Disciples Are Good Stewards

Westhill Community Church

29 Sep 2019

Reading: Phil 4: 10-20

This week in our series on discipleship we are considering the topic “Disciples are Good Stewards.” Stewardship is the task of supervising or taking care of something, such as an organization or property, on behalf of another or others. In the Bible stewardship is introduced as early as the first chapter of Genesis.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Gen 1: 26 NASB)

The Bible teaches that human beings were created by God to be stewards of this earth and all creatures that live upon it. This is a topical issue today: scientists, activists, and politicians are urgently proclaiming the need for us to take this responsibility for planet earth seriously. At the very heart of this appeal is an unspoken implication – if humanity has stewardship responsibilities for this planet then it implies we are answerable to the Creator who gave us these responsibilities. But God is not acknowledged as the world in general debates this issue. As Paul said in his letter to the Romans,

They knew all the time that there is a God, yet they refused to acknowledge him as such (Rom 1: 21 PHILLIPS).

Jesus addressed this matter of mankind’s stewardship of the earth and its resources by means of a parable, the parable of the untrustworthy steward (Luke 16: 1-15). This parable is one of the least well understood and least retold of all Jesus’ parables. Why? Because Jesus appears to be commending dishonourable if not fraudulent action on the part of the steward. Even at the time he shared this parable we are told the Pharisees sneered at Jesus. In this story a manager wasted the possessions that his employer had put into his care. Consequently the employer summoned him to his office, and gave him notice of dismissal. Realising that he would be unlikely to find other suitable employment the manager proceeded to contact all of his employer’s debtors, and issued new invoices that reduced the debt in each case by a substantial amount. In this way he hoped to buy the goodwill of a significant number of people, which would stand him in good stead for the future when he was unemployed. In the same way, said Jesus, we should use wordly wealth to make friends for ourselves, so that when it is gone we will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

This reference to eternity provides the key to understanding this parable. God has given mankind in general and each one of us in particular stewardship responsibility during our time on earth. But we have wasted the resources God has given into our care, and ignored His requirements, and consequently He has decreed that each one of us will get the sack. Our employment as stewards will end. We will, each one of us, die – according to the Bible the inevitable result of falling short of God’s purpose for us. And Jesus said while you still have resources under your control use them to accrue benefit for the time after you are sacked – when you enter eternity on the other side of the grave. Make sure that you are welcomed there into eternal dwellings.

So for the disciple of Jesus now, good stewardship is all about preparation for eternity. For, as Jesus made clear in another parable, you could use all your time and efforts to build up a massive bank balance here on earth, but you would be very foolish to do so if that’s all you do, because you won’t be able to take it with you beyond the grave.

Paul said, “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom 14: 12 NIVUK). I have no idea what it will be like on that day, which might not be long now, when I will pass to the other side and approach heavenly immigration. In my mind’s eye I imagine something like the immigration facilities at an international airport. You shuffle forward, one at a time. Even if you travelled with others you have to stand at the immigration desk completely on your own. It’s all so formal and regimented. There are even pictures of feet on the ground to show precisely where you must stand. There is no smile of welcome. You feel intimidated – it’s as if the person at the desk is studying your papers carefully in order to find good reason for not letting you through. They are totally impassive as they stare at you and demand that you give an account of yourself. And suddenly you look beyond the barriers and see a crowd of people you know, family and friends, smiling and waving to welcome you. A grin breaks out on your face, and you wave back. “Keep still,” says the immigration officer crossly, “and don’t smile. Look straight at the camera.” You face the camera, but your eyes are still on the welcoming party. Goodness me, can that really be Jesus there with them, and there’s so-and-so; I haven’t seen him for years, and I had no idea that he had got here before me. At long last the impassive immigration official stamps your papers and waves you through, and you rush ahead to an overwhelming welcome from the citizens of heaven.

Well, it will almost certainly be nothing like that. But, whatever it will be like, Jesus made it clear that we should use the resources God has intrusted to our care to make our entry into eternity a joyful one.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matt 6: 19-20 NIVUK)

Do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt 6: 31-33 NIVUK)

It is inevitable that when we consider Christian stewardship we should focus substantially on our giving for God’s work, whether it be money, time or energy. And this is so not least because Jesus himself made such a strong link between stewardship and giving. But we should be careful not to restrict our thinking merely to the idea of giving. As Jesus’ parable made clear it is actually about investing – investing for the future in God’s kingdom. Giving has connotations of something disappearing. Investing is all about accrueing for the future.

When the members of this church family decided with God’s help to erect this building, it was with investment in mind. Yes, there has been much sacrificial giving, but always as an investment. Not that we see the building itself as an investment. Of course the money being given is invested in the building, but only so that the building might be invested in God’s kingdom. As the money is given by individuals so the building itself is given by the church to God, and all as an investment in His kingdom.

Let me share with you something about the provision of this building. Both the land itself and the majority of the cost of this building were funded by the giving of God’s people, many of whom are no longer with us. But some of the cost has been funded by a bank loan, and to date there is approximately £600K outstanding on this loan. The repayments on the loan have been serviced by regular standing orders from members of the church. Over time some of the original givers have gone to be with the Lord, and others have moved to live elsewhere. As a consequence gradually the standing orders servicing the bank loan have reduced, to a point where income to the general fund for church ministry will now have to be used to make up the shortfall. Now if you have become part of this church since the building was erected you may not have been aware of the income that is still required to finish paying for it. Well, there is still an opportunity to join with those others who are regularly contributing to pay off this bank loan. As Paul wrote to the Christians at Phillipi, it is not that we desire your gifts; what we desire is that much be credited to your account, through this opportunity to invest in what God is doing here. Such giving is a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And we can testify that God will meet all your needs even as he has met ours, according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Faithful giving affects anything we have control over – time, energy, money, homes, vehicles and goods, spiritual gifts, but most of all our lives (2 Corinthians 8:4,5). God wants us, as His children, to be like Him. He wants to be able to say, approvingly and with paternal pride, “That’s my boy, that’s my girl, just like their dad!”  The simple message of the gospel is that God so loved the world that He gave (John 3:16). He gave not from His surplus, not from that which was no longer needed, but the most precious thing He possessed – His only Son. And as if that were not enough, the Bible continues to tell us that out of the overwhelming generosity of his heart He intends to give us all that He has (Rom 8:32). Quite simply, He gives without measure. Small wonder, then, that the scripture tells us that He loves it when we too give exuberantly and hilariously.

I am reminded of God’s exuberant and ‘over the top’ giving every time I stand on the footbridge overlooking the Falls of Feugh near Banchory. Nobody gazing at that relentless torrent could conclude that God gives just enough for our needs but no more. Almost all of it cascades down to the sea, leaping, dancing, and foaming with extravagance, though it’s not as if the sea desperately needs it. And I reflect how even this deluge fades into insignificance compared to some of the great cataracts of the world.

If God’s giving is like an unceasing waterfall, then what is our giving like? At the Falls of Feugh one can see many smaller cascades supplementing the main falls. Some of these are but tiny trickles, but they all share similar characteristics and are part of the same flow. It seems to me that these illustrate how God’s children should give, as tiny replicas of their Father in heaven. But sometimes it seems we are more like taps, turned on every now and then, but usually turned off. Indeed it is possible to be so seized up we need a plumber’s wrench to get the water flowing again!

Why is it that so often our giving fails to conform to that of our heavenly Father? I believe there are seven substantial reasons why our attitude and practice with regard to giving can fall far short of what God desires for us. No doubt there are more, but it seems to me these are amongst the foremost.

1.   We are distracted by a love of money and material things.

2.   We have a poor understanding of our heavenly Father’s heart for giving.

3.   We doubt that our heavenly Father can be relied on to provide for us.

4.   We fail to give God appropriate thanks and glory for His provision.

5.   We convince ourselves that we are owners rather than stewards of what God provides.

6.   We don’t appreciate the Kingdom principle of sowing and reaping.

7.   We live under the law instead of under grace.

What does it mean to live under grace? How should this affect our stewardship of all that God has entrusted to us? What does it mean for our giving and investing in God’s kingdom? When writing to the church at Corinth Paul reminded them of the grace revealed to us in Jesus.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich (2 Cor 8: 9 NIVUK).

This is what Jesus was like. So, if we are to walk in the dust of our master’s sandles, what will we be like? I can give no better answer than Paul gave to these Christians when he shared with them about the believers in Macedonia.

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: they gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. (2 Cor 8: 1-5)

So, may the grace of the Lord Jesus be with us all!

Steve Townsend

29 Sep 2019