PROPER VIEW OF TRUE STEWARDSHIP

Matthew 6:19-24; Deut. 10:12-13; Mic.6:6-8

There is a lot of professed believers who are not fully taught on what it means to serve the Lord. Many of these claim to serve the Lord though they are still in control of their own lives. They are not living in the reality of the New Testament. Peace and contentment can only come from unreserved obedience in serving the Lord. In fact the Lord demands unreserved obedience and submission. The Gospel demands such submission. What is the Gospel demand on Christians? It is all spelt out by the Lord and His apostles in the New Testament. When people do not live in the reality of the New Testament demands, they will soon fall away when persecution comes. What we are about to learn today has the potential of leading us into exponential success both in ministry and in our personal lives.

1.  Appropriate Use Of Acquired Treasures

Mat.5:1-8; 6:19-2; 19:16-23; Deut.8:10-18;

First the negative command: “Lay not up treasures upon earth”, then a positive one: “lay up treasures in heaven”. What does this mean? What is treasure in this teaching? In the olden days, treasure meant precious metals and clothes. That has not really changed much. You may add other things like houses and lands and other forms of property. These two articles of wealth are perishable, susceptible to environmental decay, destruction by insects, political and economic forces, terrorism and theft.

Therefore storing these items of wealth on earth here is not safe. You do not have control over them. Even if you are able to preserve them you are not going to live here forever. Jesus tells us where to store them – in Heaven.

First we know that the labourer must have his wages. So if you have worked hard and earned your wages, God allows you to enjoy it in a legitimate way – provide food for you and members of your family, pay your tax, pay your rent or mortgage, buy clothes for you and your family, Support the cause of the Kingdom of God, do other acts of charity that may be necessary.

Consider the example of the rich young ruler. This man treasured his riches more than the love and service to the Master. He misunderstood the purpose of riches. He missed his chance of entering into eternal life. He coveted his wealth so much that he now lacked commitment to the Lord. He forgot God who gave the wealth (Deut.8:10-18)

Surely to enjoy the vanity and folly of the world as others do, to be like them in the main chief tempers of our lives, in self-love and indulgence, in sensual pleasures and diversions, in the vanity of dress, the love of show and greatness, or any other gaudy distinctions of fortune, is a sign of worldliness. If you live like this you cannot call yourself a true Christian.

True and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ have renounced the life of vanity or frivolity. They no longer mind unimportant things, inconsequential things, and superficial things. They are heavenly minded. They are not competing with the rich of this world. Any wealth God gives to them is used to lay up treasure in Heaven for themselves! Read what the apostle Paul says about such people (Gal.5:24).

2.  Pure and Applied Loyalty To Christ The Lord

Mat.6:22-24; 1 Tim.6:6-12; Luke 12:42-46

Single-mindedness is a prerequisite, a precondition, a requirement, a must for anyone seeking to serve Christ.  No one can serve two masters. Mammon or wealth personified is a master and demands to be served. Any one serving Christ cannot serve mammon.

 If we want our prayers to be answered, if we want the work God has committed to us to progress, if we want our vision to be realised, if we want to see the power of God in action, then we must have undivided heart in serving the Lord.

I have to ask those who spend most of their time working, and the work is taking them away from God and from the work of God, why are you doing that? You should only spend time on providing food and raiment. The love of money is the root of all evil. If God has given you the power to make wealth, it is a gift for the service of your Lord and Master. Your portion is food and raiment, the rest is to be spent in the service of the Lord! There is a line drawn by Christ between the Kingdom of God and kingdom of mammon. You can’t serve in both Kingdoms. Heaven knows when you serve the Kingdom of heaven and if you serve the kingdom of mammon (Mal.3:18). You can’t serve both at the same time.

Christians are stewards of Christ and in these perilous times we should not chess after perishing things. We should not be signing up for shift work after shift work. I don’t see why a true Christian, less so a worker, should be accepting to work on Sundays when we should all be together to worship God and enjoy the fellowship of other believers.

 

Servants of Christ should never worry about their welfare! God will always take care of His servants (Isaiah 54:17; 65:13-15). God is their provider, even in extreme situations (Luke 12:6-7).

 Christ is all in all for the believer. That is written all over the New Testament. The believer is not living for himself any longer but for Christ, serving and waiting for His return (Luke 12:35-38). That should be the state of your heart and your mind.

3.  Putting the Kingdom First And Above All

Mat.6:31-33; Luke 16:1-2, 9-13; Titus 2:11-14

Are you living for the Kingdom of heaven or for yourself and family? Are you putting all your resources to work in the Kingdom of God or are you amassing wealth for yourself? Are you seeking for the prosperity of the Kingdom of God or are you attempting to build mansions on earth? God has committed the prosperity of the Kingdom to us. A steward is not the owner of the estate he is managing. He eventually will give account to the owner (1Cor.4:1-2).

To seek the Kingdom of God first – seek God’s righteousness first, seek personal conformity to God’s standard of righteousness, seek that reign of God in your heart and in others first, seek the salvation of other people by making all the effort to bring them into the Kingdom of God. Seek how to promote the Kingdom of God. Spend and be spent doing this, and all the other things you need will be added. The focus of every believer is heaven!

Let us close with the summary of the whole Gospel demand on believers by a man of God.

The Gospel calls us to renounce the world, and differ in every temper and way of life, from the spirit and the way of the world: to renounce all its goods, to fear none of its evils, to reject its joys, and have no value for its happiness: to be as new-born babes(1Pet.2:2), that are born into a new state of things: to live as pilgrims in spiritual watching, in holy fear, and heavenly aspiring after another life: to take up our daily cross, to deny ourselves(Mat.16:24), to profess the blessedness of mourning, to seek the blessedness of poverty of spirit: to forsake the pride and vanity of riches, to take no thought for the morrow, to live in the profoundest state of humility, to rejoice in worldly sufferings: to reject the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life(1John 2:15-17): to bear injuries, to forgive and bless our enemies, and to love mankind as God loveth them: to give up our whole hearts and affections to God, and strive to enter through the strait gate into a life of eternal glory. This is the pursuit of every true believer, every faithful steward of Christ. Is this your pursuit?