What is Stewardship or what is a Steward?
Stew•ard n. (SLIDE-silent read)
1. One who manages another’s property, finances, or other affairs (correlates with NT definition)
2. One who is in charge of the household affairs of a large estate, club, hotel, or resort.
Brian Kluth, National-International Generosity Speaker & Author
Dr. Towns teaches a stewardship lesson in the Pastor’s Bible Class at Thomas Road Baptist Church which is the most requested lesson of all he has taught. “Who Owns Your French Fries”? It is the story of a man who buys his little boy some french fries. Then the father does what all fathers do, he reaches over and takes one french fry to taste it. The little boy slaps his father’s hand and says, “Don’t touch my french fries.” The father thinks that his son is selfish. The father knows that he bought the french fries and they belong to him. The father knows that his son belongs to him. The father could get angry and never buy his son another french fry again to teach his son a lesson, or the father could “bury” his son in french fries. The father thinks, “Why is my son selfish, I have given him a whole package of french fries; I just want one french fry…
We’ll attempt to build a covenantal statement of stewardship as we go along. The first statement could read:
Stewardship acknowledges that God owns everything we have.
Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”
• Stewardship is our God-given privilege to be in management – God’s property, finances and affairs
• Stewardship is not only about money. It is so much more than that. As a matter of fact, if we cannot come to terms with the easier matter of money so that it continues to be a contentious, divisive subject, one over which we are selfish and self-justifying in our reasons for not complying with God’s directive, we are not ready to handle these deeper, more sacrificial issues of commitment, contribution, community and calling to the world, which we will consider in Romans 12.
Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ offers, “God has placed in our trust a measure of time, a unique set of talents, and sufficient resources to carry out His will for each of our lives. Our task as faithful stewards is to manage those blessings in order to bring the maximum glory to His name.”
Are you ready to take a journey of faith and liberation? Let’s pray!
Romans 12 – the header “living sacrifices” is the summation of stewardship. It is the understanding that my very existence, possessions and response to life, is mine for the sole purpose of honoring God in every aspect of that existence and possession.
The point of our subject today is to realize that Stewardship is God’s call to you and me to experience freedom in life that cannot be known any other way than through a life of stewardship!
That summation, “living sacrifices” is broken down for us in Romans 12 where three lessons stand out.
1. IT’S ABOUT YOU AND GOD
Bill Bright, Campus Crusade, told the story of a friend, Arthur DeMoss, who was a godly businessman. His business reached half a billion dollars in assests.
An economic recession resulted in Arthur’s stock plummeting so that he was losing $3 million per day, and lost $360 million dollars in four months.
Bill tells that rather than becoming devastated and decreasing his gifts to God, Arthur increased his giving on every front. When asked why he did this he said, “The Lord gave me everything I have. It all belongs to Him and if he wants to take it away that’s His business. I don’t lose any sleep. I still have a wonderful family. I will do anything God wants me to do. If He takes away everything He has entrusted to me and calls me to the mission field, I’m ready to go. All He needs to do is tell me.”
Stewardship acknowledges that God owns everything I have.
Stewardship speaks of my relationship with God.
• Apostle begins by emphasizing the subject of relationship with God and to God.
• 12:1 “Therefore” – suggesting these comments in light of the earlier ones offered – 11:35-36…
VERSE 1…
Stewardship acknowledges that God owns everything I have.
Stewardship speaks of my relationship with God.
Stewardship requires my commitment to God’s will for me.
• Commentator Coffman of verse 1 – “{Paul} stoops to plead for mortal compliance with God’s will!” (e.g. “urge you”)
• Act of free will. Cannot coheres, force or manipulate into compliance – your free choice to obey or not obey.
• “Body” – Greek word soma meaning physical body. Going beyond an ideal it is an obsession of my living and priorities. We don’t speak the principle – we live the life!
• “Living sacrifices” – O.T. full of accounts of the sacrificial lamb being offered on an altar as a sin-atonement act. A type of Christ (symbol). The problem of course was that once the lamb was slain it could never be brought back to life.
Christ of course, is the perfect sacrifice for our sins! Christ came, was sacrificed on the cross, died but rose from the dead! While none of us here have been called to die physically for Christ and the defense of the gospel, we are called to the process of Christ’s passion in that the church is called to die to sin and self-will, be buried in Christ’s baptism of death and be ‘raised’ to new life, (Romans 6:1-4) new purpose, new direction – “living sacrifices”
VERSE 2…
• The world is not a reference to planet earth. It speaks “of the natural habits, desires, and value judgments of the natural {person}, the natural {person} being {a person} apart from the loving guidance of {their} Maker.” (Coffman’s Commentary)
How do we not become trapped with conforming to the world?
• “Renewing of your mind” – the seat of all imaginations and decisions. If we can learn the discipline of redirecting the intentions and motivations of the mind, we can change the behaviours of our living. Our bodies are led by the intentions of the mind.
E.g. Picture this! You’re sitting on the sofa, watching your favorite television program. You have Lay’s chips and Hershey’s chocolate; the pizza will arrive in 10 minutes, just in time for the wings that are ready to come out of the oven! As you sit before this mountain of mouth-watering, scrupulous feast, you say to the person sitting next to you, “I have to be more careful about what I eat – starting tomorrow. Funny thing is, tomorrow is always another day away! Until the mind catches up, the body will never slow down.
Stewardship acknowledges that God owns everything I have.
Stewardship speaks of my relationship with God.
Stewardship requires my commitment to God’s will for me.
Stewardship is a change of mind, attitude and purpose.
It believes and acknowledges that God’s purposes for all that I have, including my very own life, was meant for something more than just the personal satisfaction of my own pleasurable desires.
• How do we deal with that reality? How does one renew the mind? Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you which is in Christ Jesus.” NIV: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Jesus’ attitude is then outlined in verses 6-11…
Which leads us to the second lesson from our text.
2. IT’S ABOUT US
While recognizing our modest place in the body of Christ as a whole, we offer our personal contribution according to God’s design for us – verses 3-13…
John Gill’s Exposition offers, “Since all things are of God, and by him and to him, then the saints ought to present their bodies to him, and to know, approve, and do his will; and since they have nothing but what they have received from him, they ought not to think too highly of, or glory in their attainments.”
Verse 5 is key – “in Christ”
A rather pompous-looking deacon was endeavoring to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. “Why do people call me a Christian?” the man asked. After a moment’s pause, one youngster said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you.”
Our church is in trouble if we appear modest in our presentation but are pompous in our hearts; if we present love but our hearts hate. It speaks of talking the talk but not walking the walk. Among the greatest sins of the church is the Judas’ heart – giving a kiss of love which is meant to destroy. God’s judgment says to these, as Jesus did to Judas in Matthew 26:24, For I, the Son of Man, must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for my betrayer. Far better for him if he had never been born!"
To be “in Christ” is too be in relationships in the body of Christ that are characterized by love, not a false imitation of love. The proof is in the demonstrated activity (note qualities that reflect presence/absence of love)…
- Three love types – this one is, to quote Coffman, “[agape], that great New Testament word…meaning love in its most comprehensive and selfless qualities.” The Greek rendering of this love suggests it should be stronger than even family love which is the Greek [philostorgio] or brother love [Philadelphia]
- The only thing we are to hate is evil (verse 9)
Stewardship acknowledges that God owns everything I have.
Stewardship speaks of my relationship with God.
Stewardship requires my commitment to God’s will for me.
Stewardship is a change of mind, attitude and purpose.
Stewardship speaks to the management of our relationships, gifts and resources in meeting the needs of others.
There is a final lesson to be shared.
3. IT’S ABOUT US AND THEM
• Verses 14-19…
• Heap blessings and kindness toward the cursing and cruel; extend empathy rather than sympathy (entering into their experiences).
• “Us and them” – denominational relationships included – verse 16 is a reference to God’s call that we are prohibited from being partial to some denominational persuasions while rejecting others. To quote Bible scholar Godet, “Every member of the body of Christ is a sacred person, every Christian the brother [sister] of every other Christian; and God knows no aristocracy in his holy church except that of loving service.”
• As if the church’s relationships is not a difficult enough challenge, the test of our love for God is discovered in the treatment of our enemies – verses 20-21…
“Heaping coals of fire on his head”
The story is told of a woman involved in bitter fighting with her husband. Seeking professional help she was asked by the counselor, "Have you tried heaping coals of fire on his head?" to which she responded, “No, but I tried a skillet of hot grease!"
While the interpretations seem to have been lost, one of the most plausible is offered. “This may refer to an Egyptian tradition of carrying a pan of burning charcoal on one’s head as a public act of repentance. By referring to this proverb, Paul was saying that we should treat our enemies with kindness so that they will become ashamed and turn from their sins. The best way to get rid of enemies is to turn them into friends.” (Life Application Bible)
Co-authors John Ortbert, Laurie Pederson and Judson Poling write in “Giving-unlocking the heart of good stewardship” – “Ultimately, good stewardship is not a matter of wise money management or even responsible giving. It is a matter of extravagant love. Have you taken in the love of Christ extravagantly poured out for you? Has it left your heart so filled with gratitude that you can’t help but lavishly pour it out in return? Is his love transforming your prayers from “Give me Lord” to “Use me Lord – all that I am and all that I hold dear”?”
Stewardship acknowledges that God owns everything I have.
Stewardship speaks of my relationship with God.
Stewardship requires my commitment to God’s will for me.
Stewardship is a change of mind, attitude and purpose.
Stewardship speaks to the management of our relationships, gifts and resources in meeting the needs of others.
Stewardship speaks to the management of God’s message of hope and Good News to the world who needs to know The Truth, as lived out in God’s people.
WRAP
The journey of stewardship begins with YOU – and your relationship to God. It naturally flows to the relationship concerning US – the body of Christ and moves beyond that to touch THEM – the world apart from us.
Stewardship Covenant
Acknowledging that God owns everything I have, AND
Realizing that stewardship speaks of my relationship with God AND
Believing that stewardship requires commitment to God’s will for me,
I COVENANT WITH GOD THAT
I choose to change my mind, attitude and purpose so that I will manage my relationships, gifts and resources in response to the knowledge that He gave me these for His glory. Furthermore, I will manage God’s message of hope and Good News to people who need the truth as will be lived out in my life.
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