## Stewardship #2

## Psalm 24:1

Last week we began looking at the subject of stewardship. The Word of God tells us that God’s expectation of us is that we be faithful stewards. Faithful stewardship is only possible when we have a proper understanding of three things.

1. God’s Ownership

2. Our Responsibility

3. Our Accountability

Tonight I want us to focus on the ownership of God. If we are to be faithful stewards of what God has blessed us with, we need to recognize God's ownership, respond properly to His ownership and learn to rest in His ownership.

I. Recognizing God's Ownership.

God created the world and the universe, and He has retained ownership of it.

Acknowledging that He owns everything is a basic key to developing a healthy spiritual life. (PSA 24:1)

A. The creative principle

1. God made every person according to His plan.

(JOB 31:15) "DID NOT HE THAT MADE ME IN THE WOMB MAKE HIM? AND DID NOT ONE FASHION US IN THE WOMB?"

(PSA 119:73) "JOD. THY HANDS HAVE MADE ME AND FASHIONED ME: GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING, THAT I MAY LEARN THY COMMANDMENTS."

2. David wrote that God knew all about him when he was yet unborn:

(PSA 139:16) "THINE EYES DID SEE MY SUBSTANCE, YET BEING UNPERFECT; AND IN THY BOOK ALL MY MEMBERS WERE WRITTEN, WHICH IN CONTINUANCE WERE FASHIONED, WHEN AS YET THERE WAS NONE OF THEM."

3. Since He created us all, He owns us and may do with us as He sees fit.

B. The redemptive principle

1. God has literally purchased every believer out of slavery to the world of darkness.

2. The price He paid was the death of His own Son Jesus Christ.

(1 COR 6:20) "FOR YE ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE: THEREFORE GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY, AND IN YOUR SPIRIT, WHICH ARE GOD’S."

(1 COR 7:23) "YE ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE; BE NOT YE THE SERVANTS OF MEN."

3. Now we are twice His because He owns us and paid a ransom for us.

(MAT 20:28) "EVEN AS THE SON OF MAN CAME NOT TO BE MINISTERED UNTO, BUT TO MINISTER, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE A RANSOM FOR MANY."

4. His purchase demands that we serve Him and not ourselves or other people.

(1 COR 7:23) "YE ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE; BE NOT YE THE SERVANTS OF MEN."

C. The directive principle

1. God does own us, but we don't need to worry that He might not take care of us.

(PSA 100:3) "KNOW YE THAT THE LORD HE IS GOD: IT IS HE THAT HATH MADE US, AND NOT WE OURSELVES; WE ARE HIS PEOPLE, AND THE SHEEP OF HIS PASTURE."

(PSA 23:1) "A PSALM OF DAVID. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD; I SHALL NOT WANT."

2. We can count on God to guide us and provide for our needs, just as a shepherd does for his sheep.

3. When we look to God in His Word and obey the instruction we find there, we are exercising this directive principle.

4. And as the "sheep of his pasture" we have a responsibility to acknowledge His possession of us and to follow him.

5. It is important for us to recognize that God owns us.

6. But we must go a step further and respond to that ownership.

II. Responding to God's Ownership.

A. The living principle

1. Since Christ has redeemed us, we are obligated to glorify Him with our lives .

(1 COR 6:20) "FOR YE ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE: THEREFORE GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY, AND IN YOUR SPIRIT, WHICH ARE GOD’S."

2. Our hearts should be fixed on loving and knowing Him.

(PHIL 3:10) "THAT I MAY KNOW HIM, AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION, AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS, BEING MADE CONFORMABLE UNTO HIS DEATH;"

3. This was David's goal when he wrote:

(PSA 19:14) "LET THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH, AND THE MEDITATION OF MY HEART, BE ACCEPTABLE IN THY SIGHT, O LORD, MY STRENGTH, AND MY REDEEMER."

B. The serving principle

1. If we stop to consider all that God has done for us-He made us, bought us and leads us-we should naturally want to serve Him in return.

(1 SAM 12:24) "ONLY FEAR THE LORD, AND SERVE HIM IN TRUTH WITH ALL YOUR HEART; FOR CONSIDER HOW GREAT THINGS HE HATH DONE FOR YOU."

2. We should serve Him enthusiastically, with our whole hearts or 'heartily".

3. Paul admonishes us:

(COL 3:23) "AND WHATSOEVER YE DO, DO IT HEARTILY, AS TO THE LORD, AND NOT UNTO MEN;"

4. We live out this principle by performing whatever service He asks of us, whether witnessing for him, performing family or work obligations or serving in our local churches.

5. What is the difference between the living principle and the serving principle?

a. The living principle is a matter of attitude and inward spiritual condition.

b. The serving principle is an outward display of what's in our hearts.

C. The praying principle.

1. The praying principle calls for us to give ourselves and our needs to God instead of taking matters into our own hands.

(PHIL 4:6-7) "BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING; BUT IN EVERY THING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN UNTO GOD. {7} AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH PASSETH ALL UNDERSTANDING, SHALL KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS."

(PHIL 4:19) "BUT MY GOD SHALL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEED ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN GLORY BY CHRIST JESUS."

2. Since we understand that He loves us and will care for us, we can let go of our anxiety about the future and rest in Him.

(LUKE 12:22-23) "AND HE SAID UNTO HIS DISCIPLES, THEREFORE I SAY UNTO YOU, TAKE NO THOUGHT FOR YOUR LIFE, WHAT YE SHALL EAT; NEITHER FOR THE BODY, WHAT YE SHALL PUT ON. {23} THE LIFE IS MORE THAN MEAT, AND THE BODY IS MORE THAN RAIMENT."

3. In that sense, prayer is the ultimate response of trust in God.

4. There is no matter too small or too large to commit to Him in prayer.

(1 JOHN 5:14) "AND THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE HAVE IN HIM, THAT, IF WE ASK ANY THING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, HE HEARETH US:"

5. We should make prayer another daily exercise, keeping constantly in touch with God.

(1 TH 5:17) "PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.".

D. The tithing principle.

1. The tithing principle says we should give God the first portion of all our earnings

(MAL 3:10) "BRING YE ALL THE TITHES INTO THE STOREHOUSE, THAT THERE MAY BE MEAT IN MINE HOUSE, AND PROVE ME NOW HEREWITH, SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS, IF I WILL NOT OPEN YOU THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN, AND POUR YOU OUT A BLESSING, THAT THERE SHALL NOT BE ROOM ENOUGH TO RECEIVE IT."

2. The tithe is a basic response to God's authority, acknowledging His ownership of ourselves and all we have.

3. When we tithe, we say to God, "I belong to You; the world belongs to You; my possessions belong to You."

4. When we tithe, we express our willingness to trust Him to meet our needs.

III. Resting in God's Ownership

Note: Hebrews 4:9-16

Our ultimate rest will come at the end of time when God rewards us.

But until then, we can rest in Him by trusting Him. When we do so, we will be willing to give to others, and as a result, we will ourselves receive.

A. The trusting principle

1. Trusting means taking God at His Word.

2. It is an activity of the mind that controls the emotions and leads the will to direct the body in actions of obedience to Him.

3. If we trust fully in God (Ps. 118:8), we can have peace of mind (Isa. 26:3) and know that our future is in His hands (Matt. 6:33, 34).

(ISA 26:3) "THOU WILT KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE, WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON THEE: BECAUSE HE TRUSTETH IN THEE."

B. The giving principle

1. The giving principle teaches that we express our faith through giving.

2. If we are truly resting in God and trusting in His promises, we feel free to give to others.

(LUKE 6:38) "GIVE, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU; GOOD MEASURE, PRESSED DOWN, AND SHAKEN TOGETHER, AND RUNNING OVER, SHALL MEN GIVE INTO YOUR BOSOM. FOR WITH THE SAME MEASURE THAT YE METE WITHAL IT SHALL BE MEASURED TO YOU AGAIN."

3. We realize that our life is in His hands and that if He commands us to give, then we must give, whether it makes sense from a human standpoint or not.

4. In essence, what we are saying to God is, "I will give all to You."

a. "All" includes our money, our service to Christ through the local church and our aid to others who have needs.

b. Note: James 2:14-17

c. We can conclude from James that if we do not express our faith through appropriate spiritual exercises, then our faith is not genuine.

C. The receiving principle

1. If we willingly give to others, God will supply our needs (Mal. 3:10; 2 Cor. 9:8; Phil. 4:19).

(2 COR 9:8) "AND GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE ALL GRACE ABOUND TOWARD YOU; THAT YE, ALWAYS HAVING ALL SUFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS, MAY ABOUND TO EVERY GOOD WORK:"

2. The Macedonians first gave themselves to the Lord.

3. The Philippian church first gave to the ministry of Christ through Paul.

4. Then God supplied their needs.

5. But God's unlimited supply is for those who exercise obedience; He cannot be bribed by token monetary gifts in hopes of buying His favor.

6. We must give with a thankful, cheerful heart.

(2 COR 9:6-7) "BUT THIS I SAY, HE WHICH SOWETH SPARINGLY SHALL REAP ALSO SPARINGLY; AND HE WHICH SOWETH BOUNTIFULLY SHALL REAP ALSO BOUNTIFULLY. {7} EVERY MAN ACCORDING AS HE PURPOSETH IN HIS HEART, SO LET HIM GIVE; NOT GRUDGINGLY, OR OF NECESSITY: FOR GOD LOVETH A CHEERFUL GIVER."

7. As we rest in the Lord, exercising our trust and obeying His command to give, He in turn blesses us.

8. That puts us on the receiving end.

Are we recognizing God's ownership? Are we responding to it Biblically? Are we resting in it? Faithful stewardship requires that we do all three!