Taking Our God Given Responsibility Seriously

Today we start a four week mini-series on Stewardship…then we start our series about Christmas…Finding Joy in Jesus as Our Messiah.

Most people think that when churches begin to mention stewardship all they are really concerned about is reaching deep into the pockets of all who attend because there is some pet project that needs funded or a budget shortfall.

The more you faithfully attend here, the more you will discover that does not describe us…we are all about learning what the Scripture says about God and his expectations for how we are to live this side of heaven.

In His Word, God has clearly revealed principles to live by regarding money, but also many more areas of life.

The more you study the Word, the more you begin to realize that when it comes to biblical stewardship you see it applies to a multiplicity of avenues…

One of the critical verses regarding stewardship is 1 Cor 4:1-2 which creates the foundation for our understanding of God’s view of stewardship.

1 Corinthians 4:1–2 (NASB95)

Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

The key word is trustworthy, faithfulness…we all have been charged to be a trustworthy/faithful steward.

The Greek word for steward means “house manager” One who is entrusted with his master’s household and was to consistently manage it in the master’s absence.

In Bible times, because of limited means of travel, householders would often be gone from their land for long periods of time. In their absence they would appoint one of their employees to manage the business. This person was expected to perform just as the householder would if he were there.

In the work of God’s kingdom, God has made us all stewards! Until Jesus comes again, God gave us all responsibility to manage for His glory and for His kingdom.

So as we seek to understand this concept biblically we want to work from a biblical definition of stewardship…

God-given responsibility with accountability!

This applies to every single one of us…teens and kids that includes you…every believer.

None of us can avoid the responsibility of being a steward of the mysteries of God...are you a good steward or a poor steward?

What would be your next steps of growth in this whole area?

What area of life needs a sharper focus?

The challenge for all us today is to become a better one!

Here is where this series is going…

Taking Stewardship Seriously — (Learning/Reminding us of the Basic Principles of Stewardship)

Stewardship of our Mind — Managing Our Thought Life

Taking responsibility for what we think...

Stewardship of Our Service — Managing God’s Gifts for the Church

Taking responsibility to be actively engaged in ministry.

Stewardship of Our Mission — Managing the Message of the Gospel

Taking responsibility to make disciples of all people

Main Point: Godly Stewards Are Faithful in All Things.

Turn to Matthew 25:14 —this is a parable…parables are stories used to illustrate a significant truth…Jesus uses two parables in the Matthew 25…10 virgins…talents

The larger context of Matthew 24-25 is that the disciples asked Jesus when he was going to return…five different times he tells them no one knows the day or hour…he gives them all sorts of other information about that time, but he never reveals when it will occur...

He does that because He wants all men to live in anticipation of His coming and for us to be in a constant state of readiness...

Parable of the 10 virgins emphasizes waiting with anticipation…be ready.

Parable of the talents emphasizes working while you’re waiting, be ready.

Taken together they provide for us a masterful balance of living in anticipation of the Second Coming.

This parable begins immediately with the word for it…what is the it…goes back to Matthew 25:1 ““Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.”

So these two parables are linked to the kingdom...

A man (representing Jesus) was about to set out on a journey (representing the time before Jesus’ return; cf. 21:33). While he was gone, he needed to be sure that his property was well cared for, so he called his servants and entrusted (“hand over”) his possessions to them before leaving.

So in this parable we learn how God expects us to live until Jesus comes again.

Four Principles of Stewardship to help stay faithful.

God Owns Everything; I Own Nothing — Psalm 24:1-2.

Let’s look at Psalm 24:1-2.

Ps 24 1-2 “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas And established it upon the rivers.”

The Earth belongs to the Lord (v. 1a).

This is God’s planet we cannot make any claims of ownership…that ought to impact how we treat this planet…It is God’s and God’s alone…he entrusted it to us to take care of it…

But the second half of v. 1 is another story.

2. The contents of the earth belong to the Lord (v. 1b).

All of what you have really belongs to God…it is His to do with how he wants.

Remembering that God owns everything frees you from all the energy it takes to protect your stuff.

God’s ownership not only extends to the earth and to the contents of the earth but also to...

3. The people on the earth belong to the Lord (v. 1c)

All humanity…the unbeliever as well as the believer, all belong to him because He made all humanity in his image…that makes us all stewards of that image...

Unbeliever, that image needs to be restored.

All the people that are in our spheres of influence belong to God…our spouses, our children, our neighbors…all people…they are not ours to manipulate or control...they are all equally loved and owned by God and however God chooses to work with them is up to Him.

Even you … you are not your own.

1 Corinthians 6:20 “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Romans 14:7–8 “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”

4. God is the Creator (v2)

That means He is sovereign and can work how He wants to work.

That also means we are sustained by Him making us completely dependent upon Him.

He alone has all the authority over everything and how it is to be used.

In our parable of Matt 25:14…Jesus is the master who owns the resources to be managed…he owns the servants…

God Entrusts You With Everything You Have — Matt 25:14-15

Entrusted = to give over to someone, to put into the care or protection of someone

Talent = weight = talent of silver, or gold, this was an enormous amount of money

Because this is a parable it is an illustration of a significant truth.

That truth is God expects us to be working while we wait for Jesus’ return so He provides us with the necessary resources for us to do that work.

Here are some of the resources He has entrusted us with...

His image -- this is true of all humanity, but for the believer it has been renewed in us, therefore we have opportunities to reflect Him every day

His Word — speak truth to everyone; study it, be transformed by it

A heart -- a part of us that no one else knows -- and we can fill it with truth and worship and adoration for Christ -- God trusts us to direct our heart well…

A mind -- and we can choose to think thoughts that are true and lovely and honoring to Him…

A tongue -- according to Eph 4:29 we can have speech that ministers grace to the hearers and builds them up...

The people around you

married -- obviously your spouse -- men we are responsible to lead our families in godliness, ladies you are to be a help to your husband …your children…your neighbors…your co-workers…every one of those relationships is part of a trust…

Your gifts and abilities

your organizational skills…your musical talent…your gift of mercy…your ability to teach…your love of children…

Your church

…our time spent praying for ODBC, serving, promoting unity, caring for one another, doing our part to be a covenant community

The opportunities around you

Every Christian (including teens/children) is entrusted with some responsibility for the kingdom.

Some will take this seriously and invest their lives wisely, and others will squander this responsibility.

The part of the kingdom entrusted to each of us is precious to the Lord.

He is hurt by the mishandling of a lifetime of opportunity; but he rejoices over a lifetime well spent.

He has placed in our hands what is his own. This is a sobering thought—to be stewards of kingdom resources.

One unique element in this parable is that the resources entrusted to each servant was...each according to his ability.

The Lord knows us, and he knows the full potential of each person for serving the kingdom.

He designed that potential into each of us when he created us.

Everyone is not expected to perform at the same level of competence, but all are expected to do their best as faithful stewards.

No one is entrusted with more than he can handle, but neither is he entrusted with less than he can handle.

The person entrusted with little will be required to do all he can with the little he has been given.

All of us are to live up to our full potential, by God’s strength, with his wisdom, for his kingdom.

This stewardship is comprehensive. It includes time, talents, spiritual gifts, energies, personality, experiences, attitudes, and material resources…all of life!

You Can Either Invest or Bury What the Lord Entrusts to You. He Wants You to Invest It — Matt 25:16-18

We need a sense of urgency in doing the work.

Immediately = implies prompt obedience

The first two servants did not miss the opportunity to bring their master a return on his investment.

The third eventually got around to doing something…we are given no time frame…we are simply told he went away…

God expects us to be making the most of our time until Jesus returns...Ephesians 5:16 “making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

We need to fully invest in the work.

Traded = the sense used here is that of doing business, whether offering merchandise for sale or trading and investing.

They put his money to work, they invested for a profit…it probably involved more than one transaction, they could have even started a business.

They were all in…and they managed it well so that each doubled the amount entrusted to him during his master’s absence.

There was no doubt that the first two servants worked hard for the master, they were fully invested.

We must be willing to take risks.

Investing resources (e.g., money, energy, abilities) has always been a risky business.

Implied in the two faithful servants’ actions here was a certain amount of risk.

They were expected to do what was prudent—to do what would normally turn a profit, based on their wisdom drawn from life experience.

Believers also are required to obey Jesus in all things, even when risk is involved, even when we do not see the end results.

It does not mean taking chances with out thinking ahead.

Scripture calls us to carefully plan, but we plan with pencil and eraser in hand, allowing room for God to change those plans

We are called to walk by faith which means there is a willingness to risk without the need to know exactly how things will turn out.

Mention briefly risks one might have to take to make a difference for God…comfort, pride, finances, time

We can never be content in doing nothing.

In contrast, the third servant played it safe by burying his talent and waiting for his master’s return…

The least he could have done was put the money in a bank and collect some interest.

Whether you’re a five talent, two talent, or one talent servant is irrelevant…what is relevant is what you do with what God entrusts to you.

God Owns Everything, I Own Nothing

God Entrusts You with Everything You Have

You Can Either Invest or Bury What God Entrusts to You; God Wants You to Invest It.

The Lord Can Call You Into Account At Anytime — Matt 25:19-30

The servants had no idea when their master was going to return.

But when he did, two of them were prepared, the other was not…two were excited…EXPLAIN

Now it was time to settle their accounts, and the servants brought the master’s property to him.

Settled = Reckoning = examine the books...

this conveys the idea of Jesus coming as judge…the criteria he uses to judge our faithfulness rests in His summation of our lives…not ours or anyone else.

The servants expected this…

He rewards the faithfulness, not the results.

Matthew 25:20–23 ““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.’ “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.’ “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.’ “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.’”

Not saying the results are not important. God does want results…the reality is the results are in His hands.

1 Corinthians 3:6–7 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.”

The results were the exact same = the 5 talents were doubled…the two talents were what? DOUBLED — 100% profit.

The master gave the identical response to each of the first two servants.

Each had lived up to 100 percent of his potential.

The results are dependent upon God working through your faithful investment of all that HE GAVE YOU TO USE!

He rewards their faithfulness with...

verbal praise (well done)…from the master, not the other servants.

greater responsibility

Time will not permit full disclosure of all this implies…but let me give you one way this can apply to us now and in the days ahead...

Every time you hear the Word of God preached and taught, you receive an increased responsibility to do something with what you’ve learned!

eternal joy…you will be satisfied with Jesus, your joy will be the same has his joy....joy shares the same root word for grace.

He identifies the reality of their character is good and faithful.

His reckoning reveals who really belongs to the Kingdom.

Matthew 25:24 ““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.”

We see two things here that reveal the heart of this person is one who doesn’t truly belong to Christ.

His lack of service…

there is no fruit, he buries it…hides it...

His lack of true knowledge of his master.

In his opinion his master was a hard man.

hard is where we get sclerosis from.

arterial sclerosis, hardening of the arteries.

He says, you’re unforgiving, you’re unmerciful, you’re ungracious, you’re unkind, you lack compassion, you’re too tough, you have no sensitivity.

“reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t spread.”

accuses him of stealing somebody else’s crop.

When you reap what you didn’t sow, you’re harvesting somebody else’s work.

And where you gather where you haven’t scattered, you’re picking up somebody else’s wheat.

You take things from other people.

Does that sound like someone who truly loves God and really knows Him?

What true believer could ever characterize their Lord as ungracious, unmerciful, and lacking in compassion?

He doesn’t really know the Lord at all.

A true believer is not going to say “I don’t want to do that because You get all the glory”

There’s no sense of the worthiness of the Lord.

No sense of the great inestimable privilege of serving God.

There’s no worshiping heart here.

v. 25 — I was afraid...

Well, he probably means I was afraid that if I tried to invest it and gained something and lost, I’d get punished.

And if I gained something and kept it, you’d take it anyway.

I lose either way...

He figured the best thing to do is just to make sure he can deliver it “as is” back to him when he returned

Notice the Lord’s response...

Matthew 25:26 ““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.”

He is not agreeing with him…he is using sarcasm here…it is not a matter of poor theology...

Jesus is setting up a contrast of real servants and false servants...

He man was a part of the community of servants, he knew the truth.

His exposure to the community of faith revealed the true character of the Lord to him.

You can read the Scripture. You can hear the message.

Jesus identifies the reality of his character... “You wicked and lazy servant”

you are wicked in the sense that you pursued your evil pursuits.

You just took the money and stuck it in the ground, you just hid that talent away, you made no use of that opportunity because it got in your way,

you would not give up your wickedness and laziness to toil in My service because you had no heart for that.

You had no heart set on pleasing me.

Then he says in v.27 — you’re a liar!

Matthew 25:27 “‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.”

If that is what you really thought then you would know what I wanted…why didn’t you at least give it to the exchangers and get Me a little bit of interest.

You didn’t care what I was like.

You went on with your evil lazy life style, ignoring your spiritual opportunity for no other reason than your own desire.

You have no excuse.

He judges the faithless

Matthew 25:28 “‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’”

He already said the same thing in Matthew 13:12 ““For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

The implication here is he doesn’t really have a place in the kingdom with all the kingdom benefits.

He appears to have it but in reality he doesn’t.

What that means for us, is that even within the community of faith there will be some who can fake it really well…will be busy for the Lord, but when the reckoning happens, their heart is revealed to be false.

the phony believers will experience a full and eternal separation from God...

Matthew 25:30““Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

There is no way that describes the presence of God!

So what the parable is intending to say is stated in Matthew 25:13 ““Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”

Just be sure you’re ready when that day comes.

And it may not be that you wait till the Second Coming for that day, it may come the moment you die and that may be very near.

The moment that you face God,all this will become a reality, whether your service was true or whether it was false.

It’s a fearful thing to realize but there are bridesmaids with not any oil in their lamp.

There are servants who think when the Lord comes it’s going to be okay and it isn’t.

If you’re uncertain if you belong to the kingdom, that can be solved today…EXPLAIN

Lesson for Life: Stay Engaged While You Wait for Jesus!

Those who have consistently invested their lives obediently and wisely, according to heaven’s priorities will have a return to offer the king.

This return may include personal growth and maturity, souls brought into the kingdom, spiritual infants who have been raised to maturity, needs compassionately ministered to, wounds healed, conflicts reconciled, truth lovingly told.

God has entrusted with many valuable resources and opportunities that must be used for His glory!

By living our lives fully vested in kingdom interests and growth, we can anticipate hearing “well done good and faithful servants”

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NASB95)

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.