LESSON 3 - STEWARDS OF GOD’S HOUSE
TEXT: Luke 12:42-48; 1Co 4:1-2
Introduction:
So far in our series of Stewardship, we have learned that the measure of a life is not in things
gained, but in character produced. We learned how to make the choices that are so important to Godly
living. We have learned that we are stewards in God’s kingdom, and as such we must be faithful to
discharge our stewardship faithfully. We are stewards of God’s precious truth - a task that is not for the
wimp. The world seeks to destroy the truth in man’s hearts, but we must preserve it, we must guard it.
We must pass it to the next generation.
Today, we will see from the Word of God that our stewardship also extends into some personal
things which apply to each of us - we are stewards of God’s House. When you think of God’s House,
what do you think of? Now to many of you, that may bring the idea of this building to mind. For the more
astute scholar of God’s Word, you might think of God’s House as being God’s people. And for the
symbolically minded, you might have thought of your bodies as temples of the Lord. Each of you has
begun to think on the right track for today’s sermon. However, as stewards, we must remember that we
are caring for the property of another. It is not our own.
****Read text (Luke 12:42-48)****
In this passage, we read that the steward is responsible for the household. This parable is a
direct story of the Christian. As stewards, we are servants. As servants, we serve a Master. We are
accountable for our behavior. We are accountable for how we serve. We are accountable for the things
entrusted to our care. So what of the Lord’s House is in our care?
His people - one another. We ARE our brother’s keepers. We are responsible for watching
out for one another.
His temple - our bodies. We must realize that we are responsible not only to care for our
physical bodies, but we are to be sure it is used in a way that honors the Master.
I. OUR BODIES - 1Co 6:19.
Bodies were given us for a purpose. We must take care of that purpose. No athelete trains for a
sport he/she will not compete in. They train themselves for the purpose to which they have devoted
themselves. As Christians, we must realize that we are not our own. God establishes our purpose.
Ancient slaves were given specific tasks related to the purpose for which they served. These tasks were
their “skill” or trade. They became very good at these tasks. The messengers had great legs for
running. The smith, on the other hand had great grip and strong arms. The banker was excellent in
math, and so on. We must realize that God has called each one of us to a purpose. We must care for
ourselves in order to fulfill this purpose. Our bodies should reflect that purpose by our care for it.
We must care for our bodies...
A. Physically. We must care for our bodies. We in America are suited to our gluttony - of food,
comfort, entertainment, and the like. But our bodies are paying a high toll. We are not able to do the
work for which God has called us because of the laziness that has entered our bodies through the
materialistic lifestyle we in which we are immersed.
On the other hand, enter an ache or pain, and we’ll fix that one quickly. A young child came to
her mom complaining that her stomach hurt. “Oh, honey, your stomach is empty,” the Mom responded.
“You just need to get something in it and you’ll be fine.”
About a week later, the pastor was speaking to her Mom and he happened to mention he had a
headache. “Oh, pastor, my mommy says that your head is empty,” the girl responded. “You just need to
get something in it and you’ll be fine!”
We laugh, but we should also realize that this care for our luxury is often taking more of our
concern than our care for the Bible.
How we feed our bodies should be determined by how we love our Lord.
What we do with our bodies should be determined by the reality of His return.
B. Spiritually We also must care for our bodies spiritually. We must care for what defiles, and
be sure it is not brought into our lives. We must guard our hearts and minds. We must beware attitudes
that destroy relationships -- attitudes like pride, envy, jealousy, bitterness, unforgiveness, and mindless
quarrels. We must be sure not to be divisive, seeking the argument at all costs. We must not expect to
be right all the time, even when we know we are. We cannot hide our pride under the cloak of righteous
indignation.
The Word of God needs to be the source for which we determine our conduct, and our
stewardship. We must care for our bodies spiritually. This means we must be sure we don’t neglect the
things that are meant to nourish us spiritually. We must not neglect the worship services, the teaching
services, the service itself. After all, we were saved for a purpose -- to serve the Lord. When we serve
Him, we find that our purpose is realized, giving us the reward we are looking for. We don’t serve out of
duty, but out of love; not out of obligation, but out of purpose. It’s what we were made for, and it feels
good to do what we were made to do. If you aren’t getting anything out of church, its because you don’t
love the Lord. If you aren’t giving anything to the church, it’s because you aren’t fulfilling the purpose for
which He’s made you.
Let me illustrate. For years, I began a downslide in my life after having been saved. I thought I
loved the Lord, but I wasn’t being allowed to serve Him to my fullest capacity. Soon I became
disenchanted with the church. It wasn’t until I was in a church where I was allowed, encouraged, and
taught to serve that I became more in love with Christ. I was made to serve Him. And serve Him I will --
till the day He comes to get me. Then I’ll serve Him perfectly.
There is a vast difference between the man who follows his business with a servile feeling, giving
just as little attention to it as he can and yet obtains a living from it, and the man who masters his
business and with enthusiasm seeks to improve it and admire it. John Curzon, a Polish mechanic, who
was presented with a godl medal for his inventions, performed a most extraordinary thing when he
succeeded in manufacturing a complete watch in the space of 8 00. From materials on, which most
watchmakers would have looked with contempt. It appears that the Czar of Russia, hearing of the
marvelous skill of Curzon, determined to put him to the test, and forwarded him a box containing a few
copper nails, some wood chippings, a piece of broken glass, an old cracked china cup, some wire, and a
few pieces of pegboard, along with the request that he should transform them into a timepiece.
Undaunted, and perceiving a golden opportunity of winning favor in the court, Curzon set about his task
with enthusiasm. In the almost incredibly short space of eight hours had created a wonderfully
constructed watch for the Czar. The Czar, being so surprised and delighted at the work that he sent for
the mamaker, conferred upon him several distinctions, and granted him a pension. The case of the
watch was made of china, while the works were simply composedof the odds and ends accompanying
the old cup. Not only did it keep good time, but only required winding once in three or four days.
As a steward, I wasn’t doing anything to care for the spirituality He gave me. I had lost the
enthusiasm. I was slipping, and not doing anything about it.
Are you slipping today?
Have you forgotten where you came from by the grace of the Lord?
Vance Havener said, “There is something wrong with our Christianity when we have to beg most
of our crowd to come to church to hear about it.”
Have you forgotten the joy of your salvation?
Have you forgotten the purpose for which you were saved?
Do you need to turn around in your spiritual life and begin doing what the Lord would have
you to do?
Do you believe He’s called you to service in this church? Then obey Him and join.
Do you believe He’s called you into greater service for Him? Then get your practice here,
now. Take on a responsibility in the church. Obedience to that call will be good stewardship
of your own personal spirituality. God always blesses those that diligently seek Him.
II. The Church
A. Fellow Believers. (1Pe 2:5)
We are stewards of one another.
We are stewards of the leaders.
We are stewards of the weak.
B. Spiritual Gifts. (1Pe 4:10; 1Ti 4:14)
1. For the sake of one another -
Sugar Ray Leonard was speaking at Harvard: “I consider myself blessed. I consider you
blessed. We’ve all been blessed with God-given talents. Mine just happens to be beatin’ people up.”
Our gifts are to encourage and build one another up. We weren’t given Spritual Gifts for
ourselves, but to give away. We need to realize that we are to share with one another, not just take.
Too often, we Christians fail to realize how influential our lives can be on the lives of other
people, including other Christians. We shoudl live our lives with a daily goal of producing fruit in one
another. John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, coveys the idea quite beautifully with this quote,
“Christians are like the several flowers of the garden that has each of them the dews of heaven, which
being shaken with the wind, they fall at each others roots, whereby they are jointly nourished and
become nourishers of each other.”
Christians should remember that our spiritual growth and strength comes not only from regular
Bible study and prayer, but also from using the taliens and spiritual gifts that God gives us to encourage
and equip others.
2. Neglect it not.
How would you like it if ...
Your watched ticked one time and missed the next.
Your heart beat one time and missed the next.
Your child missed every other day in School
The engine of your car only hit on half its cylinders.
Irregularity in any area of life causese problems. It was said about the early Christians, “They
continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine, and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayer.” If
you are on and off in your church attendance, then chances are your service is more off than on, and you
are neglecting the gift you’ve been given.
Francis Ridley Havergal, British Hymnist wrote the following list of eight reasons she had for
going to church, even on rainy days:
God has blessed the Lord’s Day, making no exceptions for rainy days.
I expect my pastor to be there. I’d be surprised if he stayed home for the weather.
I might lose out on the prayers and the sermon that would have done me great good.
For any important business, rain doesn’t keep me home. Church attendance, in God’s sight,
is very important.
Bad weather reveals on what foundation my faith is built. It will prove how much I love
Christ. True love rarely fails to keep an appointment.
Those who stay home from church because its rainy frequently miss fair Sundays, too. I
must not take one step in that direction.
The Bible contains a special promise that where two or three meet together in Christ’s name,
He will be in the midst of them. (I guess she wanted to be in His presence.)
I don’t know how many more Sundays God may give me, and it would be poor preparation
for my first Sunday in Heaven to have slighted my last Sunday on earth.
How many of these items fit your attitude? Need a change, then make it today for the
sake of Him who died such a cruel death for your life.
3. practice it and grow it. The person who rows the boat doesn’t have time to rock it.
Each person has a job to do. If that job is done right, as a good steward would do it, then the job
gets easier, and better. But when others shirk their duties, and refuse to do their jobs, life can get mighty
tough.
W. A. Criswell, former pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, wrote this in his weekly column:
The population of this country is 200 million. Eighty-four million are over 65 years of age, which
leaves 116 million to do the work. People under 20 years of age total 75 million which leaves 41 million
to do the work. There are 22 million who are employed by the government, which leaves 19 million to do
the work. Four million are in the Armed forces, which leaves 15 million to do the work. Deduct
14,800,000, the number of state and city office employees, leaving 200,000 to do the work. There are
188,000 in the hospitals and insane asylums, so that leaves 12,000 to do the work. Now it may interest
you to know there are 11,998 people in jail, so that leaves just 2 people to carry the load. That’s you and
me -- and brother, I’m getting tired of doing everything myself.”
Conclusion:
We need to remember that we are stewards of the Lord’s church, and that can be taken any way
the Bible uses those terms. We are to be stewards of our bodies, wherein dwells the Holy Spirit. We
need to watch and be a steward of matters pertaining to the Lord. We need not neglect our girfts, we
must watch out for one another, and care for the weak. We must always be interested in giving to our
brothers where we find occasion. We must take heed to identify, develop, and mature our spiritual gifts.
This cannot happen from disuse. Some people in this room are called by the Lord to help here. Others
have been called to enter fulltime ministry in the future. Neglect it not, and practice it and grow it for the
sake of the lost, for the sake of the Savior who gave so much that the Lost don’t have to be. But it’s up to
us.
