“BEING A GOOD STEWARD OF GOD’S MONEY”
Text: Luke 16:10-14
10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
Luke 16:10-14 (KJV)
INTRODUCTION: We are being greatly blessed of God and with this being so, Satan will try his best to stop us. Our church has taken some great steps of faith in recent years and now in recent months. We are currently serving nearly 180 missionaries; we have a Christian School and now are beginning a television ministry to reach shut-ins and those who are not attending church, who may watch a TV service and get under conviction and get saved… and then come to church. We have young people who are plugging in like they haven’t in a long time. We had a wonderful group of young people who met this morning to pray for our mission’s conference. (May I say, when we are attempting great things for God, we are going to be inviting risk. Many will never attempt the impossible or even the challenging because it takes them out of their comfort zone.) We are facing financial needs in the church and with this being so, We will again be analyzing our spending and may have to make some “hard calls” to maintain our integrity and our testimony, but much of the problem has been BECAUSE of a gradual decline in our giving. There may be those of you here who have become negligent in your giving or may not be giving at all. For this reason I am going to give us a reminder of what our Christian stewardship is all about and our responsibilities that we have back to God.
I. A GOOD STEWARD WILL BE MARKED BY HIS CONVICTION ( 1 Cor. 4:1-5)
A steward is one who has been entrusted with that which belongs to someone else.
A Good steward will assume his responsibility of handling another’s property with conviction; he knows that God will ultimately be his judge in regards to how he handles what God has given him. With this being so, he, with strong conviction conducts his life knowing that God will rightly judge him. He will be fairly judged by God for the way that he handled what God entrusted him with. This is not just money, but it includes money…
1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
A good steward does not even try to judge himself nor is he swayed by the judgment of other men. He realizes that he must answer directly to God for the way he handles what God has entrusted him with. This is so as individuals and also as we make up the church, collectively. A good steward does not give or do things just to impress someone. He does it for the Lord.
4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Early in my ministry, I was quick to past judgment upon people, and very concerned about what people thought about me; I still am, but not in the same way as I was then. I thought that I had it all figured out, when it came to people. The truth of the matter, only time and eternity will perfectly reveal both the evil and the good done by men. I also learned everyone does not have to do just like me, nor I just like them.
The old Bible commentator Barnes said, Judge nothing. Pass no decided opinion. Matthew 7:1. “Judge not, that ye be not judged”. The apostle here takes occasion to inculcate on them an important lesson-one of the leading lessons of Christianity-not to pass a harsh opinion on the conduct of any man, since there are so many things that go to make up his character which we cannot know, and so many secret failings and motives which are all concealed from us.
—Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament
II. A GOOD STEWARD WILL BE MARKED BY HIS CHARACTER
Our character is that which defines us. How we hold and handle God’s money reveals or certainly hints at our true character. When things are going good, it seems to be easier to serve God and bring in the tithes. Some will even boast that if they get all of their bills caught up, then they would start tithing. When a person has good character, he will faithfully exercise the will of God. He will do right even when it is most difficult. He will continue to support the ministries of the church with the tithes and the offerings even if gas goes up to ten dollars a gallon.
10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
This means that a good steward will be faithful where he is “right now”. The Lord will then reward you and trust you with that which is much. Do you want more of God’s blessings, then be faithful with what you have now…
Some believe tithing is only for the rich. No, tithing is for every
Christian. I have never heard of a rich person who tithes who didn’t begin
tithing when they were not rich!
Consider William Colgate: At the age of 16 he left home with
everything he owned tied in a bundle carried in his hand. The only trade he
knew was soap and candle making. He met an old canal-boat captain who gave
him this advice: “Someone will soon be the leading soap-maker in New York.
It can be you as well as someone else. Give you heart to Christ, pay the
Lord all that belongs to Him, make an honest soap, and I’m certain you’ll be
a prosperous and rich man.”
When he arrived in New York Colgate joined the church and began to
work. The first dollar he earned, he gave 1/10 to God. He worked hard and
soon became a partner and later sole owner of the business. He made honest
soap and was honest with God. He instructed his bookkeeper to open an
account with the Lord of 1/10 of all the company’s profits. The business
grew, so he gave 2/10, 3/10, 4/10, 5/10 and finally gave all his income to
God.
In the early 1900’s a young man began a small sheese business in
Chicago. He failed. He was deeply in debt. A Christian friend told him, “You
didn’t take God into your business. You have not worked with him.
Then this young man thought, “If God want to run the cheese
business, He can do it, and I’ll work for Him and with Him.” He turned His
business over to God and started tithing. The business began to grow and
prospered to become the largest cheese company in the world. The name of
that young man? J.L. Kraft, who became the president of the Kraft Cheese
Company!
Mr. Albert Hyde, the inventor of the cold remedy called Mentholatum,
began tithing when he was one hundred thousand dollars in debt. At first, he
excused himself from tithing thinking it would be dishonest to give God 1/10
while he owed others money. However, he came to realize that God was his
first Creditor. He began paying God first, and all the his other creditors
were eventually paid in full. Albert Hyde went on to give over 1½ million
dollars to missions.
Then there is the story of John B. Rockefeller, Sr. He began to work
as a small boy to help support his mother. His first wages amounted to $1.50
per week. When he brought his wages home, his mother instructed him that
1/10 should be given to the Lord. He followed the wise advise of his mother
and made that a regular practice. Rockefeffer gives this testimony: “From
that wek until this day I have tithed every dollar God has entrusted to me.
And I want to say, if I had not tithed th first dollar I made, I would not
have tithed the first million dollars I made.”
III. A GOOD STEWARD WILL BE MARKED BY HIS COURAGE
I suppose character and courage go together. A good steward will do what Malachi says: 7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? 8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:7-12 (KJV)
It takes courage that is marked by faith to do right. When things get hard, it is important to check if you are violating Biblical principles and are underneath God’s curse. If so, you should confess it and make it right before God. It could be that you are going through a test to prove your faithfulness to the Lord. Though it does take courage to do right, it is faith that pleases God. If you are robbing God, then you are not right with God. You will have to give account at the judgment seat and will also suffer for doing wrong in this life. This is true of a church and the individual who makes up the church. Therefore, it is so important to faithfully serve God and give back to God. “Money answereth all things” (Ecc. 10:19)
IV. A GOOD STEWARD WILL BE MARKED BY HIS CONTINUING (Galatians 5:7)
7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? A good steward must stay in the race. A good steward must keep on serving God even when he is facing his “heart break hills”, even when you are facing financial pressures. There are times when we all want to quit, but rewards do not come to the fainthearted. Remember, “You measure greatness by what it takes to stop you and how can you stop someone who will not quit?” I want to challenge this church to turn it up a “couple of notches”. For those who have been noticing, we have stepped up our ministries and are strengthening the things that remain. Satan does not like it. We are putting more “hooks in the water”. You fishermen will know what that means… We are stepping up our evangelism, having teams that will be going out to reach the lost. SATAN DOES NOT LIKE IT… Church, by God’s grace, we will not stop; we will continue on!
V. A GOOD STEWARD WILL BE MARKED BY HIS CROWNING
His lord said unto him, Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Matthew 25:21
Certainly, there are rewards in this life for being faithful with God’s money and being faithful in the area of total stewardship, but God will also reward in eternity. You may be presently under chastisement for robbing God. It may show up in many ways. God may touch your flesh or health; He may touch your finances; He may bring great pressures of life on you to cause you to repent. God certainly knows how to get our attention. He knows how to do the same on our church to get us to the place that we need to be. May we be helped and do right. Also, I want our folks to gather around the altar and pray that God will meet our needs. Please be sensitive to what God would have you to do. We have already received the offering, but if someone feels impressed to give to this need, there will be an offering plate on the table…
