Download The Steward`s Identity - St. John`s Lutheran Church

“The Steward’s Identity”
1 Corinthians 16:1
St. John's - East Moline
10/6/13
Intro.: The lesson for our meditation today comes from 1 Cor. 16, “Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I
directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.” Uh-oh! Did you hear that a "collection" that must mean that it is
stewardship time again, right?
Why does the word stewardship make people so uncomfortable? Even more, why does it always seem to be
connected with other words like collections, tithes, offerings, and budgets? Maybe it is because many of us don't
understand what stewardship is or have been misled into thinking that it is all about the church trying to get our money.
It is time for us all to move away from that idea and accept that stewardship is really all about our relationship with God
and how we use His gifts to us.
I. Our Calling.
To change the way we think about stewardship we, first of all, need to recognize that God has called us all to be
stewards. He has placed us in his kingdom to work and to use all that He has given us for His glory. Who we are always
determines what we do. So, understanding whose we are and that we are God’s stewards and servants means that we
will seek to please Him with all that we have and with all that we do.
Stewards are people who manage what belongs to their master. That means that we are managers of everything that
God has given us. The proper management of our lives and our blessings from God means that we will do our best to
invest them in the most useful and efficient manner possible for Him and His kingdom. Someone has said, “Christian
stewardship is what I do after, I have said 'I believe!' It is the response of my entire life to Christ out of gratitude for the
amazing love He showed for me with His death on the cross. It is giving everything I am and everything I have to Him, as
He directs. It’s total commitment. It's the fruits of my life. It's faith in action.”
According to that definition what you and I give monetarily through our offerings, here at church, is only a small
portion - a symbolic token - of our gratitude for God's love, our commitment to Him, and of the true measure of our
faith and love. What do your offerings and your activities say about you and your life as a steward of God.
II. Our Contribution.
Paul in his letter to the Corinthians used the pattern established by the Galatians to give us clear instructions on how
our token gifts are to be collected and used for the Lord's work through our congregation.
In the verses following the one I already read, he helps us determine when and how much of our time, abilities, and
resources we will want to give back to the Lord for work in his kingdom. He says, “On the first day of every week, each of
you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collection when I come.” Do you
hear that? As servant-stewards we think of God first. When it comes to our time He gets priority - not just when or if
we can fit Him in between our other activities. When it comes to our talents - what we can do to serve Him is developed
and applied first - not after we have used up our energies and resources on everything else. When it comes to our
treasure, we set aside part of it for Him first - not just the leftover change in our pockets. And we give as God has
prospered us as a true act of thanksgiving - not a flat fee like we were paying to get into a movie.
III. Our Motivation.
Before telling us when and how we are to return part of our blessings to the Lord, though, Paul spent almost the
entire chapter telling us why. He shared what Christ’s death and resurrection means to us: the fact that when all of this
present creation has passed away, every Christian, including you and I, will rise from death to new life. This is what
motivates us to be concerned about the spiritual and physical well-being of others. Our eternal, Christian worldview
prompts us to generously offer not just a part but all we have to God. We love Him and we love others because He first
loved us. When our hearts are changed by the Gospel, our reason for living changes too. Consumers of this world will
always be self-centered and look after their own needs, but stewards of God's present and eternal blessings become
God-centered and turn to look after the needs of others. They rejoice in the privilege of serving God and of showing His
love to all for whom Christ died of the cross. As redeemed children of God and heirs of a new heaven and earth our lives
are lived out in a grateful response to Jesus’ sacrifice. That is what our life is - one big thank you - for God's grace and
mercy. We can never repay Him - all we can do is say thank you and express our love by the way we show love to others
with some of the time and talents and treasures that He has given us.
IV. Our Expression Of Christian Stewardship.
This leads us to some of the principles of Christian stewardship, that will help us to live each day as stewards. The
first is that in loving response to the One who first loved us we will give ourselves to the Lord and make Jesus the focal
point of our lives. This means that in everything we are and do our eyes will be fixed on Him.
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The second is that we are to know the grace of Christ, because without that we cannot accomplish anything. In 2
Corinthians 8:9 Paul says we know “that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His
poverty might become rich.” This verse is the perfect definition of GRACE which I sometimes say stands for God's Riches
At Christ's Expense. God gives us what we do not deserve - what we could never earn - by purchasing it for us through
the death of His Son. He became poor and took on our sins - so that we might be made rich with forgiveness and put on
His holiness.
If we can then give ourselves to the Lord because we know the grace of Christ that has made us rich in every way,
then we will recognize the third principle of Christian Stewardship. There are needs and opportunities to extend God's
kingdom through His Church and there are people all around us who are in need of what God has entrusted to us. Our
calling as servants of God and stewards of his gifts is to willingly and cheerfully seek to meet those needs. That is who
we are and why we are here.
Which brings us to the fourth principle of Christian stewardship—the promise of the blessing that comes with being a
faithful steward. The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:7 writes: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Did you hear that? “God loves a cheerful giver.” When we give cheerfully, spending time serving God, using talents
to His glory, and using our resources to do His work, we give joy to our Heavenly Father as we display His image and
likeness. The prophet Malachi wrote of that blessing almost as a challenge to us. “’Bring the full tithe into the
storehouse, that there may be food in My house. And thereby put Me to the test,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘if I will not
open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need’” (Malachi 3:10).
Yes, that’s a challenge. Are you ready to take it up? How much should you return to the One who has given you all
things? In the Old Testament 10% was required under the law, but Christ fulfilled the requirements of that law for us.
You are free, right? So you are not bound to do or give anything? But maybe we should think of it this way - yes we are
free, free to give as the Lord has given to us, free to give as He has prospered. The Gospel has given us a new identity,
not only as unworthy servants and stewards, but as children and heirs. We live under grace. As the father in the parable
of the prodigal said to his older son, so our Heavenly Father says to us, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine
is yours." All the father wanted was for that son to share in his joy over his returning brother and to not begrudge him a
fattened calf or the price of a banquet. What about us? By God's grace and the love of Christ who made himself poor so
that we may become rich, we will always be with our Heavenly Father - and all that He has He gives to us. Nothing is
required- but what is expected? He wants to prepare an eternal banquet for us and all our lost and found brothers - the
Lamb's Feast in His kingdom which does not end - what can we cheerfully give to show that we share in our Father's joy?
Concl.: “Put me to the test,” says the Lord almighty. Live each day as a faithful steward and let Him show you His love
and faithfulness. Amen.
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