv series, movies, youtubers, tik tok trenders and you name it. We are all abiding in something. If you remember I through shade on the Swifties last week. Well I thought I would share this clip with you and maybe you might relate on this idea that we all abide or follow something.

(Mahomes Clip)

When I am officiating wrestling, the most common question I get; is your hair naturally curly or is that a perm?

I respond it is natural and no way I would get a perm. Did you know that 5th and 6th grade boys were setting through perms to make their hair look like Pat Mahomes? I don’t have that kind of patience.

Who are you abiding in?

My desire as we start 2024 is that if we steward our bodies, possessions, the Gospel and our finances well, then our whole of life will be centered around Jesus. We will take all areas of our lives and abide in Christ.

The western church has lost sight of the fact that the way of Jesus is just that: a way of life. It's not just a set of ideas (what we call theology) or a list of do's and don'ts ( what we call ethics). It is that, but it's so much more. It's a way of life based on that of Jesus himself. A lifestyle. --John Mark Comer

Jesus and His goodness is on our minds in the morning when we wake up and on our minds in the evening when we lie down. When our minds start to drift, they drift to the goodness of our God in scriptures. When we have idle time we think about the Kingdom and what it means to be a part of the Kingdom.

Today we talk about finances.

If you grew up in church or have attended church for a period of time, then you would know that when the word stewardship is used in churches it generally will refer to money.

We have expanded this idea of stewardship in this series but today we are going to talk about finances.

Stewardship of finances is the call to work it or make it better. It is to manage your finances or keep it.

This is a verse that many are familiar with on money

For money is the root of all evil

NOT THE BIBLE

1 Timothy 6:10 HCSB

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

I personally don’t think any of us in this room have this problem. As I prepped, I thought and thought that I don’t see any living their life in this way. So you are off the hook in that manner.

Ruby Payne in her book Understanding the Framework of Poverty has a test. She says could you survive in poverty, middle class or in wealth? She ask questions so I brought a few of these here this morning. Let’s see how you do. You don’t need to raise your hand. You can answer these in your questions in your head.

I know which churches and sections of town have the best rummage sales. I know when Walmart, drug stores, and convenience stores throw away over-the-counter medicine with expired dates. I know how to keep my clothes from being stolen at the Laundromat. I know how to live without electricity and a phone. I know which churches will provide assistance with food or shelter. I know how to get and use food stamps or an electronic card for benefits

I have an online checking account and monitor my bills online. My children know the best name brands in clothing I know how to use a credit card, checking account, and savings account—and I understand an annuity. I understand term life insurance, disability insurance, and 20/80 medical insurance policy, as well as house insurance, flood insurance, and replacement insurance. I know how to help my children with their homework and do not hesitate to call the school if I need additional information. I repair items in my house almost immediately when they break—or know a repair service and call it.

I have several favorite restaurants in different countries of the world. I use a concierge to book the best restaurants as I travel throughout the world. During the holidays, I know how to hire a decorator to identify the appropriate themes and items with which to decorate the house. I have at least two residences that are staffed and maintained. I fly in my own plane, the company plane, or first class. I am on the boards of at least two charities. I own more vehicles than there are drivers.

How Poor, Middle Class and Rich think about money

Poor: Pay Bills/Buy Stuff

MC: Create/Maintain so Buy stuff you can pay off later

Rich: How can my money be used to make more money

Amy shared with me that in one of her econ classes the professor said if a credit card will give you 6 months no interest then make the minimum payment and invest the rest to make interest and then at the end of the term pay it off. (Say that a little louder for those in the back)

Matthew 25:14–30 HCSB

14 “For it is just like a man going on a journey. He called his own slaves and turned over his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents; to another, two; and to another, one—to each according to his own ability. Then he went on a journey. Immediately 16 the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. 17 In the same way the man with two earned two more. 18 But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. 19 “After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. Look, I’ve earned five more talents.’ 21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’ 22 “Then the man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. Look, I’ve earned two more talents.’ 23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’ 24 “Then the man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a difficult man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. Look, you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy slave! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, 27 then you should have deposited my money with the bankers. And when I returned I would have received my money back with interest. 28 “ ‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has 10 talents. 29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30 And throw this good-for-nothing slave into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The question becomes

Will this decision make more money?

As I said earlier, I don’t think our community struggles with the love of money. We struggle more about not caring enough about our money. We struggle to ask this question for the sake of bringing Glory to God.

I think this is a better question and a fun way to think about spending money. If you can shift your mindset, then this will help in some decisions.

Eating out is not the best investment and will not always make more money. There have been times where I was too tired and I wanted to go through a drive through. I got it together went home and cooked the food I had at home. I then took the money that I would have spent in the drive through and moved that to my savings account. I paid myself for cooking dinner.

Proverbs 13:11 ESV

11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

I know some of you say I don’t even have those options but you may be treating yourself with a soda from the store. What if you asked this question on treating yourself with the soda and then saved the money you would have spent on the soda at the store.

This question really helps me. I like multiplication. Will this decision multiply? The answer to this question is not always no. There are times the answer to this question is yes.

It is often said that we don’t talk about money and I think that is a general rule for middle class and poverty. I have got the opportunity to be in some wealth circles and you want to know what they talk about. They talk about money a lot. They talk about what their investment accounts are doing they talk about the amount of returns they are getting and they talk about possible opportunities to multiply their money. They talk about how they got to where they got and the decisions they made along the way and the people that helped them get there.

Proverbs 17:16 CSB

16 Why does a fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?

The Goal for us as Christ followers is not poverty, middle class or wealth. The Goal is the Kingdom.

I would argue that the way we were raised in some cases is not the Kingdom and it takes a shift in mindset to think more like the Kingdom. I have noticed that some principles in poverty more reflect the Kingdom that the other two and like wise in wealth some principles are more reflective of the Kingdom than poverty. Be a learner and learn from each other.

Proverbs 10:4 NIV

4 Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.

Lessons for the rich

James 5:1–4 HCSB

1 Come now, you rich people! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your wealth is ruined and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3 Your silver and gold are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You stored up treasure in the last days! 4 Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who reaped your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.

I love the gleanings principles in Leviticus and I love this warning to the Rich in James 5. My encouragement to the rich is always increase the wages of your workers when you can. Pay them more. Then as you are paid more, my encouragement is that you would give more.

Tithing first and make sure that as you give that you do it with Joy. (It’s amazing the fun things that come about by giving to Bridge of Faith)(Food on Wednesday nights, Summer programs, internship for students, thrift stores, access to community garden, basketball courts, busing kids in for meals, helping in El Salvador, Sports Outreach international, Rural Compassion, the cooperative program to send out missionaries)

Matthew 13:44–46 HCSB

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.

Jesus and the Kingdom is the field and the pearl. Jesus is the one we want to follow in all areas of our lives. We want Jesus way of life in the management of our body, in our possessions, in the Gospel and in our finances.

Everyone abides in something. Everyone follows something. May we abide in Jesus alone. May Jesus lead us and guide us. May Jesus influence every area of our lives.

As we conclude this series, this is the beginning of 2024. Take these four areas and make Jesus the priority then let the rest of the areas of your life follow this and strive to abide in him in all areas.

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