Good Steward
Jun/19/11 06:00 Filed in: Sunday Series
God is always faithful. This Faithful God has loaned many things to us. Time, “Living on borrowed time”, he’s given us families, but each person he made and they belong to him, he has placed in our genetic makeup strengths and talents, skill sets all designed to make us a tool, because he has a job in mind for us. He has given us employment, and money, opportunity every day to do something extraordinary. But nothing in this list is anything that we ourselves can conjure or create. Everything has been given by him, and it’s for him. He is calling us to be faithful with what he has entrusted us with.
Opening: The Faithfulness of God. I met my father for the first time when I was 21. He walked me down the aisle when I was married. It is the faithfulness of God that made that happen.
Application: God is always faithful. This Faithful God has loaned many things to us. Time, “Living on borrowed time”, he’s given us families, but each person he made and they belong to him, he has placed in our genetic makeup strengths and talents, skill sets all designed to make us a tool, because he has a job in mind for us. He has given us employment, and money, opportunity every day to do something extraordinary. But nothing in this list is anything that we ourselves can conjure or create. Everything has been given by him, and it’s for him. He is calling us to be faithful with what he has entrusted us with.
Matthew 25:14-30
New International Version (NIV)
The Parable of the Bags of Gold
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag 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 five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. 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 two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; 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 one bag of gold 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 gold 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 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Prayer
Transition: According to this passage, we can be like any of these stewards. A steward is someone who takes care of someone else’s property. The big thing to remember, how a person treats someone else’s belongings, reflects how we feel about the person. How we treat the things that God has entrusted us with, directly reflects how much we love, respect our God.
Things we see in these verses:
Vs. 14- He entrusted his wealth to them- What God has given to you, is important to him. It’s considered wealth. You children are important to him. Your time is important to him. This church is important to him. The people he has put into your life are important to him. Everything he has given us to take care of, he sees as wealth. If the Lord sees the earth he made for us to live on, and the money he put in our pockets, and the talent he put into our beings as “wealth” and Important, then we better see it just as important.
Vs. 15- according to their abilities- in this parable, the man gave to each servant as much as each servant could handle. What I love here is that the Lord, like this man in the story, knows what I am capable of. And he should, I am his servant, and I have served him so that he knows what I can do. What’s more, is that unlike the man in the story, our God has created us, and so more than just a resume to inform him of my capabilities, he is the one who shaped this vessel with his hands, and so he knows how deep this cup really is. he knows what you are capable of- so those of us who may feel burdened, or overwhelmed by what he has put in front of us, we take heart, knowing he gives according to our abilities. You are able, because he makes you able. And if today you are searching and asking to be entrusted with more- a husband or wife, a child, a job- he gives according to our abilities, just let him shape you some more, and trust in him for the rest.
Vs. 19- after a long time he returned and settled accounts with each of them- Jesus is returning for us! Praise the Lord! But when he does, he will settle accounts with us- just like at tax time every year we have to fill out forms and give answers with what we have done with our money- we will have to give account with what we have done with what he has given us.
Will we be like the first, and second servants, or like the third. The first two took what he gave them, and invested in it. Treated like it was important, out of respect and love for their master, and then gave account- and we see the master’s response- it is the same the revelation says that we will hear when we stand before him if we have been faithful stewards with the life he has given us, “well done, good and FAITHFUL servant.”
Let’s pray that we are not like the third servant, who for whatever reason, fear, apathy, who did not treat his master’s wealth like it was his own, dug a hole and did nothing with it.
Nothing was missing from what was given to the third servant. Everything was there. But the third servant, who was cast out from the master, showed his love for his master, by his lack of interest in what was given him.
God is calling us to be mindful of what is in our hands. We are wealthy, full of promise, and have all that need according to our ability. He is calling us to be faithful. Starting today if we have not been
Alter:
Prayer for those who feel they need to consider the things God has entrusted to them with more importance that what they have given them.
Salvation- the most important thing to be faithful with is your life. Giving it over to the Lord is best way to be a faithful steward with it.
Father’s- lets close today by praying over our father’s who have so much to be responsible for. God has entrusted them, but he has enabled them.