Grace and Gratitude: The Stewardship of the Gospel

1 Corinthians 4:1–2

Introduction

Recap: Over the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring what it means to live as stewards of God’s grace; how we manage the gifts, resources, and opportunities He entrusts to us. Today, we conclude this series, not by looking at money or even time, but by examining the ultimate stewardship God calls us to: the stewardship of the gospel itself.

Imagine being entrusted with something invaluable; an heirloom, a secret, a treasure that could never be replaced. How carefully would you guard it? How faithfully would you manage it?

That’s how Paul describes our calling. The gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s treasure, and we are its stewards. Paul is telling the Corinthians, and us, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is such a trust. It belongs to God, and we are merely stewards. How do we steward such a gift?

“Servants of Christ… stewards of the mysteries of God.”

Paul begins with identity. Before we talk about responsibility, he reminds us that our first calling is to be servants of Christ. Humility is foundational. Stewardship is never about ownership.

We are Servants first: Our identity is rooted in Christ, not in our abilities, position, or recognition. We have been purchased by His blood, He is our Savior and Lord, and we live in order to serve and glorify Him.

We are Stewards second: A steward is entrusted with something that is not theirs to keep. The “mysteries of God” are the gospel truths once hidden but now revealed in Christ. These are divine treasures, not personal possessions.

What are the mysteries of God?

Ultimately, the chief mystery entrusted to us is the gospel itself.

Eph 3:3–6 “…the mystery was made known to me by revelation… that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

Col 2:2–3 “…the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Once hidden in ages past, the mystery has now been revealed in Jesus Christ, God reconciling sinners to Himself through His Son. The gospel is God’s grace in saving sinners through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of this grace, we are reconciled to God, freed from sin and guilt, and empowered to live for His glory in peace with Him and with one another.

This is the treasure entrusted to us. It is not just knowledge to be understood, but a life-changing reality to be shared. We are called to be faithful stewards of this inexpressible gift.

2 Cor. 5:18–20 reminds us that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Our call is to steward God’s grace:

In word: sharing the gospel in preaching, teaching, and conversation.

In deed: living lives that display Christ’s mercy, grace, and love.

In generosity: reflecting God’s lavish giving through our own sacrificial giving.

Every act of stewardship, whether financial, relational, or spiritual, is a participation in the gospel. To give out of gratitude is to recognize that everything we have is God’s and that He has entrusted it to us for His glory and the good of His people. Everything we do, how we spend our money, use our time, and share the gospel, is an opportunity to live as faithful stewards of God’s mysteries.

Faithfulness is Required

“Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”

Faithfulness is the standard. Not recognition. Not popularity. Not even the magnitude of the task. We are simply called to faithful stewardship.

God measures our service by our obedience and fidelity, not by how impressive our accomplishments appear. Servants are not called to be successful but to be faithful.

We sow in gratitude from what we have reaped in grace. We steward faithfully because we have been entrusted with a gift so great; the inexpressible gift of Christ (2 Corinthians 9:15).

This is the heart of Grace and Gratitude: our faithfulness is a response to God’s lavish grace, not an attempt to earn His favor. Stewardship flows from recognition of what God has already given us. His mercy, His gifts, and above all, His Son.

Faithfulness, not fame. Obedience, not applause. Grace, not gain.

Stewardship is Holistic

Paul’s concern isn’t a ledger, it’s a life.

Gospel stewardship touches everything: our words, our witness, our wallets, our world.Paul’s focus is not just material giving, it is gospel-centered stewardship. Everything God entrusts to us, our resources, gifts, time, relationships, and influence, is meant to display His glory and further His kingdom.

Jesus illustrates this in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matt 18:21–35). The servant was forgiven an unpayable debt but failed to extend mercy to others. His lack of gratitude crippled his witness. Stewardship of mercy, grace, and generosity flows directly from gratitude for what we have received in Christ.

Stewardship calls for Sacrifice

Stewardship is never reluctant or calculating, it is sacrificial and generous because it reflects the heart of God.

In 2 Cor 8-9, the Macedonians gave beyond their means, joyfully, as an expression of grace. Though facing severe poverty, they were joyfully giving.

Consider David in 2 Samuel 24:24. After the plague that came because of his own sin, David was given the opportunity to buy the threshing floor where the plague had ended. The owner offered it to him freely, but David insisted, ‘I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.’

True stewardship is sacrificial. We give what costs us something because all that we have belongs to God, and we respond in gratitude for the inexpressible gift of Christ.

Jim Elliot, a 20th-century Christian missionary who, was killed in 1956 while establishing connections to a tribe in Ecuador, once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

When we give of our time, our resources, or our influence, we acknowledge that all we have belongs to God. Like David, we offer what costs us something personally, not out of compulsion, but out of gratitude for the inexpressible gift of Christ. We let go of what we cannot keep to receive what we could never earn or attain on our own. And this sacrificial generosity is not limited to our resources, it extends to our very lives and witness as we steward the gospel itself.

How to Steward the Gospel

Preach the gospel to the hardest audience - yourself.

Know you are loved, forgiven, and reconciled to God in Jesus Christ.

Be a Steward where you are:

In Parenting - modeling Christ-centered living; gracious, loving, forgiving, rooted in truth and righteousness, even using discipline as opportunity to expose sin and mercy.

In Leadership - working with integrity, righteousness, consistency - letting Christ be seen in you, not just heard from you.

In Relationship - because you have been forgiven, you can forgive and seek reconciliation when you are wrong.

God has entrusted us with His most precious gifts, chief among them the gospel of Christ. Our measure is faithfulness, not flair; our motive is gratitude, not obligation; our action is joyful, sacrificial service, not half-hearted duty.

Let us give what matters, not merely what is convenient. Let us steward the mysteries of God faithfully, responding to His inexpressible gift with grace, gratitude, and obedience.

This week, identify one concrete way to steward what God has entrusted to you, whether in resources, gifts, or gospel ministry. Let it be a joyful act of obedience and gratitude.

We have been forgiven an unpayable debt, entrusted with an unfathomable mystery, and called to an unshakable faithfulness. Let us then live as stewards of the gospel, faithful in grace, joyful in gratitude, until Christ returns.