1 Valley View Chapel February 13, 2011 The Plain Truth about Stewardship True Ownership Luke 12:13-21 Introduction I ve preached a series of sermons on biblical stewardship every year for the past 18 years. The series has helped more people grow spiritually than any other series of sermons I ve ever given. It s not that the sermons are so creative and inspiring. It s that the stewardship principles outlined in the Bible have such an extraordinary power to improve the quality of our lives if we discover them, believe them, and live them out. So we re embarking on a 6-week adventure this morning that I ve called The Plain Truth about Stewardship. The best place to begin is with a definition of stewardship: Stewardship is the management of my God-given resources. Our God-given resources include far more than our material resources. God has also given us time, health, abilities, spiritual gifts, and privileges. Biblical stewardship is the management of everything that God has sent our way. Jesus talked more about stewardship than about prayer, heaven, hell and love combined. The reason for his emphasis on stewardship is because the management of our God-given resources is the key to being his fully devoted follower. How we deal with the stewardship issue tells more about our commitment to him than any other issue in life. Luke 12:1-11 described a time when Jesus was teaching a great crowd of people. So great was the throng that verse 1 says that they were trampling on one another. An Interruption to Jesus Teaching v. 13 Here is the Lord Jesus teaching to hundreds of people. Right in the middle of his message, a man ran up to Jesus, grabbed his sleeve, and blurted out in a loud voice: Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. It s apparent that this man hadn t been paying any attention whatsoever to Jesus sermon. The whole time that Jesus was teaching, his mind was on other things. When he had reached a stage of agitation that he could keep no longer keep quiet, he demanded that Jesus settle a family dispute. I ve never had anyone interrupt one of my sermons like that but I have had babies start to cry at the exact moment when I reach the punch line in a joke I ve been rehearsing all week! I m a little bit annoyed when that happens!
2 Jesus could have scolded this intruder for his shameless lack of tact. He could have gotten angry because the man interrupted his train of thought. Yet, Jesus graciously stopped long enough to change the emphasis of his sermon. He saw in the man s interruption a picture-perfect opportunity to teach a lesson about stewardship. Jesus often viewed interruptions opportunities and not as obstacles. One day Jesus was resting by Jacob s well and he was interrupted by a Samaritan woman. Another time, Jesus was on his way to the home of Jairus to heal his dying daughter. A woman in the crowd interrupted his journey by touching the hem of his garment in the hopes of being healed. One night Jesus was sleeping in the stern of Peter s fishing boat. The disciples woke him up to tell him about a fierce storm on the Sea of Galilee. Another night, a religious leader named Nicodemus knocked on his door, looking for some answers to spiritual questions that were keeping him up at night. In each instance, Jesus transformed the interruption into a redemptive occasion of grace, healing and peace. I wonder why this man couldn t wait until Jesus had concluded his sermon to speak with him. Perhaps he was desperate and Jesus was his last resort. Even Christians can get pretty desperate. Desperation comes to me when I fixate on the size of the problem and forgot about the size of God. I forget to think about God s question to Abraham in Genesis 18:14, Is anything too hard for the LORD? The man in today s text had tried everything to try to get his brother to divide the inheritance with him. He had begged. He had pleaded. He had threatened. Isn t he a lot like us? We use up all our options before we go to God. Not until we ve reached the end of our rope do we go to God. Some Christians haven t given God a serious thought since their last crisis. An Insight from Jesus Response vv. 14-15 No doubt Jesus answer disappointed the man: Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you? Then he said to them, Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. (NIV)
3 Curiously, Jesus didn t fix the problem. Because the man s problem was not his problem! We want Jesus to fix our problems. But Jesus isn t in the business of fixing our problems. He s in the business of fixing us. God isn t going to fix your marriage problem until he fixes you. God isn t going to fix your addiction problem until he fixes you. God isn t going to fix your financial problem until he fixes you. Jesus isn t interested in treating symptoms. He s not interested in making us temporarily happy. He s interested in making us permanently holy. That s why he treats causes and not symptoms. Jesus addressed the man s two problems which ere robbing him of God s best for his life: greed and a skewed understanding of the purpose of life: Jesus told the guy: Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. The man had fallen into the trap of greed. 2,000 years later, people are still falling into the same pit. Everything in advertising appeals to our discontent and sense of greed. Even many economists agree that main reason why the world is in the economic mess it s in today is because of greed. Take AIG for example. On the surface, AIG sounded like a healthy company that was only rewarding its best and brightest. A few years ago, over 400 employees recently received bonuses. Threefourths of the company received more than $100,000. Fifty-one employees received $1 to $2 million; fifteen received more that $2 million, and six received $4 million. The highest bonus stood at $6.4 million. In fact the company handed out $165 million in bonuses in one year. Only one minor problem: these bonuses were handed out to executives of a company on the verge of collapse, one that lost $62 billion in its most recent quarter alone. Bonuses given by a company whose financial troubles are not only inflicted pain and distress on millions of investors, but are also threatened to take down a significant portion of the economy. Notice Jesus said that we are to be on our guard against all kinds of greed. Greed doesn t just mean wanting a bigger TV, faster computer, or nicer car. We can be greedy for power, influence, accomplishments, attention, recognition, and respect. In fact, we can be totally disinterested in a bigger salary, a larger house or a more luxurious car and still be in the grip of greed.
4 Jesus made an observation that is totally contrary to the philosophy promoted in America everywhere we turn: A man s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Luke 12:15 (NIV) The world tells us otherwise: A man or woman s life does consist in the abundance of one s possessions. This false philosophy is based on a view of life that says: There is nothing that can give me a greater sense of satisfaction, joy and purpose than what is offered by the material world. Yet some famous people who have tasted everything the material world has to offer would beg to differ. I call Brad Pitt to the witness stand. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Brad Pitt reflected on the materialistic rewards of an incredibly successful career: I know all these things are supposed to seem important to us the car, the condo, our version of success but if that's the case, why is the general feeling out there reflecting more impotence and isolation and desperation and loneliness? If you ask me, I say we gotta find something else.the emphasis now is on success and personal gain. I'm sitting in it, and I'm telling you, that's not it. I'm the guy who's got everything. I know. But I'm telling you, once you've got everything, then you're just left with yourself. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it doesn't help you sleep any better, and you don't wake up any better because of it. Brad Pitt is, consciously or unconsciously, agreeing with Jesus: A man s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. An Illustration of Jesus Wisdom vv. 16-21 Jesus then told a story to illustrate his point: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry... But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:16-21 In this parable, he told us four things about the wealthy farmer. First: He saw only himself. He never gave a thought to God. Though he may have claimed to believe in God, he lived as a functional atheist.
5 Second: He forgot that he was a steward of God s gifts. He thought he owned everything he had that it all belonged to him and he could do whatever he pleased with it. Third: He failed to understand that his wealth was not due to hard work and good planning but to God s grace. Fourth: he thought that wealth is the measure of worth. How much you have or don t have has absolutely nothing to do with what is really valuable. In his autobiography Just as I Am, Billy Graham recalled a story that demonstrated the truth that greatness is not defined by wealth or fame, but by character. Some years ago Ruth and I had a vivid illustration of this on an island in the Caribbean. One of the wealthiest men in the world had asked us to come to his lavish home for lunch. He was 75 years old, and throughout the entire meal he seemed close to tears. I am the most miserable man in the world, he said. Out there is my yacht. I can go anywhere I want to. I have my private plane, my helicopters. I have everything I want to make my life happy, yet I am as miserable as hell. We talked to him and prayed with him, trying to point him to Christ, who alone gives lasting meaning to life. Then we went down the hill to a small cottage where we were staying. That afternoon the pastor of the local Baptist church came to call. He was an Englishman, and he too was 75 a widower who spent most of his time taking care of his two invalid sisters. He was full of enthusiasm and love for Christ and others. I don't have two pounds to my name, he said with a smile, but I am the happiest man on this island. Billy Graham related how he asked his wife Ruth after they left, "Who do you think is the richer man?" She didn't have to reply because they both knew the answer. In this parable, Jesus issued a four-fold warning. Beware of success. Jesus never said that success was bad. He never said that wealth was bad. He never said that being a good businesswoman or businessman was bad. He said that it was easy to think that these things are the most important things in life. Beware of self-assurance. The rich farmer used the personal pronouns I or my 6 times in verses 17-18. He didn t see God as the owner of everything. He saw himself as the owner of everything. He thought that he the right to do anything he wanted with what he had because they were his possessions. Beware of self-security.
6 The man in the parable thought that the things in his barn gave him security and peace of mind. Actually, the opposite is true. The more we have, the more we worry about our material things. That s why we have car alarms and home security systems, and safe deposit boxes. There s nothing wrong with taking precautions. This may even be a mark of good stewardship. But how much do we worry about our material possessions? How content would we be if God chose to take some of them away from us? God is not against us enjoying the blessings he has given. But he doesn t want us to depend on them more than we depend on him. Beware of self-satisfaction. The wealthy farmer had false peace because his peace rested on the wrong foundation. He didn t realize that all he had could be taken from him in an instant or that he could be taken away in an instant. Mike Tyson made 300 million dollars during his boxing career. Mike Tyson is also broke and bankrupt. In the final analysis, material prosperity is a flimsy object of faith. Conclusion The Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe produces a well-known and respected brand of luxury watches. Their advertising slogan has a lot to do with Jesus teaching on stewardship: "You never actually own a Patek Philippe; you merely take care of it for the next generation." We never really "own" what we have money, spiritual gifts, ministries, time, our children, our lives. As fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to manage responsibly and well all that God has graciously given to us so that the next generation will want to follow in our footsteps.
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