December 30, 2001

Matthew 25:14-30

Stewardship Is a Lifestyle

1. Introduction

1. Illustration – From Homiletics Online: As the ushers passed the offering plate, a young child being taken to church for the first time watched the proceedings with intense interest. As the ushers approached her pew, the little girl said to her father, "Remember, Dad, you don't have to pay for me. I'm under five."
2. Context – Money is a difficult topic to discuss, especially in church. But the only topic Jesus talked about more during His time on earth was the kingdom of God. So that tells us that we need to talk about it here and discover what He has to say about it. Matthew 25:14-30 will help us understand how Jesus feels about how we use His resources.

1. Scripture Passage

1. Matthew 25:14-30 – "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹ "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ ²¹ "His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ²² "The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ ²³ "His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ²⁴ "Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ ²⁶ "His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. ²⁸ "‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. ²⁹ For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
2. There are some basic principles in this passage that we’ve got to understand if we’re going to be good stewards of God’s resources. So first we’re going to take a look at those principles, and then we’ll talk about how to apply them to our lives.

1. It All Belongs to God

1. Before we talk about principles, we need to understand a couple of things about this parable. First of all, it’s a parable about what the kingdom of heaven is like. A basic definition of a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly message. And second, God is the man who owns the property. So we’re looking at a picture of the choices we can make in handling God’s resources and how God will react to those choices. That being said, let’s move on the to principles.
2. The number one and most important principle is this: it all belongs to God. Psalm 24:1 says, The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The man in the parable called His servants and entrusted His property to them. He couldn’t have entrusted it if it didn’t belong to Him. Everything in the entire universe belongs to God. That’s the first principle.
3. Number two – God’s servants are entrusted with His property. Does the property belong to the servants? No, they are merely stewards of God’s property, or ones who act in God’s best interests regarding the investment and use of His property. The second principle is that God’s servants are mere stewards of His property.
4. Number three – God understands the limitations of each of His servants and will not entrust them with more than they can handle. Look at verse 15 – To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. A talent was first a unit of weight of about seventy-five pounds, and by Jesus’ time it had evolved into a unit of money worth around a thousand dollars. So each servant was entrusted with a substantial amount of God’s resources, but not more than each one could handle. The third principle – God will never put a servant in charge of anything beyond the servant’s ability to handle.
5. Number four – God holds His servants accountable for their stewardship of His property. Verse nineteen – After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. God never cuts His servants loose to do anything they want to with His property. Principle number four is God holds His servants accountable for their stewardship of His property.
6. Number five is this – there are great rewards for those who are good stewards of God’s property. Eugene Peterson translates what God says to two of the servants this way – Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner. Principle number five is God rewards those who are good stewards of His property.
7. Number six – God punishes those who are poor stewards of His property. As Peterson puts it, The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’ The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.’ Notice that this servant had a misconception about his Master. He thought that there was no room for error, that the Master demanded perfection. That simply isn’t true about God. He wants His servants to be good stewards, and sometimes that requires stepping out in faith. By refusing to step out in faith, the servant earned severe punishment instead of great reward. The sixth principle is that God punishes those who are poor stewards of His property.
8. Illustration – Oswald Chambers wrote, When God gives a vision by his Spirit through his Word of what he wants, and your mind and soul thrill to it, if you do not walk in the light of that vision, you will sink into servitude to a point of view which our Lord never had. Disobedience in mind to the heavenly vision will make you a slave to points of view that are alien to Jesus Christ. Do not look at someone else and say: "Well, if he can have these views and prosper, why can't I?" You have to walk in the light of the vision that has been given you and not compare yourself with others or judge them; that is between them and God. We have no more excuses. We know the principles. We either live by them or we don’t. It’s up to each one of us to decide what we’ll do.

1. How Do We Apply This to Our Lives?

1. Now once we’ve decided to apply these principles to our lives, we need to know how to do it. So let’s spend some time talking about three areas where these principles apply to our hearts and lives: resources, time, and talents. If we are going to be stewards who please God and receive His blessing, we’ve got to apply His principles in these three areas. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
2. The first area we often think of when we think of stewardship is money. I know there are those who think that all preachers talk about is money. I can say with certainty that, in the twenty-plus months I’ve been here, I’ve never asked for money for this church. I’ve asked you to pray about giving to special causes, but never for the benefit of the church. It’s a scary topic to preach on, because too many folks think that you’re begging for money whenever you mention it. The leadership of Sodaville Evangelical Church is not begging for your money. Even though the cash flow can be a little tight at times, God is more than able to meet our needs. I want to talk about the stewardship of the money and stuff you’ve been entrusted with strictly for your benefit.
3. But in talking about your benefit we have to remember that there is no prosperity promise here. God at some places in the Bible chooses to use material benefits to bless those who follow Him, but that’s not an overriding biblical principle. But this I can tell you with total certainty – if you honor God with your stewardship of the money and stuff He’s entrusted to you, you will always have what you need to make it through. Notice I didn’t say, "what you want" – it’s what you need. You don’t have to worry about asking Him to meet your needs because you’ve given Him what belongs to Him. Basic stewardship of money starts with the tithe, giving ten percent to the work of the church. Giving ten percent to the general fund of your local church will help the church to accomplish God’s purposes in this world. No, God doesn’t use money in heaven, but in our world everything costs money. So money can either be a tool for God’s purposes or a snare that drags you down. Ten percent of your before-tax income is what God requires. And don’t wait until you think you can afford to tithe, because you never will think you can. Tithe even if it doesn’t make sense on paper, and God will meet your needs. Guaranteed. Maybe not on your schedule or in the way you want, but He will meet your needs when you honor Him with the tithe. You simply can’t afford not to tithe. Anything for missionaries or relief fund or building fund or special projects is over and above that, and is called an offering to God. Good stewardship of the money and stuff God has entrusted to us means giving the tithes to the general fund of the local church, the offerings where they’re needed, and using what’s left wisely according to God’s will. Our stewardship of the resources God has entrusted to us is the single greatest area of weakness in how we follow and serve Him. Statistics show that 20 percent of the people attending churches in America give 80 percent of the time and money that is given to churches. That limits what these churches can do to impact our world an incredible amount! All of us ought to make the choice to honor God with how we use the resources He’s entrusted us with in the New Year and beyond.
4. But good stewardship of the money and stuff God’s entrusted to us is not enough. God also requires good stewardship of our time. He has allowed us each minute we have on this planet, and He alone knows how long each one of us will be here. When we consider that God wants all people to come into loving relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, and to build that relationship into one of sharing His love with each other, it becomes clear that the main tool we have to accomplish these purposes is time. That’s a tough one. Jesus was big on resting and relaxing and taking care of the physical body regularly, and we can deal with that very well. But He was also big on prayer and seeking to do His Father’s will. You and I absolutely have got to find the balance here. More often than not, we spend the time that we’re not working either vegging out or working on hobbies we enjoy (and there’s nothing wrong with doing these things). But God spends a lot of time on relationships, so if we’re going to be good stewards of the time He’s entrusted to us, we’d probably better start using some of that time to build our relationship with Him and to build our relationships with others. We could do that by increasing our time in prayer and Bible study, starting up a Care Group or participating in one regularly, serving in the ministry of the church, serving a parachurch ministry, or spending time building relationships with people who don’t know Jesus. There are lots of ways to become better stewards of time He’s entrusted us with. But we simply have got to make the choice to do it.
5. The third area we’re talking about applying God’s principles of stewardship to is our talents, gifts, and abilities. It’s kind of a funny thing – most of us don’t have any problem with the idea of using the talents, gifts, and abilities God has given us to make a living. But we often balk at the thought of using them in God’s service, for His glory. Part of the problem is that we haven’t prioritized time to include spending it using what God has given us for His glory. Part of the problem is that in a very real sense, we really don’t want to get involved. I feel that way sometimes, too. We're afraid of finding out how God has gifted us because we’re afraid that He might put us in a situation that makes us feel uncomfortable. That’s me to a tee! I spent eighteen years avoiding God’s will for my life because the thought of being a pastor scared me to death! But I also missed out on a lot of peace and a lot of blessings. If you aren’t using the gifts God has given you for His glory in the life of the church, you are missing out on many blessings. That doesn’t mean it will be easy. But it does mean that you will make it through because you are within God’s will, rather than outside of it. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to use all of the gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given you for His glory in the work of the church. If we’re going to please Him, we’ve got to use His resources, His time, and His talents for His glory.
6. We’ve got to recognize that everything belongs to Him, and that there are consequences to both obedience and disobedience. If you’ve really been struggling in any of these three areas, there’s a pretty strong chance that you either haven’t figured out God’s will in these areas or you’ve figured out God’s will but don’t want to do it. The old saying goes, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink." God can lead you to the truth, but He can’t make you accept it and put it into practice. God wants to bless you by meeting all of your needs and using you for His glory, and the only one stopping Him is you. In 2002, what are you going to do to be a good steward of the resources, time and talents He’s entrusted to you? Which servant will you choose to be?
7. Illustration – Jim Elliot was martyred with four other missionaries in 1956 by the Aucan Indians in South America. He lived by this creed: He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. What are you going to do to be a steward who pleases God?

1. Conclusion

1. What’s God been saying to you this morning? Do you need to improve your stewardship of the money and stuff God has entrusted to you? Do you need to improve your stewardship of the time He has entrusted to you? Do you need to improve your stewardship of the talents He has entrusted to you? Or do you need to improve your stewardship of all three of these that He has entrusted to you? Only you and He can answer that.
2. If the practical side of how to do all this is holding you back, God has gifted some folks in this church to help you in all three areas. If you need some practical help with becoming a better steward of the money and stuff God has entrusted to you, Duane and Pam Mattson are very gifted in helping people in that area. If you need practical help in figuring out how to be a better steward of time, our Care Group leaders are very gifted in helping folks learn to walk the Christian walk. John and Emma Alvin, Iran and Ruth Cooper, Warren and Roseanne Cooper, and Randy and Shirley Manning understand how relationships in the church work, and how to use time for God’s glory in His service. Iran and John have this spiritual gift thing pretty well figured out too, so they can help you with how to be a better steward with the talents, gifts and abilities God has entrusted to you. These folks can help you with the practical stuff, but it’s up to you whether or not you will choose to become a better steward of what God has entrusted to you.
3. Please bow your heads and close your eyes. How are you going to respond? If you feel God’s conviction that you need to improve your stewardship in any or all of these three areas, and you want to obey Him and do whatever He calls you to do to become a better steward for Him, please raise your hand right now, and when we close this time I’ll pray for you.