March 11, 2001 Matthew 25
¡§Handling God¡¦s checkbook¡¨
INTRODUCTION
„h How would you react if you were handed Bill Gates¡¦ checkbook with permission from Bill Gates to do whatever you wanted with it?
„h Would it change the way you responded to this opportunity if you knew that you were going to have to give an account to Bill Gates for how you spent his money?
„h In the passage of the Bible that we are going to study today, we are introduced to the concept of stewardship. If you¡¦ve ever been on a boat or an airplane, you have had dealings with stewards and stewardesses. These are people who are given the responsibility of properly distributing the food and resources of the airline or cruise company to the passengers on board. The food and resources are not their own. They are handling the resources of someone else on their behalf. They have been entrusted with this responsibility.
„h In the sense that we are going to consider stewardship today, it could be defined in this way. [please find somewhere on your note-sheet or even in the cover of your Bible to write this definition down] ¡§Stewardship is the use of God-given resources for the accomplishment of God-given goals.¡¨
„h Everything that we are going to say today relates specifically to money and possessions. But these principles could also be applied to other resources that God has placed in your care ¡V your children, your job, your body, your skills and your knowledge.
„h Listen carefully, because the knowledge and wisdom that you will gain today is another one of those resources that you will be held accountable for one day.
1. God owns it all. (25:14) ¡V several implications . . .
ć God has the right to whatever He wants whenever He wants it.
- owner has rights; steward only has responsibilities (ex. When your child gets old enough to borrow the car, your child does not have the right to see the car, paint the car or race the car. He only has responsibilities ¡V fill it with gas, wash it, and get it home on time.)
- when I lose some possession, it may make me sad, but my mind and spirit have not the slightest question as to the right of God to take whatever He wants whenever He wants it.
- whenever you own a possession, you say something like ¡§This is mine¡¨, and you treat it accordingly. How would it change the way you felt about the stuff that is in your house and in your garage if you changed the way you thought about things and the way that you talked about things and said instead, ¡§This is God¡¦s¡¨?
- In our house, we have a cat that loves to destroy our sofa. She uses it as her scratching post. On one corner, she¡¦s taken it all the way down to the wood. That cat may not understand that that sofa belongs to God, but I do. So next time she starts to scratch on it, maybe I¡¦ll say something like, ¡§Get away from there! Don¡¦t you know that¡¦s God¡¦s couch, you dumb cat!?¡¨
- would it change the way you treated your car? Would it change the way that you treated your wife and your kids?
- When I was growing up, I was always taught that you treated borrowed things better than you treated your own things. Maybe things have changed over the years, but I still think that it¡¦s a good idea to treat the possessions of others better than I treat my own stuff.
ć Every spending decision is a spiritual decision.
- Most all of you understand that the decision that you make about whether or not you are going to put anything in the offering plate and how much is a spiritual decision.
- But do you recognize that buying a car, taking a vacation, purchasing food, paying off debts, and paying taxes are just as spiritual? The car you buy and the amount of payments that you make will help to determine whether or not you are able to help that family that lives down the street from you. The food you buy will impact the body that God has loaned to you and will partially determine how many years of productive service you have to give to God and how much of his money you are going to be spending on weight loss programs and heart bypass surgery.
- Do you think that since God owns all my money that maybe, just maybe, He has some thoughts about how I should spend it?
- [borrow someone¡¦s checkbook] Imagine if I took your checkbook and started spending your money ¡V would you want to have some input on where the money went?
- One day, I will have to give an accounting to God for how I spent His money.
ƒá You can¡¦t fake stewardship.
- Your checkbook reveals what you really believe about stewardship.
- Your checkbook reflects your goals, priorities and values.
- Let¡¦s see, while I have this checkbook, let¡¦s take a look at where and how _______ spends his money. How would you like it if I went and looked at each and every one of your checkbooks? Don¡¦t like the idea do you. Maybe not because you¡¦ve got something to hide. It¡¦s just that it¡¦s private. Know what . . . God already sees into your checkbook. He¡¦s looking over your shoulder every time you sign your name at the bottom of that check.
- Some of you are good fakers. You can fake a relationship with God through prayer, Bible study and church attendance. But you can¡¦t fake your checkbook.
- Who does it all belong to ¡V you or God?
2. We are in a growth process. (25:21)
ć Money is a tool. (Phil 4:11-12)
- Most everyone here has gone through some time when things were really tight financially. If you haven¡¦t yet, you will one day. How do you respond to tough times?
- When God takes us through tough times, He¡¦s not trying to frustrate us. He¡¦s trying to get our attention so that He can teach us something.
- Instead of saying, ¡§God, why are you doing this to me and my family?¡¨, we should be saying, ¡§God, what are you trying to teach me through this?¡¨
- One of the things that He wants to teach us is the same thing that he taught Paul ¡V contentment no matter what the balance in your checkbook is.
ć Money is a test. (Luke 16:11-12)
- My position of responsibility in heaven is to some extent determined by my proper handling of finances on earth.
- God is using my finances and the use of them to test me to see if He can trust me with greater opportunities in eternity.
ć Money is a testimony. (Mt. 5:13-16)
- Use of resources is a testimony. Do you give to meet the needs of others even when you do not have an excess?
- Attitude toward excess or diminished resources. Are you the same steady, content person whether or not you have a lot?
- Attitude toward your job which is the source of your income.
3. The amount is not important. (25:23)
ć Reward is not based on amount. (v. 21, 23)
- Both were called ¡§good and faithful servants¡¨.
- Both were given opportunities of responsibility.
ć Amount is not based on spirituality.
- Entrusting you with more or less money does not indicate more or less spirituality.
- A large balance in your checkbook does not indicate a large spiritual balance in your heart. Nor does a small balance indicate that God is punishing you for something.
- We cannot judge a person¡¦s heart by whether they are rich or poor. There is nothing unspiritual about being rich, and there is nothing especially pleasing to God about being poor.
- A larger amount simply means that you will have to give a greater accounting and that you have the opportunity to help more people. And a smaller amount may simply mean that you spent all your money on selfish desires.
ƒá Amount is God¡¦s decision.
- Just as it was totally up to the master how much he entrusted his servants with, so it is up to God how much He entrusts us with.
- We have no right to get mad at God for seeming inequities. And we have no right to judge or get jealous of someone else because their financial condition is different from our own.
- In this parable, there is no record of any of the servants getting mad at their master or jealous of one another. But there is a record of how well they used what their master had entrusted to their care.
- Use well what God has given you. You won¡¦t be held responsible for what He has given someone else, but you will be held responsible for what He has given you.
4. Faith requires action. (25:24-30)
ć Knowing and doing are different things.
- the wicked slave knew, be He did nothing
- many of us know what to do, but we choose not to.
- Why? Same reason the wicked servant chose not to.
ć You can either live by fear or by faith.
- fear of making a mistake
- fear that God won¡¦t provide
- fear of being a failure
- OR, there¡¦s the faith that says, it all belongs to God, so I¡¦m going to do with it what He says and leave the results up to Him. Be obedient, and you will never be a failure.
- He¡¦s promised to provide; I¡¦m going to trust Him. I¡¦m going to step out on faith and begin to practice God ownership of all that I have.
CONCLUSION
Think of the possessions that you have ¡V your house, your car, your computer, your job, . . . your family. Imagine pulling out the deed on these things. Now change the signature at the bottom of that deed. Put God¡¦s name there instead of yours. Deed everything that you have to God. And say something like this: ¡§It¡¦s yours now God to use it or dispose of it however you want. I¡¦m trusting you to take care of it.¡¨
Now your checkbook. Who does that belong to? Who has the right to say who the checks are written to and for how much? Do you pray before you write a discretionary check asking God¡¦s input on whether or not you should make that purchase? Did you pray about what car God would have you buy before you bought the vehicle that brought you to church this morning? Turn over the checkbook to God.
Now your life. Who does that belong to? Some of you have been holding a tighter grip on your life than the tightest tight-wad holds onto a new $100 bill. Your life doesn¡¦t belong to you. It belongs to God. He made you, and He bought you with the blood of His Son. Turn over the rights to Him for Him to direct you however He wants.
