What if your family all passed and left you the family fortune to continue their legacy after their deaths?
- What would you do?
- How would respond to others?
- What would you do to bless others?
The Bible on Money
- Scripture understands the importance of money in the world.
- In fact, Scripture references money over 2,300 times!
- The concept of ownership is not a Western concept, it began with God.
Psalm 24:1-2
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.
Psalm 50:10
for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
- Further, Scripture explains that not only is everything in Creation that is His, everything we have ultimately comes from him.
1 Chronicles 29:12-16
Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you."
- So, if God is not only the owner everything we have and see, what does that make us?
- Scripture repeatedly uses the term of “Steward” in reference to our relationship with Money.
What is a Steward?
a person who manages another's property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others.
- God give us what we have to allow us the opportunity to do several things: to manage it well, to meet ours and others need, to expand His Kingdom. All of these things we will touch on in much deeper fashion in future weeks, but we must first and foremost be wise and generous with what we have been given.
Matthew 25:14-30
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ "His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
- Just as we see from this parable, it is not our responsibility for us to lament what we don’t have, but rather, we should value and take care of what God gives us. When we are faithful with little, we will be faithful with much.
Following Christ as Steward
- In order to understand how we relate to the money that we have, we have to understand what our role is.
- In order to understand stewardship, we have to see how Christ is the steward for us to the Father.
- We see this in the description of the Good Shepherd.
- A shepherd is simply the steward or caretaker of the flock.
John 10:10
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
John 10:27-30
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
- Christ is the Steward in our care for the Father.
- Consider the song that we sing, “I’m not my own, for I’ve been bought with a price”
- Jesus not only paid the price for our salvation, but The Father has given us to his care.
- We can only seek to honor Christ for His sacrifice by being a committed steward for the blessings that he was given us
- We must be a good steward with all that God has given us: our ability, our time, and our money.
- In this, Scripture also tells us that tithing is not an option, in fact, it’s less about “paying bills” and more about honoring God with his blessing
- In fact the understanding of tithe began with Genesis 14 when Abraham presents a tenth of everything to Melchizadek, the King of Salem and a Priest of God
- This is why good stewardship habits must begin with tithing, it is essentially the first test for us to be faithful with what God has given us
- One of the requirements for leadership is that we are faithful in our tithe.
- This is less about the money that is provided by the tithe, but instead it’s about the heart of the individual and if it’s aligned with God requests of us and we follow through
