Beginning to be a Good Steward

Transcription

1 Beginning to be a Good Steward Readings: 1 Chronicles 29:10-17, Luke 16:1-13, 1 Timothy 6:6-10 & OVERVIEW This month we are going to be focusing on Financial stewardship: Money matters. Last week we explored the idea of whether Money is the root of all evil or seed for good. We established that money is a neutral thing and its evil or good is dependent on the hands in which the money resides. It is the love of money; that is the excessive desire and pursuit of money. Stewardship is not only about money. Basically, stewardship is how we, both corporate as the church and individually as those who have said Yes to Christ, manage what we have from God in all realms of talent, wealth, gifts, time, etc. We are going to be focusing on the financial aspect of this stewardship. We are not only going to be talking about giving and tithing. And it won t just be me giving my idea of how we should be using our money. I hope that this time will be 1) an honest exploration of what scripture has to say, 2) of us being open to the Spirit reforming our view and use of our money and possessions 3) and a stimulation of conversation which will take place beyond what is dealt with during the minutes on each Sunday morning. So on that note, this morning s message is titled beginning to be a Good Steward. Three boys in the schoolyard were bragging about who had the highest paid father: The first boy said, My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, and they give him R1000. The second boy said, That s nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, and they give him R Sermon 11 November 2018 Page 1 of 5

2 The third boy said, My Dad is ever better than that. He scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, calls it a sermon, and it takes 6 or 8 people just to collect all the money! Money does not come from nowhere or by doing nothing. In order to gain money and possessions we need to do something. We need to work. We each earn a living in different ways. Does the fact that we earned our cold hard cash mean we can do with it what we want, how we want, when we want, without consideration about anyone else? We may answer, well yes, its mine and I earned it; I deserve to do what I want with it. As we read the scriptures we are reminded that what we perceive to be ours really isn t. Most certainly what is ours will not be ours for all time. We come into the world with nothing and go out with nothing. Good stewardship starts with understanding that God is the Creator of all things, the Owner of all things, and the Giver of all things. ( It is from this perspective that we begin to reflect on how we ought to use our worldy riches. It is the perspective that what we have is only borrowed, temporal. Something which I remember hearing is that in the context of eternity we all just have a little bit of time and a little bit of money. With this little bit of time and a little bit of money we have a lot of opportunity. How we use our little bit of time and our little bit of money will say much about what we consider important, the state of our heart. Godfrey Davis, who wrote a biography about the Duke of Willington, said, "I found an old account ledger that showed how the Duke spent his money. It was a far better clue to what he thought was really important than the reading of his letters or speeches." How we handle money reveals much about the depth of our commitment to Christ. That's why Jesus often talked about money. One-sixth of the gospels, including one out of every three parables, touches on stewardship. Jesus wasn't a fundraiser. He dealt with money matters because money matters. For some of us, though, it matters too much. Our Daily Bread, August 26, Sermon 11 November 2018 Page 2 of 5

3 What do we learn from this morning s scripture readings about what it means to be a Good Steward. MESSAGE 1) Live within/belowour means 1Ti 6:6 GNB Well, religion does make us very rich, if we are satisfied with what we have. ESV But godliness with contentment is great gain MSG A devout Life does bring wealth, but it s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God.But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. On a daily basis we are being advertised to and sold they idea that we need what it is that some company is selling. It could be that it will make us more likable because we will be in with the current style. It could be that we need the newest item of technology because of the many new features and it will add so much more to the experience. It could be that we feel the need to show that we are progressing in life, moving on an upward trend in society. It could be simply that we are sold the lie that newer is better. The other great harm is the advertising that we can have these things without actually needing the money right now. All we need to do is have a credit card, store account or lay by! It is the desire to be or appear to be or rich, or to have. It is a matter of the heart. To be content is a state of the heart that doesn t look at what we don t have and desire it. It is a state of the heart which looks at what we do have and is thankful for it. Being content does not mean giving up and being confined to the way things are. Paul speaks to one of the churches about addressing their selfish ambition, not ambition all together. Being content is trusting in God in whatever state we are in. There are some people in our world who do not have enough. So, contentment does not mean being happy with the not enough. Contentment is trust. But for those of us who have more than enough, we need to seriously think in this consumer engulfing society whether we need what is being sold or whether we can afford what is being sold relative to what we have. Sermon 11 November 2018 Page 3 of 5

4 John Wesley is renowned for teaching, "make all you can, save all you can (cut out expenses), give all you can," 2) Love beyond ourselves and our resources We can get so consumed by money and possessions. Good stewards look beyond the resource to the God who generously provides the resource and the people who are around us. It is removing the coin from right in front of our eye and seeing the panorama of the mountains beyond the coin. It is placing our hope in God and not our resources, building a treasure in heaven. It is using what we have to do good through generosity and sharing. What makes a person generous? Is it a wealthy person who is generous? No! It is a generous person who is generous. Being a good steward does not depend on the quantity of our resources. It has to do with the affections of our heart and the direction of our love. A good steward is someone who looks beyond their resources to the needs around. Another lesson in Luk_16:8 is that the people of this world are wiser in their generation than the people of light. That means that, if only the Christian was as eager and ingenious in their attempt to attain goodness as the person of the world is in their attempt to attain money and comfort, they would be a much better person. If only people would give as much attention to the things which concern their souls as they do to the things which concern their business, they would be much better people. At the end of the teaching of the parable we hear the same words we heard last week from the gospel according to Matthew No one can be a slave of two masters...you cannot serve both God and money. Paul gives the advise to Timothy not to put their hope in riches but to be generous and ready to share. Sermon 11 November 2018 Page 4 of 5

5 CONCLUSION Being a good steward begins with living within/below our means and loving beyond ourselves and our resources. God is the creator, owner and giver of all things. To quote a poet, Nazim Hikmet, "i mean, it s all a matter of your heart", a song writer, Jessie J, "It s not about the money, money, money" and a preacher, "as water reflects the face, so one s life reflects the heart" (proverbs 4:23). Sermon 11 November 2018 Page 5 of 5