Renewing Your Prioroties 5

Prioritizing Your Wealth

Text: Matthew 25:14-30

Introduction

This chapter stems from Jesus’ desire for His followers to know clearly what it means to be ready for His return and how to live when He comes. The parable we just read is one of several used to teach this.

God has entrusted many gifts to our stewardship, and most of them are intangible. Our health, time, thoughts, relationships—these can be stewarded, but they are difficult to measure, and our gauges are sometimes subjective. Chappell, Paul. Stewarding Life: One Lifetime, Limited Resources, Eternal Priorities (p. 133). Striving Together Publications. Kindle Edition.

The way we steward our finances indicates our most passionate interests. Perhaps this is why Jesus so frequently taught on financial stewardship. In sixteen of Jesus’ thirty-eight parables, He spoke about money or possessions. Chappell, Paul. Stewarding Life: One Lifetime, Limited Resources, Eternal Priorities (p. 133). Striving Together Publications. Kindle Edition.

One of the most important passages regarding the power of wealth is found in — Matthew 6:19–21 “19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Investment truths

You are the only one accountable to what you consider to be of greatest value.

You are the only one accountable to where you invest your wealth.

Heaven is the only place of eternal returns on your investment.

It is your heart (thoughts, emotions) that will either be safe or vulnerable depending where you have placed your wealth.

The Story Of Talents

A master of the house divided money among his servants.

This master would be very careful not to give his servants any legitimate reason not to be faithful. Never could they use the excuse of being overwhelmed.

To fail in faithful stewardship would plainly indicate laziness and hatred toward their master!

The amount given to each servant was “according to their ability.”

The master of the house would take a long trip and expect them to steward His resources with Him in mind.

He did not give them a day or time to expect his return. He did however promise he would return.

He expected them to live out their stewardship in light of the promise of His return.

So, what can we learn from this story to help each and every one of us who are believers prioritize our wealth in such a way that we hear upon Jesus’ return, “Well done thou good and faithful servant?”

1) Who Is Our Master?

A. Our Master is God and He is benevolent and kind

Some may look at this parable and conclude that the master is just “using” his servants for his own benefit at their expense.

Due to the role of the master representing God, we can never come to such a conclusion!

Something to think on that helps us understand our Master are the facts about who WE ARE NOT.

Think about the story:

Who initiates the giving?

Who gave them the means to care for themselves and care for the master’s interests?

Who did not give rigorous demands on what was given the servants?

Who was satisfied with the servants bringing nothing of their own, but only their abilities?

Who gave them resources that would only do them good if appropriated wisely?

Proverbs 10:22 “22 The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, And he addeth no sorrow with it.”

What are some resources God has given us

B. The stewardship God has given you, will open your mind to know Him more fully

1 Timothy 6:17 “17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;”

Psalm 24:1 “1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.”

James 1:17 “17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

1 Chronicles 29:10–12 “10 Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. 11 Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.”

Why are these truths important to our daily stewardship?

It takes our focus past the distribution to lock on to the Great Distributor!

Illustration: Henry has been known to complain when we need to go to the bank. I remind Him that we are putting in a safe place what God has given us.

God never intends for you to find peace and security in the resource!!!

Matthew 6:19 “19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:”

C. Our Master is returning

2) Who Are God’s Stewards?

A. We must adopt a steward mentality

When it comes to daily resources, He has never given you anything! He has “entrusted” them to you.

You must extinguish the attitude of entitlement to everything God entrusts to you.

Someone who understands to whom they are a steward, will take the time to find out how he/she needs to treat each asset.

Quote: (Dr. Paul Chappell) “Stewardship encompasses far more than giving. It is a matter of accountability, recognizing that all of our assets—including the ones we give, save, or spend—belong to God.”

The steward’s first communication to God about His resources should not be when it’s time to spend it!

We are a people who should be praying for a heavenly vision for heaven’s resources.

Everyone should budget before spending!

B. We are a people with certain abilities and limits

Q — How many of you think God takes this into consideration?

(v15) “…to every man according to this several ability...”

The master of the house knew well every servant’s capacity for success.

The master never held anyone to a higher standard than exceeded their ability.

What brought success to the first two servants?

What brought failure to the last servant?

His interest was in protecting his own interests.

Therefore, any advancement was lost!

How many of you have said or has heard someone say, “Well, if I had more resources, I would gladly give more or all to God’s work?”

When you or someone says that, what is the current problem in their daily stewardship?

ANS — They don’t give, budget, or save from what they currently have been given.

Quote: (Unkown) “It’s not what you do with the million if fortune should ere be your lot, but what are you doing at present with the dollar and quarter you go?”

The issue is not on the amount given or accrued, but how we are using it. You can’t determine the outcome, but you can determine your outlook and the work ethic!

C. We are stewards who have been given God’s best

Give nothing less than your best!

Pattern your giving by no other standard than that of God’s standard!

Not circumstantial, but eternal.

Not emotional, but holiness.

Not greedy, but benevolent.

A steward’s path set to follow God’s standard is a steward who is on a path to God’s blessings!!!

3) Who’s Stewardship Is Valued?

A. How can we determine who’s stewardship is important?

Who did the Master of the house give resources?

Did the Master praise the quantity or the responsibility of each servant?

Listen, sometime you might think, “God hasn’t given me as much as others, why should I be so concerned?”

You have been appointed as a steward by God Himself?

There is an enormous record of one-talent people turning the world upside down.

If the one-talented people pulled away from stewardship, very little would get accomplished in God’s kindgom.

B. There is a dark loss from those unfaithful

It is not wise to identify the unfaithful servant as a lost man cast into hell.

Parables are a dangerous place to build your theology on!

They are used to illustrate truth in vivid ways.

What is the greatest words we all want to hear as we enter heaven? WELL DONE!

The darkest moment of your life as a believer is facing an all loving and gracious God and not hear those words.

Exactly how will that grief feel?

To gain to reward or praise from my king would feel like outer darkness to me.

Conclusion

2 Timothy 4:8 “8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”