Stewardship (W. 1) - Psalm 50

Introduction: Each week we need to set up First. God demans preimence. We need to plan to take time in the introduction to speak directly to those who are automatically assumign the worst, postured in defense and criticism of any preacher talkign about money. Wayne will discuss specifics of what we all need to say.

1. The Reality of God's Economy

Argumentation: Stewardship starts with ownership not giving.

Before stewardship is about what you do with what you have, it’s about settling who owns what you have.

Explain:

(a) God owns all things and needs nothing.

If God owns all things He doesn’t need anything from us.

God is the Judge here. Asaph was a priest in David and Solomon’s reign. He was a Levite who loved the Lord and was known for his worship leadership. In other words… dude had pipes and could rip a guitar.

From the beginning of this psalm, the worship leader has a word from God. He literally said, The Almighty, God, our Lord has something He wants to say. Before he begins detailing what God said, Asaph described the atmosphere. God summoned the earth, the heavens bear witness, the storm and consuming fire surround Him… then He gathers His people before Him.

Psalm 50 is God addressing the people who belong to Him. This is why stewardship is not “here are 5 steps to managing money well,” and why it’s actually, “because you belong to God, let before Him and let Him examine our worship.”

Frightening.

What does God say to His people?

(b) God is not a consumer

The courtroom is described here in a powerful way. A storm and consuming fire comes around God.

Psalm 50:8 ESV

8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.

Check out what God is saying here. God is saying, “I am not correcting you because you aren’t doing anything. That’s not what this rebuke is. In fact, as the Judge, I see that you are continually bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices beofre me.”

In other words, it’s like God is saying, “I see you doing the religious stuff!”

They were bringing sacrifices. They were showing up. They were performing the external requirements. But something was wrong underneath the activity. The problem was not that they were failing in the external duties of worship. The problem is that they were withholding the heart while performing the ritual.

You can do the right things for God with the wrong view of God.

They viewed God as One who needed something.

They apparently thought and treated their sacrifices as though they beneifted God or somehow put God in debt to them.

This is where a few things begin to happen in our worship. When we see God this way, we are:

Making worship about superstition rather than surrender.

Believing a lie that our worship makes God obligated to move.

Making worship about a transaction and not a transformed heart.

It’s literally us saying, “God! Hey God, check out this big ole bull I brought for you. That means You owe me something.”

But let me remind you:

God is not impressed by the activity of worship when the heart of worship is absent.

Why?

When we think God needs what we have, we begin to treat worship like a transaction!

Look how God responds to this heart:

Psalm 50:10–12 ESV

10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. 12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.

You think I’m dependent on you? God says, God is not a consumer of our worship… He is the object of our worship!

(c) God is better than everything He owns

Anything you offer God out of obligation is insulting to the one who needs nothing.

We’ve already said this, but God owns everthing and needs nothing. But I’d love to highlight another valuable truth found in Psalm 50 for us. Look what Asaph says about God in verse 2.

Psalm 50:2 ESV

2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.

God is better than everything He owns.

May I suggest something to you? The greatest thing God can give you is Himself.

The world belongs to Him. The cattle belong to Him. Your house belongs to Him. Your career belongs to Him. Your bank account belongs to Him. Your kids and grands belong to Him. Your future belogns to Him.

But God Himself is better than all of it.

The perfection of beauty points out that God’s worth is incomparable. He is better than everything and anything else and He is the only One who can truly satisfy. This is huge. This is the point. This is the truth about God’s economy. Not only does God own everything… but God is worth more than everything!

This is how we leave this place today not simply thinking, “Fine… I guess I’ll give Him back what is His.” And actually begin to think of God… listen… as the actual treasure! As the point!

This is the heart. This is the point. This is what we don’t want you to miss. God is the treasure!

Stewardship is not about ownership, it’s about treasure!

Matthew 6:21 ESV

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Two questions: Why did Jesus mention money here? Because Money is something we’re tempted to trust. Money can become our functional savior and we believe money can become our secrurity, satisfaction, significance and control.

What is Jesus saying here in Matthew 6:24?

Where your treasure is, there you heart will be also.

Whatever you treasure will eventually govern you and become your lord.

The people of God in Psalm 50 were treasuring themselves, and made worship about a transaction.

How does God call His people to respond?

So if God owns evertying, and God needs nothing, and God is worth more than everyting. What does a person do when they actually believe that?

They don’t respond with reluctants. They respond with grateful surrender.

2. The Response of God's People

How does God call His people to respond?

When God becomes your treasure, surrender becomes your response.

(a) We have to Live in Grateful Surrender (offering of thanksgiving)

Psalm 50:14 ESV

14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,

We’ve already established that God doesn’t need anything. He is not a consumer in need of our resources. So this is not just feeling thankful as a response. It’s still sacrificial language.

The sacrifice God ultimately desires is one that comes from the heart.

This sacrifice of thanksgiving is meant to express several things:

Gratitude

Praise

Penitence

love

Obedience

Submssion

Devotion

This is grateful surrender.

Because everything comes from You, I surrender everything back to You!

This is not about a payment, but a posture.

Isaiah 57:15 ESV

15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

(b) We live in Trusting Surrender

Psalm 50:15 ESV

15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

This is why stewardship is not just giving. Stewardship involves trust. Money has a way of making us feel like we don’t need God. We can build enough savings, get the right insurance, create enough margin, and get the right career. It leads to those three dangerous words to live by: “I got this.”

Until we don’t

God says, “Call on me!” Stewardship is: do I trust God with what I cannot control?

God didn’t need our sacrifice, but we sure needed His. Thank you, God that you didn’t just give 10%. You Gave it all.