"Becoming A Good Steward"
Rev. Alan Breems
Oasis Community Church, Moreno Valley, CA
Text: II Corinthians 9:6-8
Last week, we began a series of messages talking about not just any
road to financial freedom but God's road, the one that is mapped out for
us in the Bible. And the first thing that I said we need to get firmly
ingrained in our minds if we want to break free from the bondage in which
the devil so often holds us, financially, is that it is God's money, not
ours. Perhaps you remember the first point I made last week. God is the
owner, and we are the stewards or managers of what God has given to us.
That's step one on the road to financial freedom, learning day after
day, time after time, that it's not your money or your belongings, but
the things you have belong to God, and it is our job to be managers or
stewards of those things.
My question for you this morning, however, is if that is the case, if
you believe that, then how are you doing as stewards right now? Notice,
the question is not are you a steward or not; the truth of the matter is
that whether we like or not, whether we realize it or not, that is the
role that God has given to us in this world. As we talked about in our
classes this week, ever since God created human beings, because He made
them in His image, they were given the job of being the caretakers or managers
or stewards of this world.
So simply by virtue of the fact that you are a human being gives you
both the privilege and responsibility of being a steward or manager of
the things of this world that God decides to put into your care. And that's
why this morning, I'd like to focus on the question, "So how are you doing
as a steward?" What does it take?
It's funny, because when it comes to the managing of our finances, even
though many of us here this morning would agree that God is the owner and
we are the steward, the criteria we use to determine how well we are doing
are criteria which are based upon what we want or what we think we need
to be happy. When we ask the question, "How am I doing managing my money?"
We think about whether we are pleased or happy with how much we have or
how we are spending it.
But to determine what kind of steward you are, one of the things that
is so important is to realize that person we need to please is not ourselves
but God. We need to adopt His criteria for success or failure in money
or financial management. We need to measure ourselves by His standards
rather than the standards of the world or society around us. We need to
get away from survival mode, where we are so caught up with paying the
bills and keeping the wolves away from the door, so to speak, that we pay
little or no attention to whether our greatest creditor, God, is happy.
Because you see it is very possible for us to be way ahead of the game
this year, to make lots of money, to make so-called great investments,
to double or triple or quadruple our money, and still in the eyes of God
be failing as a successful steward. Some of the richest people in the world
are great disappointments, embarrassments, and even frustrations or provocations
to anger of God. The secret to being a good steward of the money or resources
God gives you this year will not be simply did I survive or did I make
money in 1996.
The secret to being a good steward this year has to do with whether
I made the owner happy with the money that He gave me. Imagine that you
had $20 that you gave as a gift to your teenage son of daughter, and he
or she took the money, went out bought drugs, sold the drugs, and doubled
the money. Would you be pleased with that son or daughter? Of course not.
Suppose they took the money and blew it on some sick degenerate rapper
CD or suppose they used it to pay off a gambling debt. Would you say, well
at least they're paying their bills? I doubt it.
But you see in the same way that we want our children to use the money
we give them in ways that are pleasing to us, God wants His children to
use the money and resources He give to them for the same reason, to use
it in ways that are pleasing to Him, ways that coincide with the things
that are taught in the Bible.
And what you find in the Bible are not quick easy formulas for God's
road to financial success. I know that is often appealing to us, for someone
to tell us quickly and easily how to solve all our financial problems.
Rather, the Bible contains some more general and deeper principles of God
which God says need to be used by us as measuring sticks, principles which
can be used to measure not so much the "bottom line" of our financial statements;
rather, principles which need to be used to measure things in our hearts.
Because as I said last week, that's where the devil gets us when it comes
to finances, that's where he holds us in bondage, on the inside, and consequently,
that's where God wants us to be set free, to set goals for ourselves in
our stewardship or financial management this year. So, having said that,
let's read.
What I have done this morning is provided for you in the bulletin, three
continuums, and three lines with two opposing ideas on each end of the
continuum. And what I'd like to do is offer these to you as ways for you
to begin to evaluate yourselves as stewards of the money and resources
that God has given to you.
You see, I believe instead of simply a true/false or give the right
answer and you pass type of test, when it comes to stewardship and passage
we just read, what God is trying to do is to give us, as I said, general
principles by which we can measure our hearts and lives, and the reason
I give the continuums this morning is because none of us is perfect, none
of us is perfectly evil, thank God, and none of us is perfectly good. So
better, what we need to do as Christians is see that our lives are in process,
and that we are attempting to make gains and moves in our hearts, minds
and actions to move away from one end of the continuum and towards the
other.
Now the first one that we are going to take a look at this morning is
the continuum that has at on end the word stingy and at the other end the
word generous. Don't make anything yet because I'd like you to rate yourselves
in a very special way on this one, and I'll tell you how in a minute. But
before we do that, before we rate ourselves, let me say a bit about what
God is trying to teach here in the Bible about this idea of being generous
or stingy. When it says in v.6 that "Whoever sows
sparingly... and whoever sows generously..." it is not talking about
those who are tight and those who are more free with their money.
In most families or marriages there are spenders and savers, and I am
sure that the spenders would love to throw this one in the face of the
savers. See, God says that you are supposed to be generous, and you are
stingy. But let me ask you, what does it mean to be generous and what does
it mean to be stingy? Does it simply mean one spends money and the other
doesn't?
I don't think that's what God had in mind here; rather, the idea between
he who sows or plants sparingly and he who sows or plants generously has
to do with how well we use our money or resources to help, to bless, or
to serve not ourselves but others. That's the thing which makes the owner
happy, whether we are self-centered or centered on serving others with
our money. The idea of being stingy has to do with the idea of using most
of our money for our needs, for things that give us pleasure, for things
that we want, that's what stinginess really is. You see, you could go out
today on a shopping spree, and spend $1000 on yourself, and still be stingy
or as the Bible calls it sowing or planting your money in a sparing way.
Generosity on the other hand is not simply synonymous with spending
money; instead, it has to do with using money or other resources to help
others, to serve them, the find ways to encourage and build them up. And
doesn't mean either always giving them money or buying them things. There
are some people for whom the most generous thing we could do is not to
give them any more money. But the question is, are you thinking of their
best interest and their needs ahead of your own. That's what it means to
be generous.
And when God is looking for good stewards, this is one of the first
criterions, which He looks for, generosity. Why? Well, one of the reasons
is because when we are generous stewards of what God has given us, we become
reflections or mirrors of God's Son Jesus. The Bible says, Jesus had everything,
He had all the power and glory and wisdom of God, but He didn't grab onto
it and try and keep it all to Himself; rather, when Jesus came to this
world He emptied Himself and became a servant even to the point of giving
His life on the cross to save and serve you and me. Look at 8:9.
Someone once said that what we ought to do each day is to take the gifts
that God has given us, our time, our talents, or energy, and our money
and spend those gifts that God has given us lavishly not on ourselves but
on others as though we ourselves were intent on going broke. That's the
kind of generosity that Jesus has already shown to us and which we need
to reflect in our lives, too. The other reason why we need to learn to
become generous or giving has to do with the fact that when you sow or
plant generously you reap a generous harvest. Now what does that mean?
Well, the idea is that the more we let go of our selfishness in this world
and learn to be generous and giving and loving to others with our resources,
the more we will receive rich blessings from God. If you plant few seeds,
you get few crops. Plant many seeds, and you get many crops. It's very
simple.
And I am not saying this in the way that some preachers do in the name
of Christianity. In other words, give 10 bucks and make a 100. That which
we will reap, the Bible teaches often is not money but something more valuable,
friends, love, closeness to God. Our world is filled with people who have
all kinds of money because throughout their life they were stingy or selfish,
but you know what, the older they get, the poorer they become, because
no one cares about them eventually because they never cared about anybody
else. All they cared about was their money, and finally what they find
is their only friends are those who want their money. Sow or plant sparingly
and you will reap sparingly. Sow or plant generously and you will reap
a generous harvest of God's blessings in your life.
Now, let's rate ourselves. Here's what I'd like you to do. First, put
an F on this continuum, not as a grade, but to represent where you think
you are within your family. How generous are you in giving financially
to others in your family? How much do you want money spent for your things,
your interests, your priorities, your pleasures, and how much are you willing
to take into the consideration the needs and interests of others?
Secondly, put on O on the continuum to represent where you are with
others, people outside your family. How generous financially are you to
people in your community or school or in the world that you know are in
need right now? Then finally, put a G on the continuum to represent where
you see yourself with God. When it comes to your finances, what portion
goes to God? How generous are you? Does God get the left-overs or does
God get the first-fruits, in other words, of all the things to which you
give money, which one are you most likely to cut bake when the going is
tough? Is your gift to God first, last? Have you tried tithing ever, giving
the first 10% to God? Mark G.
Now that's the first continuum. Let's go the second one. This one is
based on the second verse we read, v.7. On one end
is a reluctant giver and on the other end is a cheerful giver. I
always think of old church, "God loves... but He also accepts from a grouch."
When it comes to being generous, how are you generous says God? How do
you give of your money, your time, yourself to others?
Before you rate yourself, let me explain what each of these ends to
the continuum mean. Last week we took a look at a passage in the Bible
from the Old Testament, the part of the Bible that was written before Jesus
came into the world. And what I showed you was that for the people who
were with Moses in the desert, there was a law in their community that
said you had to tithe. You had no choice. If you chose not to or if in
some way you tried to cheat God, you would face a penalty. God treated
the tithing the way the IRS treats our taxes today.
In this passage we read, which comes from the New Testament, the section
of the Bible after Jesus came into the world, however, we find a change
in God's approach to tithing or giving. As you can in v. 7, the new rule
is rather than God requiring as law that every one tithe, each must decide
for him or herself what they will give to the Lord.
There is a new freedom given to us today as Christians unlike those
people in the Old Testament, and I believe the reason for this change had
to do with God desiring to see His people grow up and mature in their relationship
with Him. When we parent little children, we often have to define very
specifically what they may or may not do and the consequences for that.
But as our children mature, the goal of parenting is to instill in them
enough values and a commitment to Jesus such that they can begin to decide
for themselves what is right and wrong, so they freely choose the right.
And that is how God approaches this issue, but I want to be clear that
is how this church approaches this issue. We put out challenges and recommendations
to people, just as you would to your older children, but ultimately we
allow you the freedom to purpose in your own hearts as to what you are
going to give. And we do not come after you like the IRS to penalize you
if you choose not to give. It's up to you.
But here's where there is a common misinterpretation of this principle
that is laid out in v.7. Some people look at this and say, "Oh, I get it.
God wants a cheerful giver. So if there a certain amount that doesn't make
me cheerful, that gives me displeasure. I shouldn't give it." Is that true?
Is the criterion for our giving here what makes us happy? What gives us
pleasure? Let me tell you something. If that were true, then Jesus should
not have gone to the cross for you and me. If the criterion for giving
is only what makes you feel good, let me tell, the cross, when they nailed
His hands and feet, did not feel good.
The cheerfulness does not come from the outside, from the amount of
money or time or resources that we give; rather, the cheerfulness comes
from the inside. The word, Pastor Tim has often taught us, that was used
here for the Lord loves a "cheerful" giver, was the Greek word for hilarious
giver. Now think about that. When something is hilarious, you don't laugh
with a little chuckle. When something is hilarious, you laugh from deep
down inside of you. That's where the cheerfulness comes from, a deep down
kind of love that leads to a willingness to give in a deep down almost
reckless type of way, willing even to endure hardship.
Some of the greatest gifts in life hurt require sacrifice. If you don't
believe me, look at Jesus and what He gave us in our salvation from sin.
And the Bible says it was the joy in giving that helped Him endure the
pain. How much joy do you find in your heart in giving to others, to your
family, to God? Mark just one spot on this continuum as you rate yourself
this morning. How reluctant are you to let go and protect yourself or your
money? How trusting are you with joy that when you give God will provide?
That's what God looking for in good stewards today.
But there's one criterion I want to tough on before we close this morning,
one that we are going to come back to next week and that is the continuum
between fear and faith. Where does the ability come to give hilariously
in the face of the stresses and strains on our finances and lives today?
How do we learn to become less selfish, less stingy, less reluctant in
our giving and more genuinely cheerful in the way we give to others? Well,
the answer is found in v.8, faith.
You want to please God as the owner of all that you have, then believe
in God, that as it says here, He is able to make all grace abound to you.
He is able to meet all your needs. Now, it's interesting what this word
meant in the original language when it said that God was able to meet our
needs. A lot of times, that gets interpreted to mean, God will give and
give and give material things to bail you and me out of trouble. God will
come through with the dollars that we believe we need to maintain a certain
standard of living.
But I hate to tell you, that is not really what it means when it says
that God is able. The word that was used actually referred to the idea
of a sufficiency that was given to person to be able to exist in this world
in spite of the fact that he or she did not get all the things of this
world that he or she wanted, an ability to exist in spite of the fact that
things didn't turn out the way that he or she would have liked them to
turn out.
To me, that is the essence of the faith we need to have as good stewards,
the kind of faith that will win out over the fear that so often holds us
in bondage. That when we are afraid, and as we read about last week, call
upon the Lord in the day of trouble. It may be that His deliverance will
not take the form for which we prayed, but His deliverance will come in
the form of giving us, as it says here in v.8, the grace we need to cope
and accept our situation. His deliverance will come in the form of giving
what we need and not necessarily what we want.
And it is that type of faith, I believe, that not only will overcome
the fear in our hearts, but will allow us to abound in good works, in becoming
good stewards, good givers, cheerful givers, faithfilled and faithful givers
for Jesus.
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