Biblical Stewardship Principle #1

Introduction

Today begins our month long focus on personal evangelism and stewardship. There is no question whatsoever that Christ left us the command to be “witnesses” for Him.

Acts 1:8 KJV 1900

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Matthew 28:18–20 KJV 1900

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Each of us as believers have a personal responsibility to witness for the Lord. It was something that He taught early in His earthly ministry and ended it with the Acts 1:8 command. It is also a responsibility that He has given to each local church. Therefore, for this entire month, we are emphasizing our personal and corporate responsibility to reach our town and county, Bedford, as well as the entire world.

For those who may be new to our church, let me take a few minutes and explain our mission’s program. We, as a local church, are committed to doing as much as we can in reaching the world for Christ. Thus, we have outreach ministries and opportunities right here at home through our church. We have things like our...

GROW Ministry - God Rewards Our Work - This ministry does two basic things. We have people in our church who are involved in a letter writing campaign. Each month they receive a list of people who are new to our area having just moved here. Along with that list, they have a form letter that we give them by which they hand write invite letters to each of those people on that list. The letter welcomes them to the area and invites them to attend our church. We have seen this letter writing campaign work successfully. Many have attended our church after receiving one of our letters. The second part is actual door knocking. It is something we suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, now is the time to get back to doing what the Lord taught us to do. Starting the second weekend of November, we are bringing back our door to door visitation. I will be saying more about that over this month, but I hope that you will challenged to get involved as I do. Even now, you can be involved in our letter writing campaign. Each month, on the table in the foyer as you exit, are letter writing packets. All you have to do is grab one of those packets, put your name on the sheet next to them, and follow the instructions. If you have any question, you can always ask me or Cyndi. We are available to answer any questions.

Special Outreach Events - these are special times throughout the year when we do things to reach or connect with people in our community. For example, we just did an outreach at Centerfest. We had ladies doing kid’s face-painting for free and others who were handing materials to the parents about our church. Another great event which we will be doing again this next year is Vacation Bible Time. We also have Easter and Christmas programs that are designed to invite and reach people.

These are the two basic ways we seek to reach people on our community.

However, we also have a ministry through which we partner with others in reaching other nations. It is our Mission’s Program. Currently, we financially and prayerfully support 30 different missionaries and their families each month. The majority of these missionaries are living and serving in other nations. We have missionaries in places like Russia, Thailand, New Zealand, the Philippines, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, and many other places serving the Lord. It our privilege to partner with each of these families helping them as they serve the Lord. We have a mission’s budget that is over $43,000 a year just for missions. That is $43,000 a year above and beyond our general ministry spending. For a church our size, that is tremendous. I am convinced that God blesses churches who support missions and missionaries. He has definitely blessed us. However, I feel we that we can do even more if we allow God to work through us. That is reason each year we have this Mission’s Month. We use this time to remind ourselves of our responsibility to evangelize. We personally are to go. We also use this time as a challenge to give above and beyond our tithes and offerings so that others may go to places we cannot. Thus, I hope that you will open your ears to the Word of God and to the spiritual need of so many here at home and around the world. In doing so, I pray that hear will be affected by what you hear and see. Then, my prayer is that you commit to go, to give, and to pray as we seek to reach the world for Christ.

Now, here is our theme for this month. You will see the graphic on the screen behind me. Our theme is the great hymn, “Send the Light!” This great hymn was written by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel.

Gabriel taught himself to play a small reed organ as a boy. By the age of 16, he was already leading singing schools teaching others how to sing. It is said that Gabriel wrote this song as young teen after his pastor asked him to write a song for an upcoming sermon topic. Within the week and before the next Sunday, Gabriel had penned the words to this great song. It would seem that he used Acts 16 and the call from Macedonia as his inspiration.

Acts 16:9–10 KJV 1900

9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. 10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

That story along with Christ’s teaching in Matthew 5 where Christ said “Ye are the light of the world” were combined as Gabriel wrote...

“There’s a call comes ringing o’er the restless wave, “Send the Light! Send the Light!” There are souls to rescue, there are souls to save, Send the Light! Send the Light! We have heard the Macedonian call today, “Send the Light! Send the Light!” And a golden off’ring at the cross we lay, Send the Light! Send the Light! Let us pray that grace may ev’rywhere abound, Send the Light! Send the Light! And a Christlike spirit ev’rywhere be found. Send the Light! Send the Light! Let us not grow weary in the work of love, Send the Light! Send the Light! Let us gather jewels for a crown above, Send the Light! Send the Light! - Send the Light, the blessed gospel light; Let it shine from shore to shore; Let it shine forevermore.”

Now that is a song that will preach! Note that we must send the light because “there are souls to rescue, there are souls to save!”

All around us there are people crying out for help. They are drowning as they are held down by the bondage of sin. They are desperate. They need someone who is willing “Send the Light” helping to rescue them. For that reason, we must pray, we must go, and we must give so that others may go. My goal this month is to challenge you in those three areas - pray, go, and give. Let me encourage you this month more than any other month to faithfully attend both services on Sunday. Come each Sunday morning ready to receive the challenge from Gods’ Word. Then, come back each Sunday night to hear from each missionary who will be with us. We have four missionaries scheduled representing four other mission fields.

POLAND - Ron Davis is here this morning. Many of you have already heard him speak and you have seen his media presentation. He represents the call coming from Poland. There are souls to rescue and to save in Poland. God has laid that burden upon him to go. We need to pray for him and we need to give so that he can go.

WALES, ENGLAND - Next week, we have scheduled David Campbell. He represents the Welsh people of Great Britain. Make plans to be here and hear him. There are souls to rescue and to save in Wales.

PRISONS & CARIBBEAN ISLANDS - The week after is Joe Hendricks. He represents an entire population of people who are incarcerated as well as several Caribbean islands. There are souls to rescue and to save in our prisons as well as in those islands.

NEW ZEALAND - In week four, we have Logan Bankston. He represents New Zealand. There thousands of Kiwi souls to rescue and to save.

BEDFORD - And, then, the last Sunday of this month, we will focus on our own backyard. All around us here in Bedford are souls to rescue and souls to save.

Now, please understand this one thing. In order for these men to get to and stay on their respective mission fields, it takes finances. By the way, for us to effectively operate our ministries and reach our community, it takes finances. As you already know, money does not grow on trees. The amazing thing is this. God desires to use His people to finance His program of reaching the world for Him. For that reason, you cannot separate stewardship from evangelism. The two go hand in hand. Therefore, my desire is to challenge first in your own responsibility of stewardship in regards to personal finance and personal evangelism.

Let’s begin with an unusual text for a Mission’s Month. Look with me in your Bibles to Psalm 24. If you are using one of our Pew Bibles, the page is 353. Listen as I read this great Psalm.

Psalm 24 KJV 1900

A Psalm of David. 1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods. 3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of them that seek him, That seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. 7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

There are four basic principles of Biblical stewardship that all of us need to know and understand. The first one is found in this Psalm and one that lays the foundation for the next three. We are only going to learn the first one today and we will learn the next three over the next few weeks.

Here is the principle!

God Owns It All!

This psalm was penned by King David as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to do so. In this Psalm, the reader is encouraged to praise and rejoice the King of glory. Note that the King of Glory is Jehovah, the Lord. We can rejoice and praise Him because He is “strong and mighty…mighty in battle.” Folks, may I say to you this morning, when you have God on your side you have already won. God does nothing but win. Over in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit proclaimed...

1 John 4:4 KJV 1900

4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

That is a great source of encouragement this morning to us as believers.

However, if you go back to our text, please note the first two verses of this great psalm.

Psalm 24:1–2 KJV 1900

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods.

These two verses gives us 3 facts concerning God’s ownership.

Fact #1 - “The earth is the LORD’S...”

I would imagine most of everyone setting here this morning would readily agree that the earth belongs to the Lord. It is He Who created it.

Genesis 1:1–2 KJV 1900

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Psalm 89:11 KJV 1900

11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: As for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.

Everything you see in both heaven and earth belong to the Lord.

Just this week, I was watching a documentary about NASA’s mission to photograph Saturn and its rings. Many of you may know that NASA sent the Cassini spacecraft to Saturn to take photos so they could learn more about this beautiful planet. Cassini orbited Saturn for 13 years before it plunged into the planet’s atmosphere in 2017. The images that it sent back are absolutely stunning. As I was watching the documentary and seeing the gorgeous pictures of this giant planet, I thought about the beauty of all that God has created. Most of that beauty we have never even seen such as Saturn until now. And, yet the Milky Way is filled with grand beauty and architect that could only come from a mighty God like ours. For someone not to see a grand and glorious Designer behind all that was created is short of insane.

The fact is the earth and all the galaxies of the universe belong to God.

Here is another fact found in these two verses. Read them again.

Psalm 24:1–2 KJV 1900

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods.

Fact #2 - “the fulness thereof” is the Lords as well.

This means that all contained in the earth belongs to the Lord just as much as the earth itself belongs to Him.

One of our biggest problems is our obsession with possessions. We have possession obsession. Everything that is contained in this world was made by things that God created. You name it. From the fantastic jets that fly across the sky to the tallest skyscrapers right down to the car you drive and the house you live in, all was made by materials that God created. Yet, we think that because our name is on the title, it belongs to us. In fact, we often talk about how hard we worked to get what we have. The truth is this. You have what you have because God created a world full of amazing materials by which we could make such conveniences as cars, phones, houses, boats, and the list goes one. Additionally, it was God who created man with a brain capable of functioning and reasoning though which we are able to take the materials He provided building what we have. Furthermore, it is God who allows you to breathe and live each day so that you can go to work, make money, and purchase the conveniences that has your name on it. At any time, God could remove you from this earth and God could take all that you think you possess from you. It is within His power to do so. Thus, we who are believers of all people, should realize and admit that all we have belongs to Him.

Fact #3 - “…and they that dwell therein...” are the Lord’s.

Again, this speaks to one major truth. God created us. We are here today only because God so decreed that we be or exist.

Genesis 1:26–27 KJV 1900

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 2:7 KJV 1900

7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

If it were not for God creating us, not a single one of us would have ever been born. That is the bottom line.

We must then accept the fact that...

Psalm 24:1 KJV 1900

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.

That is the foundation for Biblical Stewardship. We must accept that God is the creator of all things. For that one simple reason, He then is the owner of all things. From the worm that wiggles on the parking lot after the rain to the largest galaxy in the universe with all its planets and stars, God owns it all. A fact that changes not. A fact that we must all accept.

You will note that the Psalmist understood the importance of God’s ownership. Look at the next few verses of Psalm 24.

Psalm 24:3–5 KJV 1900

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

God Owns It All and We Must Humbly Submit to Him!

Note the questions asked.

Psalm 24:3 KJV 1900

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?

The essence of those questions being who can stand in the Lord’s presence. The answer is simple.

Psalm 24:4 KJV 1900

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, Nor sworn deceitfully.

How then does one have a clean hands and a pure heart? That, my friend, is the point of focus for this entire month. The only way a person can stand before God with clean hands and a pure heart is when they have been cleansed and purified by the blood of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the gospel message. It is the good news. Scripture clearly teaches that every person...

Is Born Into this World Sinful, Full of Pride, and Without Hope of Eternal Life in Heaven

Romans 3:10–12 KJV 1900

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Romans 3:23 KJV 1900

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 5:12 KJV 1900

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Must Humbly and Sincerely Admit Their Sin, Their Hopelessness, and Their Helplessness before God Repenting of Their Sin

Romans 10:8–10 KJV 1900

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Mark 1:15 KJV 1900

15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Must Believe that Christ Shed His Blood for Their Sin Securing Eternal Life for Them Putting Their Complete Faith in Him As Lord and Savior

Romans 5:6–8 KJV 1900

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23 KJV 1900

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 John 5:11–13 KJV 1900

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Must Call Out to Him With their Mouth Accepting All that He has Already Done for Them

Romans 10:11–13 KJV 1900

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Every person who sincerely calls upon the Lord is not only saved from the impending judgment to come, but is cleansed by Christ’s blood.

1 Peter 1:19 KJV 1900

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Ephesians 1:7 KJV 1900

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Revelation 1:5–6 KJV 1900

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Thus, may I say to anyone present this morning who has not submitted to God’s salvation plan, please do so this morning. Do not continue to resist Him! It is a useless effort. He is the Creator of the world and Owner of all things. And, whether you want to admit it today or not, your destiny is already determined by Him. As a sinner who is unclean and undone before Him, you are destined to an awful eternity of pain and torment. However, with one humble act of obedience, all that can be changed this morning. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved this morning.

For us who have already placed our faith in God, we too must continually humble ourselves before Him. Look again at the text.

Psalm 24:4 KJV 1900

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, Nor sworn deceitfully.

The last part of that verse speaks of those who are filled with pride and deceit. As followers of the Lord, there is no room in our lives for self exaltation or deception. We must humbly serve Him each day. We must be completely honest our relationship with Him as well as with others.

If then we are humble and honest, we will easily recognize that God is the Owner of all things. He owns the earth. He owns all that is in the earth. He owns us. We belong to Him and He to us.

What the is the result of all who acknowledge God as Creator and Owner of all things?

Note verse 5.

Psalm 24:5 KJV 1900

5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

The result is blessings and righteousness.

Conclusion

Do you want God’s blessing on your life? Do you want to stand righteous before Him? If so, then you must begin by humbly admitting this one truth. God is God. He is the only true and living God. He is the Creator of all things. He owns all things. That is the starting point, the foundation upon which we must build and live our lives each day. If we are to reach this world for Him, we must start there. For that reason, I plead with those who do not know Christ to call out to Him today. Don’t delay. Do it now. Believer, I implore you to live as His humble servant. Start recognizing this morning that all you possess is not yours. It is His. As we are going to see over the next few weeks, He as entrusted all that you have to you to be used for Him. Are you using it for him or for your own selfish gain? The answer to that question lies upon how you see your relationship with Him.