Sermon Transcript:

We have come to the fourth installment of our series, 5 Things we need to Grow, looking at five of the things God uses to help us mature as believers and grow in our faith. The series has been organized according to how most believers grow into them. We began with Prayer, then we looked at gathered Worship, and last time we looked at Bible Study. This week we will focus on Stewardship, and next week, Lord willing, we will finish with Service. 

If a person works out and trains physically, the use of their muscles will become more defined and stronger. In the same way, exercising our faith through these means will result in these expressions of faith becoming more defined. So, just as a fit body is both the means as well as the result of physical exercise, a life of stewardship is both the means and the result of faith.

Merriam-Webster defines stewardship as “The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care.” 

To be a good steward is to take good care of something that is not ours. Ultimately everything belongs to God and so whatever we have really belongs to him. Psalm 50:10–12 says,

10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. 12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.

Not only are all the things on the earth his but even our very life comes from him. Acts 17:25 says,

25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

In fact, even our faith and salvation itself is a gift that comes from him. Ephesians 2:8–9 says,

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

We cannot begin to understand biblical stewardship until we recognize that we are utterly dependent on God. The universe and everything in it, including us, exists because of him and for him. God created human beings in his image for his glory. We were designed to enjoy all the blessings of creation in loving fellowship with God. We were created for a life of stewardship that would bring us joy and God glory but that beautiful design was spoiled by sin.

The essence of sin is to seek to enjoy the things God created without God. To use his wonderful blessings for our glory and satisfaction rather than in a worshipful relationship with him. The world pursues the blessings of life to satisfy themselves but through Jesus Christ, believers are being restored to a life of faithful stewardship. As we grow in faith we increasingly find our greatest joy not in the things God gives us, but in God himself. The Bible tells us that God is working through Jesus to redeem his creation and that those who believe are new creations, restored to a life of stewardship, free to enjoy all things in worshipful fellowship with God. This restoration will be complete when Jesus returns to bring a new heaven and a new earth where the perfect goodness of creation will be restored.

As believers in Jesus who have the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are already citizens of that kingdom though we are not yet perfect. Since Jesus died on the cross for the sins of believers, we are no longer separated from God but have been adopted as his children. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we already have eternal life. We are no longer enslaved to sinful desires and are born again to a life of stewardship. In Matthew 6:19–21 Jesus says, 

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

God shares blessings with us from out of the abundance of his treasures and when we enjoy those blessings in a faithful relationship with him they compound and become eternal blessings we will enjoy with him in the Kingdom. We have nothing of any value to invest in the kingdom. Whatever we have was given to us by him to begin with but God rewards the exercise of faith and love.

We are like little children who pick dandelion bouquets for their mother. There is no value in the weeds, but those gifts are accepted as great treasures because of the love they demonstrate. When we demonstrate our faith and love for God and his kingdom we earn a blessing, not because of the value of our gifts but because God is pleased with those who love him.

How we manage our resources is like a spiritual barometer of our faith. Jesus says there is a direct connection between our heart and our wallet because how we invest our treasures shows what we truly value. It is easy for us to talk about what we value but if we really want to know the truth about what our priorities are we need only look at our credit card and checkbook statements. That gives us a list of what we truly value. 

Jesus tells us to invest in his kingdom rather than in worldly things that will fade away. Does my bank statement indicate that my priorities are God’s kingdom or my own comfort and entertainment? Does it show a life of stewardship of what God has blessed me with for his glory or a life lived as though all I have is mine rather than his? In Matthew 6:24 Jesus says, 

24 “No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money. 

We all need money for our daily needs. Money itself is not evil and the Bible tells us to be responsible with our money and to use it wisely. Money is a useful tool but it is a cruel god. The world worships money as an idol but we are to see it as yet another tool God gives us to serve him. Money can be a snare in the life of a believer because it gives us the illusion of self-sufficiency. It fools us into underestimating our dependence on God and dulls our sensitivity to spiritual things because it makes us comfortable in the world.

Among the most frequent warnings in the Bible are about greed, selfishness, and the love of money including this one in 1 Timothy 6:10 says,

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Jesus describes this in the parable of the sower when he says in Matthew 13:22–23,

22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Bible is full of such warnings. I don’t bring these things up to make anyone feel guilty but to help us understand that these are real spiritual dangers. It is very easy for the enemy to use these things to dull our thinking and to distract us from God and keep us focused on ourselves. In the end, a fleshly pursuit of wealth becomes a curse.

Back in 2012 there was a ship named the Amurskaya that encountered rough weather in the sea of Okhotsk east of Russia. The ship quickly sank and the entire crew was lost. An investigation found that the ship had been loaded with 750 tons of gold ore, far exceeding the 610 tons that it was designed to carry. Greed resulted in the ship being so weighed down with gold that it couldn’t survive the storm.

I wonder how many people are spiritually drawing because they are trying to swim with pockets filled with gold. What good does the gold do us if we don’t make it to the other side? What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? It is precisely those things we are most reluctant to give up that point us to those places in our lives where we need to be most spiritually vigilant.

Now some of you might be thinking that you don’t have much to worry about in this area. Perhaps this is a warning for wealthy people but you are living paycheck to paycheck and think you are not in much danger of being distracted by a worldly view of money. That would be a foolish mistake. First of all, it is not the amount of money but our attitude toward it that is in view.

Second, chances are that if you are here you are more wealthy than you may think. We Live in one of the richest countries in the world during the most globally prosperous time there has ever been in recorded history. In terms of material comforts it is much better to live as a poor person in America today than it would have been to live as royalty a few hundred years ago.  In 1820 it is estimated that 50% of the world's population lived below the extreme poverty line. That number has declined over 80% in the past 200 years. Today the number is around around 9% and in the United States it is ¼ of 1%. 

Over half of the people in the world earn less than $10,000 per year. If you have a roof over your head, hot water, any food in your house, a change of clothes, and any money in the bank at all, you are very likely more wealthy than 70% of the people in the world.

I am not saying that makes things easy, I am just trying to give you some perspective on how blessed most of us really are. Struggling to buy groceries isn’t exactly the same thing as fighting starvation. Riches are deceitful and constantly convince us that we need more. Contrary to what certain false teachers claim, God does not promise us wealth or prosperity, but he does promise to meet our needs.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:31–33,

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

We must work and earn a living, but the key is to serve God while we are doing it. To see in all things the privilege of being a caretaker of what he entrusts to us. If God provides opportunities for you to gain wealth while being faithful, then praise God. Seek to use that wealth for his glory. If, however, you see an opportunity to get rich, but in order to pursue it you would have to remove yourself from Christ’s work, don’t, it isn’t worth it.

When you are choosing between jobs consider the impact each will have on your ability to pray, to serve your brothers and sisters, to be in the word, and to attend to worship. When you are thinking about where to live and what to drive, consider how they will impact these things. These are all things we need but if we are to be good stewards we have to be careful that we do not become so entangled in the things of the world that rather than them being tools for us, we become enslaved to them.

We must always be attending to the means of grace so we are prepared to respond to our Lord when he calls. We are to be like the firefighters at their post. The commissioner expects when the alarm sounds, they will spring into action. He doesn’t expect them to finish their card game or their book. Their priority is to respond when called and to be always trained and at the ready. 

There is to be no greater priority for us than the glory of God. There is no more important work for us than to work for his kingdom, that more and more people will come to know that Jesus is the Christ. That we will all stand before God to give an account for our lives and that our only hope of salvation is to put our faith in Jesus to save us. People need to hear that Jesus died for our sins and that he was raised to bring us new life, and that he is coming again.

If we love God and desire that he gets the glory he deserves, we will  want to see people come to him in faith. If we love others we will want to see them come and escape the judgment of hell and find forgiveness for their sins. We should desire that our best resources are put to that end while praising and thanking God that other redeemed people did the same so that the message could reach us. It also means those who are able should use our abundance to bless those in need physically as well as spiritually.

So then, how do we do this in a way that pleases God? That brings us to our main passage this morning. In 2 Corinthians 9:6–8 the apostle Paul says,

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

We will get out of our giving in proportion to what we put into it. 6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Giving is like sowing seed. The more we sow the more we can expect to reap. It is, however, critically important to keep a few things in mind though. First, God is not promising us that we will receive wealth or prosperity in this age. Remember what Jesus said, through our investments in the kingdom we are storing up treasure in heaven where they can never be taken away.

There are many false teachers who are nothing more than hustlers, taking advantage of people by twisting the scriptures to convince people that if they give money God will reward them with more money. There is no such promise in the Bible and that is nothing more than an evil pyramid scheme. I tremble for those who steal from Christ’s bride to enrich themselves when our Lord returns.

God doesn’t need your money. He is perfectly capable of accomplishing his will without you and whatever you have, he is the one who gave it to you. What is rewarded is the willingness to see God glorified. It is the demonstration of our faith before men that God blesses. When Paul talks about sowing bountifully, his concern isn’t the value of the money, but the faithfulness the giving represents. 

We see in illustration fo this in Mark 12:41–44,

41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

The widow is not commended because of the money but because of her faith. Her two small copper coins represented her trust in God’s promise to provide for her and her desire to use whatever she had for his work. Together they were worth less than a penny in today’s money but in the sight of God they were precious.

Paul continues, 

7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Again, the issue is not one of the purse, but of the heart. If we do not give out of a desire for the glory of God and out of a trust in him then we are not giving in faith and therefore our offerings are useless. That is why we don’t talk much about money here except where it comes up in the texts we are preaching.

If someone gives out of guilt, thinking that somehow their money can buy favor somehow, their giving is not of faith. If they give out of greed, thinking that somehow they will be rewarded for their giving, that is not of faith. We want people to give out of gratitude that God has called them to his son, has adopted them into his family, and provides them the opportunity to participate in his work. If we are pressured into giving it is not of faith and will not do our souls any good.

If you are a member here I don’t need to explain to you that we have bills, that it costs money to maintain the ministry and support our missionaries and provide the facilities and content we do in trying to reach people for Christ and disciple them. I am confident that as people come to see Jesus Christ more clearly the Holy Spirit will work in their hearts to provide for whatever his plans are for us. I personally do not benefit financially from any giving here. We typically don’t even collect an offering in our services although there is nothing wrong with doing that.

We don’t encourage anyone to give so they can get anything or so that we can get anything. We encourage giving because of what we have already been given. We encourage giving because the Bible promises we will be blessed if we do. What could be more important to us than that we use what God has blessed us with to share that message of salvation by grace through faith with others? That is the biblical motivation for giving. Faith responding to grace.

Paul says one should give as they have decided in their heart. We are not to give in response to external pressure but our giving should be the overflow of our internal joy. Many churches expect their members to tithe. A tithe, which means that you give 10%, is an Old Testament requirement. It may be a helpful guideline someone can choose to use but there is no command anywhere in the New Testament requiring believers to tithe. We are not to give out of obligation or duty. Our giving should be motivated not by the law but by grace.

In the new covenant the principal for giving shifts from something external, to something internal. Giving shifts from an act of outward obedience to an exercise of faith. A tithe isn’t needed because In the new covenant our giving is determined by our love for God and our trust in him to meet our needs. If our joy in giving is motivated by our joy in Christ we will want to give as much as we can.

It is a matter of the heart. I like the way 19th century pastor Andrew Murray said it, 

“How different our standard is from Christ's. We ask how much a man gives. Christ asks how much he keeps.”

When we are selfish in our giving, the only one we ultimately rob is ourselves. God’s kingdom will come in power and glory. This age and all its glory will burn up. When we trust in these promises and use our resources to proclaim them we are not only storing up treasure in heaven but we get to experience the joy of serving him now. He strengthens our faith by showing us his faithfulness in meeting our needs. Luke 6:38 says,

38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

I could share countless testimonies of men and women throughout the history of the church that have found that God provided for their needs and strengthened their faith when they were faithful to trust him with what they had. As I was preparing the sermon I had a few particularly powerful examples I was thinking about sharing but then it struck me that there was no need to share the story of people in far away times or places because this ministry itself is an illustration of this. 

When we began this revitalization project two years ago we lacked most of the things the so-called experts said we would need. We did not have the resources to do what we believed would be needed in terms of staff, facilities, and materials. At times it felt like we were significantly limited in doing the things we believed we were being called to do but several people here continued to give and pray faithfully and do you know what happened?

Everything we really needed to do what was most important was provided. Often right at the moment when it was needed. We have seen this repeatedly in the past two years. We have many more needs but as the pastor I have noticed something wonderful. Our trust in God to provide has been strengthened over these two years. We are no longer as quick to look at our resources and worry because we know that God will provide if we seek first his kingdom.

This isn’t unique to us. You can reach out to the Fullers in Thailand, the Layers in Poland, Josh in Pittsburgh, and any number of other believers working for the kingdom. Those who trust in God will never be ultimately disappointed. If what we value the most are those things that are eternal our joy will be made complete because it will be anchored in God’s own purposes. 

For God loves a cheerful giver.

What could be a stronger motivation for giving than the love of God? We give because God first loved us and sent his son for us. Then having been accepted and loved by God we have the opportunity to please him by doing what he loves. Through the blood of Christ we are transformed from those who were separated from God by our sin and under condemnation to those who please him and participate with him in spreading blessing.

Faithful stewardship of what God has blessed us with results in the strengthening of our faith as we see God working in and through us. In verse 8 Paul says,

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Our Lord Jesus left the glories and treasures of heaven and came to earth where the scripture said he had no place to lay his head. His whole life was a life of perfect stewardship and he gave everything so we could be brought to God. Our lives were deserving of no rewards and he gave himself for us. He traded places with us, experiencing God’s just wrath for our selfishness so that we could inherit the riches of heaven because of his love and self-lessness. 

We cannot grow to be more like Jesus without growing in our willingness to give so that others may be blessed. To grow in faith is to grow in our trust in God instead of in ourselves. We trust his word rather than our wisdom, we trust his protection rather than our strength, and it is to trust in his provision rather than in our wealth. Let us pray to God that we are not like the rich young ruler who was willing to do everything except submit his wealth. Let’s pray instead that by grace we will be made like Moses who the Bible says considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt.

I would like to finish this morning with the instructions the apostle Paul left for Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:17–19,

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

When we do that then we experience God keeping his promises to provide for us which strengthens our faith to trust him more.