Stewardship #1 Of 4

(1) THE PASTOR IS GOING TO PREACH ON MONEY.

Pastors who love the people of the congregation will preach about money. Why? Because God has promised a blessings to all who tithe.

Illus: It is estimated that if the widow’s mite had been deposited at the “First National Bank of Jerusalem,” drawing four percent interest semi-annually, the fund today would total $4,800,000,000,000,000,000,000.00. If a bank on earth could multiply a widow’s mite to such an astronomical figure, think what treasures the dedicated woman of Jesus’ day will have in heaven, where “moth and rust doth not corrupt!”

Pastors who love their people will preach on tithing because it will enrich their lives.

Also, when a preacher announces he is going to preach on stewardship, some think...

(2) THE PASTOR IS GOING TO PREACH ABOUT TIME.

If a pastor loves his people he should preach on the importance of their using their time wisely. Why? Because we all are allotted time and one day we will have to give account to God for how we used our time.

Time is life. When your time runs out, your life runs out. When I give you my time, I am giving you my life.

The best gift we can give to God is the gift of our time because in doing so we are giving Him our life.

We need to use our time wisely. Many who make no profession of being saved have used their time to make life better for mankind. For example:

• Leo Gerstenzang thought of “Q Tips” when he saw his wife trying to clean their baby’s ears with toothpicks and cotton.

• Otto Diffenbach came up with the cellophane soda straws when he twisted the wrapper from a cigarette pack and saw he had created a tube.

• Ole Evinrude got angry when the ice cream in his rowboat melted before he got to his island picnic spot -- so he invented the outboard motor.

• Ralph Schneider decided to form Diners Club one night after he lost his wallet.

• Charles Strite was fuming at the burnt toast in the factory lunchroom where he worked--and thought up the automatic toaster.

The natural man has used his time wisely by helping mankind with many things he has invented.

WHAT ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE? HOW HAVE THEY USED THEIR TIME?

If any people on this earth should be caught using their time wisely it should be God’s people.

Colossians 4:5. We read, “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”

Illus: Someone has visualized life as an old alarm clock. Remember the kind that had to be wound up? When we are newborn, God winds us up and from then on our lives wind down. Everyone here has less time on your life’s clock on earth today than yesterday. Therefore we can not afford to waste a minute!

Every good pastor knows people are going to have to give account to God for the way they spend their time, so he knows he must preach often about being good stewards of our time.

Also, when people hear a pastor is going to preach about STEWARDSHIP some assume

(3) THE PASTOR IS GOING TO PREACH ABOUT HOW WE USE OUR TALENTS.

Again, if a preacher loves his people he ought to preach about using our talents in the service of the God Who gave them. When we stand before the Lord one day, as Christians, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, we are going to have to give account to God for the way we have used the talents God has blessed us with. Did you know that some of the most popular singers started singing in God’s churches before they backed away and went out into the world?

Illus: Elvis Presley, Pat Boone, Tommy Sands, and many others were singing in churches when they were very young.

Preachers who love the people of their congregations need to preach about using God-given talents for the Lord. I can assure you that if Elvis, and all the others, could come back and live their lives over, they would use their talents for the Lord.

Yes, a pastor should preach on all of these things. These all fall under the category of things over which God has given us STEWARDSHIP.

However, instead of these things, there is another I would preach about now. There is another thing God has given us STEWARDSHIP over. In our text we see Paul told Timothy that he was a STEWARD OF INFORMATION. That is, he had been entrusted with the most valuable information anyone could ever be entrusted with.

Likewise, all who name the name of Christ have also been entrusted with this valuable information. When we stand before the Lord we will give account to God for the way we have spent our time, money, talents, and MOST OF ALL of what we have done with THE GOSPEL!