Choose Your Model (Personal) Series

Stewardship is a Choice Series: "Choose Your Model" (Personal) 1 of 4

Adapted from Dr. John C. Maxwell

January 4, 2004 Chester First Baptist Church, Chester, Illinois

Mike Fogerson, Speaker

Introduction:

A How many would raise their hand and say, "I have special abilities, talents, resources, gifts and I know that God is the source of these good things."?

a In your bulletin there is a laminated card that is expresses what our stewardship month is all about.

b The card reads "Stewardship is a Choice: God has given me special gifts and resources to help me become the person He intends for me to be. That is His gift to me. I must choose to manage these gifts and resources for His glory and not my own. That is my gift to Him."

B I’m not concerned about God giving us talents, resources, & gifts.

a He’s already done that! (I’m not worried about God doing his part.)

b My concern this month is not if God will do his part: it is what are we doing with those resources that he has given us. That’s a choice.

We are all different (God made us that way.)

a Different likes, dislikes, talents, gifts, resources, interests! THANK God!

b He has gifted us all! The question is "What are you going to do with what God has given you?"

LISTENING GUIDE:

Stewardship defined: The management of my God-given resources for His glory and the good of others.

A There at least three different perspectives concerning possessions:

Communism: Instrument of the state and the individual has no rights to tithe on true possessions.

Capitalism: What a man can rightfully purchase and control.

Christianity: God owns everything.

Two different forms of government based on opposite views of ownership

Christianity, we’re just borrowing God’s stuff, not mine at all.

B Too many of us view our blessings & possessions like Dennis the Menace.

a Dennis is leaving the church with his father, and Dennis is reaching up to shake the preachers and to the embarrassment of his father, Dennis asks; "Pastor, what are you going to do with that quarter?"

b Dennis thought, like a lot of us do, that what his dad gave in the offering belonged to his dad

C Not only what you give in the offering plate is Gods, so is what’s in your pocket.

a 10% belongs to Him, and 90% mind. (No, no, no, no!!!)

b AMEN?

T.S.: This morning I want to look at four biblical models of giving. 2 bad & 2 good.

Luke 12

I The stewards who does little with much. (Bad Model)

(This morning I’ll cover a lot of scripture, we’ll read about four models, two bad have four commonalities I’ve observed.

A Self was given number one consideration. (What am I getting for me?)

B Each had an opportunity to help others.

C Each made a bad decision

D Each paid for that bad decision.

Luke 12:16-21 (Wealthy Farmer) NOTICE HOW MANY PERSONAL PRONOUNS

A The farmer made a terrible mistake! (What will I do with my goods.)

a Opportunity to help people. (Didn’t have to store, he could have shared.)

b Notice: After the farmer made a bad decision, God called him a fool.

*That night, God said, "Tonight, I need your soul."

B I think this story could have turned out different.

a If this man would have used his resources differently, God wouldn’t have called him a fool.

b Instead, "Well done.!" Instead of requiring his soul, he would have had lived a long life and watch God bless people through him.

HE WAS A FOOL! WHY? HE DID LITTLE WITH MUCH!!

Luke 16:19-31 (Same Story: Little with much)

A A rich man with much and at his gate was a poor man with nothing.

a In this life the rich man had everything and the poor man had nothing (In the after life, the roles reverse!)

b The rich man realizes we only live for a short time, he begs Abraham to go and preach a stewardship message like your hearing this morning!

Mark 10, there is another example of someone who does little with much. MK 10.17-25

Two reasons why it’s hard for a person with a lot to be good stewards.

1 Too many options. (People w/ means can be a lot of things, do a lot of things, have a lot of options. Because we live in a "me first" world, it’s easy to chose the wrong option.)

2 Too much control. (Wealth equals Power. Have hard time letting go and letting God control. Jesus is their co-pilot because their certaintely not going to let him have complete control!)

T.S.: Most of you are with me right now! "Amen Pastor! Give it to them rich folks! They ought to be giving money away!" Your trains a coming. I’m going to get all of us this morning!