Stewardship: The Missing Piece to Successful Living
"The Benefits of Lifestyle Stewardship" 1 of 4
(Originally preached by Dr. John C. Maxwell)
Luke 6:27-38
January 5, 2002 FBC, Chester, IL Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
Draw your attention to the puzzle on the front of your sermon notes.
A Stewardship is the missing piece to successful living.
a I’ll be talking the whole month on how stewardship is the key to spiritual growth/development.
b Been a big month in the life our church for the last two years. (Look forward to January)
B Overview of the next four weeks....
a Benefits: Biblical Model of stewardship.
b Balance: Poverty or Prosperity-Which is biblically correct?
(Some people say if you serve God you’ll have everything/nothing. Which is right?)
c Responsibility: If God Owns It All What Am I Doing With It?
d Partners: 1 + 1 = One
C Today’s notes...
(3 pages of notes for this sermon...mostly scripture. Don’t panic.)
a Biblical model of lifestyle stewardship.
b Luke 6
*Jesus is doing some marvelous teaching about living a lifestyle of giving.
*READ LUKE 6:27-38 FROM NIV (DON’T PRINT IN SERMON GUIDE)
II Four Observations
(1.) This behavior is to be our lifestyle. (Does Jesus really expect us to live this way? YES!)
(2.) This behavior sets us apart from the world. (vs. 32-34)
Three different times Jesus says if we don’t live this high road of giving, sharing, loving there is nothing that seperates us from the sinners/world.
(3.) This behavior is modeled by our heavenly Father. (v.6.)
(4.) This behavior will reap many benefits. (vs. 35, 37-38)
Reward will be great (35)
If we don’t judge, we won’t be judged. (Condemned, forgive)
(We pretty much determine our own sentence from God. Our attitude towards others determines our attitude toward us.)
E Remember in school when the teacher called for someone to answer a question and if you knew the answer you raised your hand in the air and waved it!!!
a You knew the answer and you wanted to tell everybody else that you knew the answer.
b Remember what it was like when the teacher asked a question and you had no idea what the answer was. (Dear God, please don’t let her call on me!)
F I’m excited about this month, because I really know biblically how things can turn around for you financially, spiritually, your life. (Hang with me over the next month and I promise you it can beautifully, incredibly bless your life.)
a God’s Word teaches us specifically how to live a successful life and the missing piece in many Christians life is this piece of STEWARDSHIP. Stewardship= Managing the resources that God has given you and me.
*I’ll try my best in next four weeks to teach you how to manage what God has given you. (If you manage it correctly, you receive more. Incorrectly, you receive less.)
b Not an accident why some people are blessed and others aren’t blessed.
(Talk about being river instead of reservoir, channel of blessing..if we understand the biblical principles of stewardship.)
II How Do We Develop A Lifestyle of Giving?
1 Totally give yourself to God.
A True stewardship doesn’t begin when I give in the offering plate on Sunday. (It begins when we give ourselves totally over to God.)
*In 2 Corinthians 8:3-5 Paul talks about how the Church in Macedonia took an offering... [3] For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, [4] they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. [5] And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.
*How could they give more than they were able to give? Because they first gave themselves to the LORD. (Lordship!!)
*The first thing you give God isn’t your money, Sunday, what you watch, listen to....the first thing you give is yourself. Then everything else comes.
*Most Christians NEVER learn this principle (I’ve seen them lose blessings financially, spiritually, emotionally because they never given everything over to God first.)
a (Fries Story)
He doesn’t understand I’m the source of his fries.
I can take them away or bury him in fries.
I don’t need his fries. (I can go get my own.)
WHAT I WANTED/NEEDED: He willingness to share what I’ve given him back with me.
b The height of ingratitude is when God gives us something and we build a fence around it and not want to share/give back. (Possessive with it.)
*What God gave us is ours!!
*First thing we’ll learn is that we own nothing!!!
*If I die today I’m taking nothing me.
*Stewardship starts when we give Him the only thing we can..ourselves.
*When we do that, we can to the second step.
2 Learn the biblical benefits of giving.
A We’ll do that in a moment.
a Your going to be amazed at what the Bible says about our giving.
Your going to be shocked at what the Bible says about our grasping.
3 We need to apply those principles to our lives.
A I’m going to teach you principles this morning that can change your life...IF YOU APPLY THEM, IF YOU DO THEM.
a Jesus said, "If you know these things, happy are you if you DO them."
b You can understand them, but never apply them.
*My goal is to get you to not only know about lifestyle giving, but to get to be a lifestyle giver.
B Preparing for this message I got a concordance and began looking for words like give/giver/giving..and I discovered something.
a Believer/Believe/Believing 272 times in the bible
Prayer/Praying 371 times in the bible
Love/loving 714 times in the bible
Give/giver/giving 2,162 times!!!
(3x’s more than love, 7x’s more than praye4, 8x’s more than believing)
b God wants us to be givers!!!! (OT & NT)
ONE THING IS CLEAR: God desires to bless us and provide for us the necessities of life. (Were His Children)
*If God feeds the birds, and clothes the lilies of field...He will/wants to take care of you.
IV For God to take care of our needs, there are two things that are necessary (We gotta do them.)
A You must ask God to provide for you needs. (Where did I get that? The Lord’s Prayer itself)
a "Give us this day our daily bread..." *If it wasn’t important, Jesus wouldn’t have told us to ask the father for it.
Paul said Phil. 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
b Come to God and ask him to meet your need.
($, physical,....ask God to meet the need.)
B Be generous with our giving. (Biblical Fact/Truth: God doesn’t bless a miser.)
a He’s not going to give you something that you’re going to think is yours that your going to hoard, and fence in and not pass the blessing.
b Our foundation is laid...let’s look at what the bible says about the Benefits of Lifestyle giving.
V The Benefits of Lifestyle Giving
1 It puts material wealth into a biblical perspective.
A When we become biblical givers in our lifestyle we begin to see our material wealth from a biblical perspective/focus that didn’t happen until we did this
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
a Jesus said, "I’ll meet your needs if you put me first."
*We want to have our needs met w/o putting him first."
b How many of us want God to bless us financially when we haven’t given to God biblically? Robbing from Him?
B God gives it to us, we hold onto it like it’s ours. (God is saying, "No give it back.)
a God gives to me and then wants me to volunteer to give it back to him. THEN he’ll provide my need.
*(If I take what he’s given me and act like it’s mine, hoard it, stingy with it, and when I run out...I’m in trouble. God will tell me, "You’ve handle this resource all on your own for all this time, your own your own big boy."
b As long as I take what he’s given me and be stingy with it, I am responsible for it. When I give it back to God he’s responsible for the resources and he’s also responsible for me.
*Seek first His kingdom, and he’ll do the rest!!!"
*Lordship is the first thing we do to develop a lifestyle of giving.
2 Giving should not be separated from behavior.
A How I give and how I behave should match.
a Matthew 5:23/24
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, [24] leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
b You can’t say I tithe and think that’s enough. (If you have wrong relationships/bad behavior..your tithe/giving is good...something is wrong! They should match.)
*Have good relationships, good behavior, good giving. (Both should be right. Match)
3 It is a key test of spiritual commitment.
A Our giving is key test to our commitment to God.
Luke 16:11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
a If you can’t be trusted with your finances, putting Jesus in your checkbook, how I can I trust you with the riches of heaven.
*If you can’t take care of mammon, how can I trust you with the eternal.
*If I can’t trust you to take care of things on a day to day basis, how can I ever trust you with the Kingdom and the riches of God.
b Not only does God bless us here in accordance of how faithful with our stewardship; he gauges how he’ll bless us spiritually by our stewardship.
B "If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?"
a Did you know that your checkbook is a theological document? (It tells who and what we worship.)
*It’s so easy to come to church and say "Lord we love ya, Lord we love ya." And the Lord says, "Let me see your checkbook."
b Martin Luther said, "When a person is converted 3 conversions are necessary. Head, Heart, Purse. Purse is the hardest."
4 Protects against financial enslavement.
A When we put God first, we’ll cease to be enslaved.
a Why? Everything comes from God. (Even if have much, it all comes from God.)
b You understand that God gives and God takes away. God is the focus, target. *It free’s us up.
MT 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
(IL.) City Picnic. Plane rides for $10. A very frugal couple are trying to get him to do take them for a ride $5 for 2. The pilot says, "Give me $10 and if you keep your mouth shut the entire ride, I’ll refund your $10." Alright. The pilot takes that open ended plane up and does twists, loopdy loops, spirlas, nose dives, nothing. The pilot begins to get sick. Pilot lands and gives the man back his ten. I can’t believe you didn’t say anything. I almost said something when my wife flew out, but I didn’t. "That’s financial enslavement."
5 It gives me victory over materialism.
A Great verse of stewardship...
1TI 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant (don’t be conceded, brag about it) nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. (If you’ve got it it’s because God’s given it to you so don’t get conceded about it and don’t put your hope on it.) [18] Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. [19] In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
a Each time we give, it breaks the materialism syndrome.
*Syndrome: I’ve got to have more, more, more....
*Each time we give biblically it weakens the grip of materialism.
6 It strengthens my faith.
A I know it strengthens my faith because of Malachi 3:10
Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
a Put me first, become a tither and I’ll take care of you financially.
*Trust me...TEST ME. ONLY TIME IN BIBLE GOD TELLS US THIS.
*Everywhere else someone tests God is an indicator of lack of faith. God says, test me in this area.
7 It makes me happy.
A David and the people brought their money to the temple and they rejoiced because they gave WILLINGLY.
1 Chron. 29:9 The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
a Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than receive."
*We’re happy when we give.
b Do you know what the root word for Miserable is? MISER.
*The most miserable people in the world are misers, who are stingy, haven’t let go, holding on, looking out for him/herself, greedy mind set.
B Carl Minninger (Famous psychiatrist) "Generous people are rarely mentally ill."
8 It blesses me in return. (If I live stewardship I’ll be blessed.)
Luke passage that we’ve already read
Prov. 22:9 "A generous man will himself be blessed,..."
9 It keeps me from losing my assets and abilities.
A Jesus teaches us "What you keep you lose and what you lose you keep."
a Luke 16:1-2 (Tells his disciples about the one who could no longer be a steward because he squandered what he had.)
b Martin Luther "I’ve had many things in my hands and I’ve lost them all. But whatever I’ve put in God’s hands I still posses."
B Paradox!!! If you want to keep it, give it away. It you want to lose it, keep it."
a It doesn’t make sense to us, because we live the world!!! This is kingdom stuff! (Noting wrong with having things! When things have us..problem. Possessions aren’t the problem. When possession posses us...problem.)
b A man gave $100,000 dollars to the Methodist to build a college in Liberia, Africa in the early 20’s. The man lost all of his money in 1929. In the 60’s the college started searching for the man who donated the money for the college and found him on the south side of Chicago and asked him to come to Africa to see the school. He declined, but finally agreed. He stood before the student body of hundreds of Christians and began weeping and told the president "The only thing I have left is what I gave."
*Everything we keep for ourselves now we’ll eventually lose.
*Everything we give to the Kingdom now we will always keep.
10 It’s the proof of my love.
A Paul told the Corinthian church that they prove the earnestness, sincerity of their love by their giving.
a You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving.
11 It focuses on the eternal rather than the temporal.
A Alexander the Great (Conquered the world, had it all) insisted when he died that they put his hands open because when he died he wanted people to understand that although I had it all in this world, when I left here I took nothing.
a Biblical stewardship helps us focus on the eternal rather the temporal.
12 It will bring rightful recognition from the body of Christ.
A Classic story of Paul in prison at Rome when the church at Phillipi sent a man named Epaphroditiaus to give Paul some money.
a Epaphroditiaus wound up staying and ministering to Paul’s physical, spiritual, friendship needs....and he got sick/ill giving to Paul.
b Paul sent Epaphroditiaus back to the church and said...
Phil. 2:29 Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him,
13 It will bring rightful recognition from God.
A Jesus was watching people give one day people putting offering in the box and saw a poor widow man putting two small cooper coins in the box and he told his disciples....
a MK 12:43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. [44] They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."
b Allen Cole "It is well to remember that the Lord measures giving not by what we give, but what we keep for ourselves.
*The widow kept nothing, she gave it all.
14 It makes me more like God.
"For God so loved the world that he gave...."
A After WWII, much of the European world was in ruins and many Americans stayed behind to help them rebuild.
a A soldier was driving through the streets of Germany when he saw a little 10 year old orphan boy looking inside the window of a bakery wanting what was inside.
b The soldier pulled the jeep over and went and asked the boy if he wanted some of those. The boy said, "Yes." The soldier went and bought a sack of donuts and cakes and then brought it out the boy.
*As the soldier was getting into the jeep the little boy asked the him, "Are you God?"
*You and I are more like God when we give more than any other time in our lives.
B Ella Wilcox’s said it better than I could ever say it, I put it in your notes.
"There are two kinds of people on earth today,
Just two kinds of people, no more I say.
Not the good and the bad, for ‘tis well understood
That the good half-bad and the bad half-good
No! The two kinds of people on earth I mean
Are the people who lift and the people who lean."
Conclusion:
You are either a contributor or a consumer. Which one are you? (All eyes closed)
A We are going through a tough time financially as a nation. (Recession)
a Probably no better time than right now to share this series of messages.
b Many people are having trouble financially and these messages can help show what the bible says about overcoming them.
B Maybe your experiencing financial problems this morning. (Need a job, budget nots stretching the way it needs to.)
a If your having financial problems this morning, in a few moments I’m going to ask you to raise your hand and I want to pray with you that God would bless you.
b When you raise your hand, your’ll not only acknowledging you have a financial need but your acknowledging you’ll put God first in every area of your life.
C Eyes closed, heads bowed....raise your hands...put them down.
"Father, I thank you this morning for our time in the Word. It’s amazing what you’ve promised to us and Lord Jesus. I pray for every need here. I pray for the financial need for every person that raised their hand. Some are needing jobs, some are finding the money they have isn’t enough. You’ve taught us we can ask for our daily bread you’ve taught to seek first your kingdom. Lord we ask today and as you bless and provide jobs and meet needs, we’ll put you first. May your blessing be upon us now as we determine this month to be the best stewards we can for your Kingdom. In Jesus Name, Amen."
***Notice: I have used Sermon Central sermons for a very long time. If this or any of my sermons are similar to a sermon that is currently already on Sermon Central by another pastor or teacher.....chances are I have used it. Actually, there is probably absolutely nothing in this sermon that hasn’t been preached before! If I used your sermon and haven’t given you credit, please write me and I’ll give you credit by name. I have in no way intentionally withheld credit to any work I’ve used/borrowed from. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF I HAVE "USED" YOUR WORK IT WAS BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU HAD A SUPER SERMON! I prefer to preach with an outline and just rearranged your sermon. My intent is to make sermons relevant and easy for outline guys to use. If you use MY work, feel free to claim it. I do not care!!! Simply realize that I have borrowed from other preachers, too.
Mike Fogerson, Pastor, Chester’s First Baptist Church
