Trusting God In Tough Times
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro:
In our Sunday evening study, we’ve been talking about the subject of stewardship and what it means to be faithful with what God has entrusted to us.
And I know not everyone is able to be here on Sunday nights, so I wanted to bring this into our Sunday morning service.
Because stewardship isn’t just a side topic.
It’s not a financial seminar.
It’s not just about giving.
It’s a whole-life issue.
And I’ve intentionally included this message in our current series, Authentic Living, because it ties right in.
Authentic Christianity isn’t just what we say we believe.
It’s how we live.
It’s what our priorities reveal.
It’s what our calendar reveals.
Yes, It includes what our checkbook reveals.
and It’s what our relationships reveal.
If Jesus truly is Lord, then that affects how we handle what’s in our hands.
So this morning, I want us to think about:
Managing What Is His.
Not managing what is ours.
Managing what is His.
So Before we talk about anything listed on our outline today… We need to answer one, very important, question:
Who does it all belong to?
One of the clearest answers to that question is found 1 Chronicles 29… I encourage you to turn there, as that will be where we start from this morning…
The Old Testament has a series of first and seconds…
1 & 2 Samuel
1 & 2 Kings
1 & 2 Chronicles
You are looking for 1 Chronicles…
And as we get to chapter 29, our question is not going to be answered by the wisest man to have ever lived… but it will be answered by his dad… So it’s a pretty credible source…
David is near the end of his life… The people have just given generously for the building of the temple… There’s excitement. There’s generosity. There’s momentum with this project…
And David stands up — and instead of congratulating the people, he prays this prayer…
Read vv. 10-20
Meat:
Again, David is towards the end of his life… everything that he has experienced, has led him to this point and as you read through this prayer, you can almost see his humility…
There is no pride…
no ownership…
no attitude of “Look at what I have accomplished.”…
v.14 really brings out the answer to our question of “who does it all belong to?”…
1 Chronicles 29:14 “But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You.”
In other words:
“Lord, what we just placed in Your hands… was already Yours.”
We didn’t create it.
We didn’t originate it.
We don’t own it.
We are simply managing what belongs to You…
And that’s really the heart of stewardship.
It’s about recognizing that…
Everything comes from Him.
Everything belongs to Him.
And we are tasked with managing what is His.
Today we are going to look at 4 of the major…
Management Responsibilities:
That we have been given…
And the first one is…
1. Time
1. Time
If we are managing what is His, then the first place that shows up is our time.
Because every single one of us is spending time right now… And once it’s gone — it’s gone.
One of the oldest Psalms is Psalm 90… and v.12 says…
12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
Do you know who wrote that??… Moses!…
A man who watched an entire generation die in the wilderness.
He understood something most of us try to ignore:
… Life is short.
When he says, “Teach us to number our days,” he’s not asking for a calculator.
He’s asking God to help him live aware that his days are limited.
Someone once said, “Life is too short to waste on things that don’t matter.”
That is basically what Moses is praying here…
If God owns our lives, then He owns our days.
That makes time a management responsibility.
You see… Time…
1.1 Reveals our Priorities
1.1 Reveals our Priorities
Turn with me to Ephesians 5…
Read vv. 15-16…
There is a word in here that I am sure you use everyday… “circumspectly”
It simply means “Carefully”…
The NASB says…
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
Pay attention to how you live.
Don’t drift.
16 (Redeeming the time… or…) making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”
Paul is telling us to “buy up the opportunity before it passes.”
The fact is, your calendar tells the truth about your priorities.
We always make time for what matters most.
Maybe its…
A ball game
A vacation
A hobby
We make time for what we enjoy…
So when we say,
“I just don’t have time for prayer,”
“I don’t have time for church,”
“I don’t have time to serve,”
Sometimes what we really mean is:
“It’s not high enough on my priority list.”
And I don’t say that to try and shame anyone, or lay out a guilt trip… — but I am trying to get you to be honest with yourself…
Our time reveals what we value… and If God truly has first place in our lives, that will show up in how we spend our time.
Time in His Word.
Time in prayer.
Time with His people.
Time investing in your family.
We make time for what matters most…
Because… Time…
1.2 Cannot Be Recovered
1.2 Cannot Be Recovered
You can lose money and earn it back.
You can lose strength and rebuild it.
But you cannot get yesterday back.
Once a day is gone, it is permanently gone.
Warren Wiersbe put it simply when he wrote “Lost time is never found again.”
That should be a wake up call for us…
James says…
14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
A vapor doesn’t linger.
It doesn’t give you a warning before it disappears.
It’s there — and then it’s gone.
That’s how quickly time moves.
That’s why Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days.”
Because when you understand that your days are numbered, you stop assuming you’ll always have more.
Every day is a gift.
Every morning is entrusted to us.
When your feet hit the floor in the morning, that is time God has handed you to manage.
You don’t own it.
You’ve been given it.
And here’s where this becomes very practical:
You can’t change last week.
You can’t redo yesterday’s missed opportunity.
But you can steward today.
And one day, we will give an account for how we handled what could not be replaced…
And one more, very important, detail about time management… is that time…
1.3 Reveals Control
1.3 Reveals Control
Time Reveals Who Is Really in Control…
Who decides how your time is used?
Is it Your impulses?
Is it Your habits?
Is it Your comfort?
… Or is it your Lord?
Paul gave us phrase in his letter to the Ephesians and he repeats in letter to the Colossians as well…
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
Again, that phrase — redeeming the time… Make the most of your time…
Paul keeps hammering this because he knows that…
Time reveals what rules us.
We can say Jesus is Lord.
We can sing it.
We can affirm it.
But if He is truly our Lord, then He has only one who has control over our schedule.
Now, that doesn’t mean every minute is a scheduled church activity.
But it does mean that we live surrendered to His will.
Which brings us to the next area God has entrusted to us… Our…
2. Abilities
2. Abilities
The abilities we have are not accidental… they have been entrusted to us by God…
10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Peter is saying that our abilities are expressions of God’s grace…
And just like we talked about last week… God’s love is not meant to stop when it reaches us… it is supposed to flow through us…
The same is true about His grace… … He has given us abilities that we are to use to minister to one another…
These abilities show up in the form of…
2.1 Spiritual Gifts
2.1 Spiritual Gifts
As soon as you accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior, you were indwelt by the Holy Spirit and He gave you a spiritual gift that you are to use to contribute to the Body of Christ…
Look at Romans 12…
Read vv. 3-8
This is not a comprehensive list, but Paul is making the point that…
Not everyone has the same gift.
And that’s intentional.
God never intended for one person to do everything.
He designed the church like a body.
Different parts.
Different functions.
Same purpose.
You don’t choose your spiritual gift.
You receive it.
And if you’ve received it, you are responsible to use it.
Another form of entrusted abilities would be…
2.2 Talents
2.2 Talents
These are things that you are good at that don’t necessarily fall into the category of a spiritual gift…
You may be naturally organized.
You may communicate well.
You may be mechanically minded.
You may be artistic.
You may be compassionate.
Those aren’t random personality traits.
Those are part of how God wired you.
Remember the words of the David in…
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works…
Guess what…
that includes you!
That includes your specific design.
If He gave it to you, He wants you to use it for Him.
And then similar to our talents… one more thing that falls into the category of abilities would be…
2.3 Skills
2.3 Skills
These are things that you worked hard to develop…
Education.
Trade skills.
Leadership ability.
Musical training.
Technical knowledge.
You practiced…
You Trained…
You sacrificed…
But who gave you the strength to practice?
Who gave you the mind to learn?
Who gave you the opportunity?
What did David say in 1 Chronicles?
12 Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all.
It’s easy to say, “I worked for this!.”… and you did…
But it was God who enabled you to work… it was God who gave you the abilities… and Whatever ability I have — spiritual, natural, or learned — is not for self-promotion…
It is for His service… …
So…
We are responsible for how we use our time.
We are responsible for how we use our abilities.
And now we come to the area most people immediately think about when they hear the word stewardship.
3. Finances
3. Finances
Let me say this for those who may be visiting…
We don’t always talk about finances. We are not a church that is constantly asking for money.
We’re not trying to pressure anyone.
We’re not trying to fundraise this morning.
We’re talking about stewardship because the Bible talks about stewardship.
And when God owns everything, that includes this area too.
Money is not evil.
Money is a tool.
But it is also a test.
Because few things reveal our hearts faster than what we do with our money.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:21,
“… where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Your heart follows your treasure.
This is why it is so important to manage God’s money well… … because it…
3.1 Reflects The Heart
3.1 Reflects The Heart
Here is a verse we spent some time on last Sunday night…
7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
This is in regards to our giving… and I want you to notice that there is no mention…
of a forced amount
of manipulation
of a guilt stricken gift…
but what is mentioned…
is the heart
the attitude…
You see, God is not after our bank accounts… news flash… He doesn’t need em…
What God is after, is our trust… And cheerful giving is evidence that we understand:
“It is all His to begin with.”
When we Honor Him with our finances, by giving from our firstfruits, instead of just giving Him whatever is left over…
It is seen as an act of trust
It is us saying “God, I trust you to provide for my needs”
It is choosing faith over fear.
Because when you give first, you’re not giving what you can spare.
You’re giving before you know how everything else will work out.
And that takes trust.
It says, “Lord, You gave this to me in the first place, and I believe You can and will give again.”
It shifts our confidence away from what we hold in our hand or our bank account and places it back on the One who gave it to us in the first place.
The way we manage God’s finances, reveals what is really in our hearts…
And if we are going to manage God’s finances faithfully, then…
3.2 Contentment Is Necessary
3.2 Contentment Is Necessary
The world is constantly telling us we don’t have enough.
Every advertisement is built on one message:
“You need more.”
More upgrades.
More comfort.
More security.
More success.
And if we’re not careful, that mindset seeps into our hearts without us even noticing it.
We start measuring our lives by what someone else has.
We start comparing.
We start feeling behind.
We start getting a little jealous…
That’s why contentment is necessary.
5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never LEAVE you, nor will I ever forsake you,”
“Be content… for I will never leave you.”
In other words, if I have Him, I have enough.
Discontentment says, “I need more to be secure.”
Contentment says, “God is my security.”
Contentment doesn’t mean we stop working hard.
It doesn’t mean we stop growing.
It means we say,
“Lord, what You have placed in my hands right now is enough for me to be faithful.”
And let me say this…
Contentment does not mean carelessness.
It does not mean we spend foolishly or haphazardly and then expect God to fix our mistakes.
It does not mean we ignore wisdom.
Contentment is not irresponsibility.
In reality, contentment helps us make wise decisions.
Because when I’m not chasing more…
When I’m not trying to impress someone…
When I’m not competing with my neighbor…
I’m free to carefully manage what God has given me.
A content heart spends thoughtfully.
A content heart plans wisely.
A content heart avoids unnecessary debt and impulsive decisions.
Why?
Because I’m not trying to fill a God-sized hole in my heart with stuff.
If God is enough, then what He has given is enough.
And that frees me to manage what is His with gratitude instead of greed.
We are to manage our time, our abilities, our finances… and finally… Our…
4. Relationships
4. Relationships
The people in your life are not accidents.
Your spouse.
Your children.
Your church family.
Your coworkers.
Your neighbors.
God has placed people in your life intentionally.
Towards the end of Acts 17, Paul is standing in Athens addressing the philosophers… And he explains that the “unknown God” they worship is the one true Creator who made the world and everything in it…
and in v.26 he says…
26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,
That means…
where you live isn’t random.
Where you work isn’t random.
Who sits around your table isn’t random.
That means… Relationships are entrusted to you.
And if we are managing what is His, that includes how we treat the people He has placed around us.
Which brings us full circle, back to what we have been talking about in 1 John…
You cannot say you love God and ignore your brother.
You cannot claim to walk in the light while living carelessly toward others.
Authentic living shows up in relationships.
And proper management of those relationships means:
I don’t take my spouse for granted.
I don’t neglect my children.
I don’t isolate from my church family.
and I don’t waste opportunities to show Christ at work.
People are not interruptions.
They are part of the assignment.
And one day, we will answer for how we handled the souls God placed in our path.
Closing:
As David said,
“For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You.”
Everything we have came from Him.
Everything we have belongs to Him.
So the question this morning is not, “Do I have enough?”
The question is, “Am I being faithful with what I’ve been given?”
My time.
My abilities.
My finances.
My relationships.
I am not the owner.
I am the manager.
But one day, I will stand before the Owner and give an account.
So let’s move forward from here, not with the attitude of — managing what is ours —…
but faithfully managing what is His.
Prayer:
