Stewardship

Give an account of thy stewardship.  

       

Who is a steward? 

A Steward is one who is employed to transact the business of another, as his agent or representative in the business in which he is employed.

Ø  His duty is, to promote, in the best possible manner, the interest of his employer. He is liable at any time to be called to an account for the manner in which he has transacted his business, and to be removed from his office at the pleasure of his employer.

Ø  God treats us as such, and removes us at his pleasure and disposes of the property in our hands, which he would not do did he not consider us merely his agents, and not the owners of the property.

1 Chronicles 29:14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you have already given us!

Ø  A steward cannot be idle

Ø  A man that is idle, is dishonest; forgets his responsibility, refuses to serve God, and gives himself up to the temptations of the devil. Basically, the idle man tempts the devil to tempt him. Idleness is a snare or trap to the soul.

Ø  All men/women were created to be God's stewards for kingdom business

Luke 16:1-18 - PARABLE OF THE UNRIGHTEOUS STEWARD

Jesus told this story to his disciples: "A rich man hired a manager to handle his affairs, but soon a rumor went around that the manager was thoroughly dishonest. 2 So his employer called him in and said, 'What's this I hear about your stealing from me? Get your report in order, because you are going to be dismissed.' 3 "The manager thought to himself, 'Now what? I'm through here, and I don't have the strength to go out and dig ditches, and I'm too proud to beg. 4 I know just the thing! And then I'll have plenty of friends to take care of me when I leave!' 5 "So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, 'How much do you owe him?' 6 The man replied, 'I owe him eight hundred gallons of olive oil.' So the manager told him, 'Tear up that bill and write another one for four hundred gallons. ' 7 "'And how much do you owe my employer?' he asked the next man.’A thousand bushels of wheat,' was the reply.’Here,' the manager said, 'take your bill and replace it with one for only eight hundred bushels. ‘8 "The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the citizens of this world are shrewder than the godly are. 9 I tell you, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven. 10 "Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people's money, why should you be trusted with money of your own? 13 "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." 14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, naturally scoffed at all this. 15 Then he said to them, "You like to look good in public, but God knows your evil hearts. What this world honors is an abomination in the sight of God. 16 "Until John the Baptist began to preach, the laws of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and eager multitudes are forcing their way in. 17 But that doesn't mean that the law has lost its force in even the smallest point. It is stronger and more permanent than heaven and earth. 18 "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery, and anyone who marries divorced woman commits adultery."

·          You cannot serve two masters ( Either God or the world/Satan) the World is Anything you put before God Almighty

·          use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends

Ø  James 4:4 You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God

Ø  Galatians 1:10 Obviously, I'm not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ's servant.

*** The reward of a steward is not of merit but of grace ***

Luke 17:7-10 "When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, he doesn't just sit down and eat. 8 He must first prepare his master's meal and serve him his supper before eating his own. 9 And the servant is not even thanked, because he is merely doing what he is supposed to do. 10 In the same way, when you obey me you should say, 'we are not worthy of praise. We are servants who have simply done our duty.'"

The Bible declares, that the silver and the gold are his, and that he is, in the highest possible sense, the owner of the universe. Men are mere stewards, employed by him for the transaction of his business, and required to do all they do for his glory.

·          Even their eating and drinking are to be done for his glory, that they may be strengthened for the best performance of his business.

1.  If we are God's stewards, we are bound to account to him for their time.

·          God has created us, and keeps us alive, and our time is his.

Should you employ a steward, and pay him for his time, would you not expect him to employ that time in your service , Would you not consider it fraud and dishonesty, for him, while in your pay, to spend his time in idleness, or in promoting his private interests! Suppose he were often idle, that would be bad enough; but suppose that he completely neglected your business, and that when called to an account and censured for not doing his duty, he should say, " Why, what have I done?" would you not suppose that for him to have done nothing, and let your business suffer, was great wickedness, for which he deserved to be punished?

Ø  you are God's steward, and if you are an unremorseful sinner, you have wholly neglected God's business, and have remained idle in his vineyard, or have been only attending to your own private interests ; and now are you ready to ask what you have done 

2. Stewards are bound to give an account of their actions

3. A steward is bound to give an account for the influence he/she exerts upon mankind around him/her.

Ø  Family, friends, co-workers, those he/she come across, customers, the needy, humanity, etc

whatever influence God has given you, if you are an unrepentant sinner or doing what the world says to do, you are not only neglecting to use it for God, to build up his kingdom, but you are employing it in opposition to his interest and glory; and for this do you not deserve the damnation of hell? 

Ø  Perhaps you are rich, or learned, or have, on other accounts, great influence in society, and are refusing to use it to save the souls of men, but are bringing doing what you want as per being like the world basically you are dragging all who are within the sphere of your influence down to the gates of hell.

4. You must give an account for the manner in which you use the property in your possession.

Ø  Car, Home, real estate, investments, Money etc

Matthew 25:35-40 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' 37 "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?' 40 And the King will tell them, 'I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'

5. You must give an account for your send. You have no right to go to hell.

 

Ø  God has a right to your soul; you’re going to hell would injure the whole universe. It would injure hell, because it would increase its torments, it would injure heaven, because it would wrong it out of your services. Who shall take the harp in your place, in singing praises to God? Who shall contribute your share to the happiness of heaven?

Ø  Do you say, What if I do lose my soul, it is nobody's business but my own? That is false: it is every body's business. Just as well might a man bring a contagious disease into a city, and spread dismay and death all around, and say it was nobody's business but his own.

6. You must give an account for the souls of others.

 God commands you to be a co-worker with him in converting the world. He requires your services, for he saves souls only through the agency of men. If souls are lost, or the gospel is not spread over the world, sinners charge all the blame upon Christians, as if they only were bound to be active in the cause of Christ, to exercise benevolence, to pray for a lost world, to pull sinners out of the fire. I wonder who has absolved you from these duties?

 Instead of doing your duty, you lie as a stumbling-block in the way of other sinners. Thus, instead of helping to save a world, all your actions help to send souls to hell.

7. You are bound to give an account of the sentiments you entertain and spread.

 God's kingdom is to be built up by truth, and not by error. Your sentiments will have an important bearing upon the influence you exert over those around you.

God has given you rules for the government of your conduct. In the Bible you have a plain revelation of his will in relation to all your actions. And now, do you either neglect or pervert it, and thus go astray yourself, and lead others with you in the way of disobedience and death, and then call yourself an honest man?

8. You must give an account of your opportunities of doing good deeds to glorify Go

 If you employ a steward to transact your business, you expect him to take advantage of the state of the market and of things in general, to improve every opportunity to promote your interest. Suppose at the busy seasons of the year, he should spend his time in idleness, or in his own private affairs, and not have an eye at all to the most favorable opportunities of promoting your interest, would you not soon say to him, " Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be no longer steward ? 

Sinners transact business to promote their own private interests, and not as God's stewards; and thus act dishonestly, defraud God, grieve the Spirit, and promote their own sensuality, pride, and death.

 

God never created this world to be a snare to men—it is abused; he designed it to be a delightful abode for them—but how perverted!

Ø  Should all men's business be done as for God, they would not find it such a temptation to fraud and dishonesty

At the judgment, we are informed that Christ will say to those who are accepted," Well done, good and faithful servants." could he truly say this of you,” Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things," i. e. over the things committed to your charge.