Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, good morning everyone. If we've never met before, my
(00:02):
name is Jared and one of the pastors here. Thanks
for being here today as we are landing our sermon
series called What God Wants from Me. For the past
five weeks, we've really been exploring the foundational beliefs behind
good stewardship, and as a conclusion of everything that we've discussed,
I want to land this sermon series to give us
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some time to review and to reflect on the lessons
that we've been learning. I want us have an opportunity
to synthesize to apply these past five weeks to our
everyday lives, specifically to our posture when it comes to
giving in generosity. As a reminder of the big idea
for this sermon series is that God wants good things
for us, not from us. God wants good things for you,
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not from you. God doesn't need anything at all from you.
He already owns it all. He created everything. God doesn't
need anything from you. Together, we learn that a stewardship
mindset is really the exact opposite of an ownership mindset.
Owners typically are self focused. Owners are the people who
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think that God wants my good things, but stewards they
trust the Lord. They understand that everything that we have
has been given.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
To us by Christ.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Good stewards bring glory to God by living in alignment
with His kingdom, but owners typically live in alignment with
their own selfish desires and appetites. Stewards believe that with
his commands, God isn't trying to control you. In fact,
he's trying to liberate you. But owners, they believe that
within his commands, God is really holding out on us.
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He's trying to be like a puppeteer. Stewards believe that
following God's lay ways leads to contentment, joy, peace. But
owners believe that pursuing my own pleasure, my own happiness.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Is always the best road. So how could I do that.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
And at the same time I have enough Jesus sprinkled
in that I feel good about my eternal destiny. Over
the past five weeks, we've learned four major lessons, four
foundational pieces to being a good steward. We learned that
good stewards are devoted to God. Good stewards find their
contentment in Christ. Good stewards enjoy the blessings of life,
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and good stewards find their identity in Christ. So today
we are going to review and reflect on each of these.
We're going to slow down. Instead of just like learning something,
putting a check mark, feeling good about ourselves, moving on
to the next thing, We're going to slow down. We're
gonna ask the Holy Spirit, and what ways are you
guiding me? Are you positioning me to be more intentional
in the ways that I'm living? Not so I can
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pat myself on the back and feel like I'm a
great moral person, so that I can pursue abundant life.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
That has been to me in Jesus.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
So as we're preparing to do that, as we're preparing
to review what we've been learning and then have an
opportunity to apply it to our lives. As we're preparing
for that, let's first pause and pray together. So, Heavenly Father,
more than anything, thank you for the finished work of
Jesus Christ. Thank you for giving us everything that we
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would ever need to live a life full of peace, contentment, joy, purpose.
Thank you for another day on this earth, for trusting
us with that, for giving us life, for sustaining us
in this moment. Thank You for dreaming us into existence
and holding us into existence right now.
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God, give us the ability the capacity to.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Believe the truth of who you are, who you say
that we are, and help us to leave behind the
lies that we have clung to. That is just, honestly,
can tinue to distract us from the glory and majesty
of You and your kingdom. So it just ask for
grace this party. Lord, help us to see the truth.
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Help us have the courage to apply the truth out
of love, respect for you in your ways, as you're
precious and holy name, I pray amen. So first we
learned that good stewards are devoted to God during this week.
Here's this is the main passage that we looked at
Matthew chapter six, Who we'll read a part of that
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this morning. Do not store for yourself treasures on earth.
We're mas and vermin destroy, we're thieves, break in and steel.
But store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where mas and
vermin do not destroy, or thieves, do not break in
and steel. For where your treasure is there, your heart
will be Also. Our treasures are the things that we
depend on for our sense of identity, for our security,
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for this idea of personal fulfillment.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
We learned that if you want to figure out what
we actually treasure.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Just look at what you prioritize, Like what are the
unquestionable things in your life? What's the things in your
life that you'll always make time for that you're happy
to be interrupted by. Those are our treasures When our
lives become difficult. Where do we turn when things aren't
going the way that we would hope them to go.
Where do we place our hope, our trust, our focus?
Speaker 2 (05:14):
What do we turn to?
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In Matthew chapter six, Jesus can trast two types of treasures.
There's earthly and heavenly. If our treasure is earthly, our
heart will be consumed with temporary pleasures and distractions, especially
in difficult seasons of life. If our treasures heavenly, then
we'll look to the Lord. We'll submit to his ways
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in the middle of difficulties, even when we would rather not.
If our treasures heavenly, I trust God, even when I
would rather not do things his way. One of the
things that we did during this week was a look
at two different diagrams and what happens when we're in
the middle of a difficult season of life, Like what
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happens if we have a worldly focus versus a heavenly one.
So here's what happens when we lean into worldly treasures. Again,
fairly reductionistic, but I think the model's helpful. Right, So
life becomes difficult for some reason. All right, we've all
been there. We have difficulties in life, and when that happens,
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we have this triggering of pain and fear. And what
this does is invites us to believe something that isn't true.
We believe a lie about ourself, about God, and then
to medicate that feeling, we turn to worldly pleasures and distractions.
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Some of these ways are very obvious, like it's obvious
that that's what people are doing. Some in not so
obvious ways, we turn to worldly treasures. But ultimately the
pleasure it fades, the distraction wears off, and we're left
feeling empty, and in that void that pain and fear resurfaces.
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And what we do is we double down. We turn
right back to worldly pleasures, worldly distractions, worldly devotions, just
to keep ourselves in the cycle of being comfortably numb.
In contrast, let's look at a picture of heavenly treasures
in the middle of difficult seasons. Right, life becomes difficult
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just because you're a follower Jesus doesn't mean that somehow
you're immune to that anymore. In fact, we're promised that
difficulties amplify sometimes when we're following Christ. So life becomes difficult,
and that triggers pain and fear. In the middle of that,
we dare to believe the truth of the Gospel, even
if it doesn't feel true. In that moment, I know
I have a heavenly treasure When I dare to believe
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the truth, even when there's like an easier option, I
repent and I seek reconciliation. If I start to understand
some of this difficulties is a result of my own sin,
I repent.
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If I change direction wise.
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If this difficulty is because I'm being victimized by the
sin of someone else, or the poor decisions of others,
or just the corruption of this world. Instead of burying
my head in the sand of pleasure and distraction, what
I do is I do the hard work of pursuing
God's healing through the support system of my friends my church.
I seek out counseling, I refuse to run. I say, Lord,
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show me the truth. And when the pain and fear
undoubtedly resurface, In the middle of that, I repeat that process.
I continue to believe the truth of the Gospel. I
place my focus on heaven. I have heavenly treasures. I
don't believe the lie. I believe the truth. See, when
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our treasures are worldly, we end up not being generous
because we are depending on our money, we are depending
on our resources, our experiences. We are depending on those
things to give us hope, to give us trust. So
I can't give those up because I'm giving away my
hoe and trust. But when I have heavenly treasures, when
I believe the truth of the Gospel, I learn to
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be open handed because I'm learning to look.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
To God for my sense of value and security.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Like Lord, I believe you. I believe the truth of
who you say I am. Even in this moment when
things are confusing, even when things don't necessarily make sense,
I believe you. I'm looking to you for my hope
and trust. To be good stewards, we have to be
devoted to God. Our devotion must be to God, and
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we have to believe that God wants us to be
devoted to Him for our own good. It's for your
own good that God wants you to be devoted to him.
He doesn't want anything from you. He wants good things
for you. I don't have to hold on to temporary
treasures looking to them for my identity, my security, my
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sense of personal fulfillment. I can look to Lord for that.
Matthew six twenty four. Jesus says no one can serve
two masters. Either you'll hate the one and love the other,
or you'll be devoted to the one and you'll despise
the other. You cannot serve both God and money. So
one thing from this week that we really try to
emphasize is that being a good steward is so much
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more than just managing your resource as well. Being a
good steward is a reflection of where I'm placing my
hope and trust. It's an indicator of where I'm placing
my hope and trust. If I'm not generous with my time,
my money, my resources, this is an indication that I'm
really just struggling to trust the Lord. I'm struggling to
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live a life devoted to God. My devotions are in
other things. So that being said, listen for the next
few moments reflecting as individuals. There's handouts on your table.
If there's not enough handouts at your table, Just borrow
one from a table around you. Spend the next few
moments thinking through these two questions by observing my thoughts
and actions, especially when things are difficult. Where am I
honestly placing my hope and trust? Just allow the Lord
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to reveal that to you right now?
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Then?
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Secondly, what are some practical ways that I can refocus
my devotion on God, placing my hope and trust in
Him instead.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
So it's been the next few months reflecting on that.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
God wants good things for you, not from you, in
the middle of life's difficulties.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
May we dare to believe that's true? May we dare
to believe that's true?
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Secondly, we learned that good stewards they find their contentment
in Christ. One Timothy six six through ten says true
godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we
brought nothing with us when we came into the world.
We cannot take anything with us when we leave it.
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So if we have enough food and clothing, let's be content.
And people who long to be rich fall into temptation.
They're trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge
them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money
is a root of all kinds of evil, and some
people craving money have wandered from the true faith and
pierced themselves with many sorrows. So oftentimes you and I
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we hear this word contentment, and we think that is
something that weak and foolish people do. And that's certainly
what our culture teaches us to sort of embrace this
mindset that to be content is just settling on having
less good than you could potentially have for the sake
of being altruistic or pleasing God.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Something like this.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
It's like, I'm choosing to have less good on purpose
so I can feel good about myself. A lot of times,
that's how we boil down this idea of contentment. This
stuff is really good, It actually will offer me this
sense of identity and purpose. But I want God to
be happy with me, so I'm going to say no
to this stuff. We can struggle to think that contentment
actually is a good thing, because the narrative of our
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culture is bigger, better, flashier, newer, more, more money, more pleasure,
more distraction. We will struggle to think that contentment is
good when we're stuck in this cycle of pursuing worldly treasures.
The cycle of worldly treasures is the opposite of contentment.
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You see, this passage isn't saying deny yourself of valuable things,
things that really do offer you a sense of identity
and security so that God is happy with you. That's
not what this passage is saying at all. What this
passage is saying is take a hold of those things
that actually are valuable, take a hold of the things
that do offer you genuine identity and.
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Security and purpose.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Paul writes to Timothy, true Godliness with contentment is itself
great wealth. God wants you to be wealthy, not materialistically,
not with money.
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That's the false of our.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Culture, the false narrative of so many false teachers that
use Christianity as a method of getting rich to themselves.
That God is He wants you to have great wealth
in the form of treasures in heaven. He wants you
to be transformed into the likeness of His Son, true godliness,
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being adopted into God's family, learning God's way of life,
being transformed by the Holy Spirit, true Godliness with contentment,
without having to look out there to the world to
what the world's peddling is good. True godliness with contentment
is itself. Great wealth, our value, and our security is
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found in Christ. That is the great wealth of the Gospel.
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You've been made whole.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
You are truly human in the person of Jesus, who
God dreampt you to be when he made you, finds
its fulfillment in Christ.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
That is the great wealth of the Gospel.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
To be a good steward, to properly handle our money,
our time, our resources, we have to find our contentment
in Christ. We have to stop believing that more money,
more resources, more status, more pleasure, more fun experiences, more promotions,
that those things will fulfill us. We must trust that
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my fulfillment is found in Christ alone. My wholeness is
found in Christ alone. That was the main idea of
the second lesson that we explored together. So with that
being said, at your tables, discuss this question. Talk about
a time when you were generous and open handed, that
you trusted God, that you followed his ways, and that
led to a deep feeling of satisfaction and contentment within you.
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If you're sitting by yourself, feel free to move. If
you see someone sitting by themselves, invite them to join
you at the table. Let's spend the next few months
discussing that question together. Hey, we had a great conversation
at the table that I was at.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Well.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Of the conversations that one of the things that we
spoke about is sometimes we can find ourselves chasing that
feeling of contentment and satisfaction just as easy as we
can find ourselves chasing pleasure.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Right, Like we could say, well, I'm.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Gonna be super generous so that I feel satisfied in
my generosity. And so that's another example of like we
find ourselves, well, that's something I need to continue to
lot to give over to God as well. So by
all means we're not chasing feelings at all. Right, So
that was a wonderful conversation that we had at our table.
Thoroughly we leave that good sewerds enjoy the blessings of life.
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The words of Jesus John ten ten, the thief comes
only to steal, kill and destroy.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Dude, I practice that so much steal.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
I keep saying it like that, steal, steal.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life
and have it abundantly.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
During this week, we noticed that one of the major
problems that we have when it comes to applying our
faith in our lives. Is this idea of instead of
now so after, we think that our faithful produce join
and contentment when I die and go to heaven. We
think that we'll find peace and understanding when I mature
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and get older. I think that I'll enjoy life when
I get that promotion, or when I go on that vacation,
or when I get a certain amount of money in
my bank, or when that health problem is resolved, or whatever,
when I'll find joy contentment When so after, we struggle
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to believe that we can enjoy Christ's abundance right now
in the exact position of life that we're currently in.
We struggle to understand that is God's invitation to us.
Without realizing, we find ourselves always looking to the future,
always looking for when, instead of rejoying, enjoying our redeemed
life in Christ right now. I came that they may
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have life and have it abundantly. Jesus came to give
you life, not a mediocre existence, but an abundant, overflowing,
joy filled life with peace and with purpose.
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You are already a child of God.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
You already have eternal life in Jesus, the abundance promised
by Christ. It's not about material wealth like so many
false teachers promise. It's not about being comfortable, always getting
what you want, things being easy. The abundance that we
have in Christ is about experiencing the richness and the
certainty of our relationship found in Him. Through the finished
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work of Jesus Christ, you are already adopted into God's family.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
You already have eternal.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Life, the riches and the stability of God's kingdom.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
They are already yours.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
We long for the day when they are fully revealed,
but they are already yours.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Right now. We have peace with God.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Right now. You have peace with God right now. In Christ,
your identity is steadfast and immovable. You have the peace
of forgiveness, the peace of knowing that nothing can ever
separate you from the love of God that is yours
in Christ right now.
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Likewise, we have purpose in Christ. Right now. We are
called to live in.
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A unique way because of who Jesus is and what
He has done for us on the Cross. We are
called to emulate the self sacrificial love of Christ, making
his kingdom known in the unique spaces that each of
us inhabit the unique relationships that each of us have.
We are to highlight the majesty and the glory and
the goodness of God and the unique spaces of life
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that we inhabit. We are to use our resources, our interests,
our life experiences to glorify God, God to build his
church and to bless other people. Will never properly use
our time, our money, our resource as well if we're
functioning with the mindset that says, when right, when I
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have more money than blank, when I have more time,
when my life slows down, when I navigate this difficult season,
then I'll never learn to be a good steward if
I keep saying when we must understand the abundance that
we already have in Christ, and that allows us to
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hold with an open hand the blessings that God has
given us, and just as importantly, it allows us.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
To be grateful for the blessings that God has already
given us.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
When I have an attitude of when I also learn
to be really ungrateful because I'm looking at everything I
don't have instead of everything I do. I can live
with peace and purpose right now, regardless of my life.
My life's circumstances I can I can share with others
instead of amassing for myself. So that being said, let's
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again pause for discussion at your tables.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Discuss this.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
What are some specific blessings and opportunities that I have
access to right now because of the finished work of
Jesus Christ. What are some specific blessings opportunity that you
have in Christ right now is a table. Let's try
to name three. Secondly, what blessings of life things that
have happened in the last month are you grateful for.
Let's just spend some time saying, hey, this happened and
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I'm grateful, or this became obvious that I'm grateful, So
let's spend some time just reflecting on the truth. Let's
spend the next few months in discussion. So one thing
I'm grateful for is the introverse in the room bearing
with me. Thank you for the good news is all
individual reflections. From now on you can exhale a little bit,
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So thank you for allowing me to lead in that way. Lastly,
good stewards find their identity in Christ. This was what
we talked about last week Romans five fifteen through seventeen.
This is a part of our scripture from last time.
There's a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
For the sin of this one man, Adam brought death
to many.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift
of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.
And the result of God's gracious gift is very different
from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam
sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to
our being made right with God, even though we're guilty
of many sins. For the sin of this one man,
Adam caused death to rule over many. But even greater
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is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for
all who receive it will live in triumph over sin
and death through this one man Jesus Christ. In three verses,
Paul uses the word gift five times. Five different times.
He uses the word gift in three verses. At the
very core of who God is, at the core of
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our salvation is profound generosity.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
God is generous. That's who he is of your inunion
with Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
You're in this state because of God's generosity towards you,
not because you've earned it, not because you have been
particularly worthy. It's because God loves you and he's generous
to you. Through faith in Christ, our relationship with sin
and death is completely severed. We are no longer connected
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and controlled by Adam's rebellion. We are now in union
with God through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Our
very identity has changed because of God's generosity towards us.
If we willingly submit ourselves to God, if we've relinquished control,
following Christ as our rightful King, accepting his free gift
of grace, then his perfect life, his willing death on
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the cross in our place, his resurrection from the dead,
his absolute holiness.
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Is given to us as a gift.
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Are credited with being righteous because we are found in Christ,
because we are connected with Christ, because our identity is
wrapped up in Christ, Jesus's obedience, his righteousness becomes your
own in a way that literally changes.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Who you are. It changes your identity.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Through Adam, One's sin death spread to everyone, but Jesus's
perfect obedience not only conquered that one sin, it conquered
every sin that spawned off of it. God's grace is
so much greater, so much greater. Sin no longer has
any power over you. We are living in this already
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but not yet existence. But you are not dominated by sin.
You are enveloped in Christ's love. You are no longer
a sinner. You are a child of the King. That
is who you are.
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Friends.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Through Jesus, our very identity has changed. We were completely
dominated by sin and death. But because of Christ, we've
been rescued. We've been set free. There's nothing left for
you to do so that God is happy with you
as a follower of Christ. You aren't to be generous
so that something good happens. You are to be generous
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because something good already has happened. You are not to
be generous so that something good happens. You are invited
into the way of Jesus, being generous, open handed, and
a celebration of the good thing that already has happened.
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When we choose to be generous, we are celebrating our
life in Christ. We are displaying and identifying with what
God did for us. Yes, we're taking the family values
on ourselves and saying this is who I think I am.
We learn to accept God's grace by sharing that same
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grace with others. I learn how to take the clothing
of the Kingdom upon myself by imitating that in my
interactions with other people. This is why we're to be
good stewards, why we're to have an intentional plan. We
are to have an intentional plan for our lives. This
is how I'm going to live. This is how I'm
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going to use my time, and my money and my resources.
I discover ways to be faithful sharing with others as
an act of complete worship.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
God.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
This is who I think you are. This is what
I think you've done for me. Being a good steward
is a statement about your identity. It's an affirmation of
who you truly think you are. Because of Jesus, I
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no longer dominated by self sinnedness, by sin, by death.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
I am set free.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
When we're good stewards, we're teaching ourselves to believe the Gospel,
allowing it to transform us more and more. It's an
active way that we participate in the transformation that the
Holy Spirit is actively accomplishing in our lives. We know
the scripture promises that he who began a good work
in you will carry it on into completion. We participate
in that vision. Good stewards find their identity in Christ.
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So as a final activity, I want to invite you
one last time to pause for a moment of self reflection.
On the backside of that handout from earlier, We're going
to land this entire sermon series, keeping everything that we
learned in full focus, considering these questions and what specific
ways am I going to grow in generosity this year?
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And what might God do in my life life if
I did, what transformation might I see occur in my
heart if I partnered with the Gospel that's already at
work in me. So let's been the next few moments
in individual reflection. So, friends, God owns everything. Everything that
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we have has been given to us by the Lord.
God gives us commands such as be generous, faithfully, share
what you have with others, look out for more than
just yourself. The reason that God gives you these commands
is not because God wants something from you. God commands
you to follow His ways because He wants good things
for you. As we're prepared to take communion together, the
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elements are found in the middle of your table. We
are re enacting the truth that God is for us.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
When we take communion every week, we are acting out
the truth that God is for you.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
We take the bread and drink the cup to celebrate
that through the fish work of Christ, our very identity
has changed. We are no longer sinners. We are children
of the King. We are adopted into his family. It's
through God's generosity to us that we are released to
be generous to others. So may we understand that our
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open handed generosity to the poor, to the suffering, to
the mission of Indie Metro Church. Here in the weekly gathering,
may we understand that this is a celebration of our
identity as much as when we take communion together, your
generosity is a celebration of your identity. And when we
take communion together in this sacrament, we are celebrating the
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truth of who we are in Christ. So in the
night that he was betrayed, Jesus ate a meal with
his friends, and at that meal he took bread and
he broke it. He said, this is my body broken
for you eat this in remembrance of me.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
So let's take the bread together. Likewise, he took a
cup of.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Wine, and he said this is the blood of the
New Covenant, shed for for the figure, for the forgiveness
of sins. When we drank the cup, we are remembering
the generosity of God, the cost that he was he
was willing to pay because of his great love for us.
So let's take the cup together. Heavenly Father, point out
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to us the areas in our heart that continue to
be either known or unknown to us, that are just
not in line with the truth of who you are
and who you say that we are. Help help the
people in the room who are gonna be tempted with
self condemnation to not do that. Help the people in
the room who are plagued by apathy to have the
(31:02):
courage to change more than anything, God, help us all
to understand ourselves enough to know how to submit ourselves
to Your kingdom out of worship. So God, thank you
for the generosity of your son Jesus Christ, who willingly
gave it all so that we could be redeemed in You.
We love you, we thank you, we need you continue
(31:23):
to give us a bigger picture of who we are
in your son. So in Jesus name, we pray Amen.
Thanks for spending your Sunday morning worshiping the Lord together
a few nowns before we go. The ways that you
can worship with your giving will be on the screen.
You can give in the box at the end. You
can give online animetro dot org. There's multiple ways. Next
(31:48):
week we start a sermon series on the Book of Acts.
We're going to be walking through that entire book that'll
take us up through Advent, So we'll be in the
Book of Acts from now until the end of the year.
I share that now because my request, as you start
reading the Book of Acts, just start reading it. We
(32:09):
want to think about how the early Church understood who
they were in Christ and how that changed their identity.
So I'm really looking forward to that. Yep, God bless
you have a great week.
Hey, good morning everyone. If we've never met before, my
(00:02):
name is Jared and one of the pastors here. Thanks
for being here today as we are landing our sermon
series called What God Wants from Me. For the past
five weeks, we've really been exploring the foundational beliefs behind
good stewardship, and as a conclusion of everything that we've discussed,
I want to land this sermon series to give us
(00:23):
some time to review and to reflect on the lessons
that we've been learning. I want us have an opportunity
to synthesize to apply these past five weeks to our
everyday lives, specifically to our posture when it comes to
giving in generosity. As a reminder of the big idea
for this sermon series is that God wants good things
for us, not from us. God wants good things for you,
(00:49):
not from you. God doesn't need anything at all from you.
He already owns it all. He created everything. God doesn't
need anything from you. Together, we learn that a stewardship
mindset is really the exact opposite of an ownership mindset.
Owners typically are self focused. Owners are the people who
(01:12):
think that God wants my good things, but stewards they
trust the Lord. They understand that everything that we have
has been given.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
To us by Christ.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Good stewards bring glory to God by living in alignment
with His kingdom, but owners typically live in alignment with
their own selfish desires and appetites. Stewards believe that with
his commands, God isn't trying to control you. In fact,
he's trying to liberate you. But owners, they believe that
within his commands, God is really holding out on us.
(01:50):
He's trying to be like a puppeteer. Stewards believe that
following God's lay ways leads to contentment, joy, peace. But
owners believe that pursuing my own pleasure, my own happiness.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Is always the best road. So how could I do that.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
And at the same time I have enough Jesus sprinkled
in that I feel good about my eternal destiny. Over
the past five weeks, we've learned four major lessons, four
foundational pieces to being a good steward. We learned that
good stewards are devoted to God. Good stewards find their
contentment in Christ. Good stewards enjoy the blessings of life,
(02:32):
and good stewards find their identity in Christ. So today
we are going to review and reflect on each of these.
We're going to slow down. Instead of just like learning something,
putting a check mark, feeling good about ourselves, moving on
to the next thing, We're going to slow down. We're
gonna ask the Holy Spirit, and what ways are you
guiding me? Are you positioning me to be more intentional
in the ways that I'm living? Not so I can
(02:54):
pat myself on the back and feel like I'm a
great moral person, so that I can pursue abundant life.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
That has been to me in Jesus.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
So as we're preparing to do that, as we're preparing
to review what we've been learning and then have an
opportunity to apply it to our lives. As we're preparing
for that, let's first pause and pray together. So, Heavenly Father,
more than anything, thank you for the finished work of
Jesus Christ. Thank you for giving us everything that we
(03:24):
would ever need to live a life full of peace, contentment, joy, purpose.
Thank you for another day on this earth, for trusting
us with that, for giving us life, for sustaining us
in this moment. Thank You for dreaming us into existence
and holding us into existence right now.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
God, give us the ability the capacity to.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Believe the truth of who you are, who you say
that we are, and help us to leave behind the
lies that we have clung to. That is just, honestly,
can tinue to distract us from the glory and majesty
of You and your kingdom. So it just ask for
grace this party. Lord, help us to see the truth.
(04:07):
Help us have the courage to apply the truth out
of love, respect for you in your ways, as you're
precious and holy name, I pray amen. So first we
learned that good stewards are devoted to God during this week.
Here's this is the main passage that we looked at
Matthew chapter six, Who we'll read a part of that
(04:28):
this morning. Do not store for yourself treasures on earth.
We're mas and vermin destroy, we're thieves, break in and steel.
But store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where mas and
vermin do not destroy, or thieves, do not break in
and steel. For where your treasure is there, your heart
will be Also. Our treasures are the things that we
depend on for our sense of identity, for our security,
(04:48):
for this idea of personal fulfillment.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
We learned that if you want to figure out what
we actually treasure.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Just look at what you prioritize, Like what are the
unquestionable things in your life? What's the things in your
life that you'll always make time for that you're happy
to be interrupted by. Those are our treasures When our
lives become difficult. Where do we turn when things aren't
going the way that we would hope them to go.
Where do we place our hope, our trust, our focus?
Speaker 2 (05:14):
What do we turn to?
Speaker 1 (05:16):
In Matthew chapter six, Jesus can trast two types of treasures.
There's earthly and heavenly. If our treasure is earthly, our
heart will be consumed with temporary pleasures and distractions, especially
in difficult seasons of life. If our treasures heavenly, then
we'll look to the Lord. We'll submit to his ways
(05:36):
in the middle of difficulties, even when we would rather not.
If our treasures heavenly, I trust God, even when I
would rather not do things his way. One of the
things that we did during this week was a look
at two different diagrams and what happens when we're in
the middle of a difficult season of life, Like what
(05:57):
happens if we have a worldly focus versus a heavenly one.
So here's what happens when we lean into worldly treasures. Again,
fairly reductionistic, but I think the model's helpful. Right, So
life becomes difficult for some reason. All right, we've all
been there. We have difficulties in life, and when that happens,
(06:17):
we have this triggering of pain and fear. And what
this does is invites us to believe something that isn't true.
We believe a lie about ourself, about God, and then
to medicate that feeling, we turn to worldly pleasures and distractions.
(06:40):
Some of these ways are very obvious, like it's obvious
that that's what people are doing. Some in not so
obvious ways, we turn to worldly treasures. But ultimately the
pleasure it fades, the distraction wears off, and we're left
feeling empty, and in that void that pain and fear resurfaces.
(07:01):
And what we do is we double down. We turn
right back to worldly pleasures, worldly distractions, worldly devotions, just
to keep ourselves in the cycle of being comfortably numb.
In contrast, let's look at a picture of heavenly treasures
in the middle of difficult seasons. Right, life becomes difficult
(07:23):
just because you're a follower Jesus doesn't mean that somehow
you're immune to that anymore. In fact, we're promised that
difficulties amplify sometimes when we're following Christ. So life becomes difficult,
and that triggers pain and fear. In the middle of that,
we dare to believe the truth of the Gospel, even
if it doesn't feel true. In that moment, I know
I have a heavenly treasure When I dare to believe
(07:44):
the truth, even when there's like an easier option, I
repent and I seek reconciliation. If I start to understand
some of this difficulties is a result of my own sin,
I repent.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
If I change direction wise.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
If this difficulty is because I'm being victimized by the
sin of someone else, or the poor decisions of others,
or just the corruption of this world. Instead of burying
my head in the sand of pleasure and distraction, what
I do is I do the hard work of pursuing
God's healing through the support system of my friends my church.
I seek out counseling, I refuse to run. I say, Lord,
(08:24):
show me the truth. And when the pain and fear
undoubtedly resurface, In the middle of that, I repeat that process.
I continue to believe the truth of the Gospel. I
place my focus on heaven. I have heavenly treasures. I
don't believe the lie. I believe the truth. See, when
(08:45):
our treasures are worldly, we end up not being generous
because we are depending on our money, we are depending
on our resources, our experiences. We are depending on those
things to give us hope, to give us trust. So
I can't give those up because I'm giving away my
hoe and trust. But when I have heavenly treasures, when
I believe the truth of the Gospel, I learn to
(09:06):
be open handed because I'm learning to look.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
To God for my sense of value and security.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Like Lord, I believe you. I believe the truth of
who you say I am. Even in this moment when
things are confusing, even when things don't necessarily make sense,
I believe you. I'm looking to you for my hope
and trust. To be good stewards, we have to be
devoted to God. Our devotion must be to God, and
(09:38):
we have to believe that God wants us to be
devoted to Him for our own good. It's for your
own good that God wants you to be devoted to him.
He doesn't want anything from you. He wants good things
for you. I don't have to hold on to temporary
treasures looking to them for my identity, my security, my
(09:58):
sense of personal fulfillment. I can look to Lord for that.
Matthew six twenty four. Jesus says no one can serve
two masters. Either you'll hate the one and love the other,
or you'll be devoted to the one and you'll despise
the other. You cannot serve both God and money. So
one thing from this week that we really try to
emphasize is that being a good steward is so much
(10:21):
more than just managing your resource as well. Being a
good steward is a reflection of where I'm placing my
hope and trust. It's an indicator of where I'm placing
my hope and trust. If I'm not generous with my time,
my money, my resources, this is an indication that I'm
really just struggling to trust the Lord. I'm struggling to
(10:42):
live a life devoted to God. My devotions are in
other things. So that being said, listen for the next
few moments reflecting as individuals. There's handouts on your table.
If there's not enough handouts at your table, Just borrow
one from a table around you. Spend the next few
moments thinking through these two questions by observing my thoughts
and actions, especially when things are difficult. Where am I
honestly placing my hope and trust? Just allow the Lord
(11:04):
to reveal that to you right now?
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Then?
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Secondly, what are some practical ways that I can refocus
my devotion on God, placing my hope and trust in
Him instead.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
So it's been the next few months reflecting on that.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
God wants good things for you, not from you, in
the middle of life's difficulties.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
May we dare to believe that's true? May we dare
to believe that's true?
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Secondly, we learned that good stewards they find their contentment
in Christ. One Timothy six six through ten says true
godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we
brought nothing with us when we came into the world.
We cannot take anything with us when we leave it.
(11:59):
So if we have enough food and clothing, let's be content.
And people who long to be rich fall into temptation.
They're trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge
them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money
is a root of all kinds of evil, and some
people craving money have wandered from the true faith and
pierced themselves with many sorrows. So oftentimes you and I
(12:19):
we hear this word contentment, and we think that is
something that weak and foolish people do. And that's certainly
what our culture teaches us to sort of embrace this
mindset that to be content is just settling on having
less good than you could potentially have for the sake
of being altruistic or pleasing God.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Something like this.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
It's like, I'm choosing to have less good on purpose
so I can feel good about myself. A lot of times,
that's how we boil down this idea of contentment. This
stuff is really good, It actually will offer me this
sense of identity and purpose. But I want God to
be happy with me, so I'm going to say no
to this stuff. We can struggle to think that contentment
actually is a good thing, because the narrative of our
(13:04):
culture is bigger, better, flashier, newer, more, more money, more pleasure,
more distraction. We will struggle to think that contentment is
good when we're stuck in this cycle of pursuing worldly treasures.
The cycle of worldly treasures is the opposite of contentment.
(13:26):
You see, this passage isn't saying deny yourself of valuable things,
things that really do offer you a sense of identity
and security so that God is happy with you. That's
not what this passage is saying at all. What this
passage is saying is take a hold of those things
that actually are valuable, take a hold of the things
that do offer you genuine identity and.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Security and purpose.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Paul writes to Timothy, true Godliness with contentment is itself
great wealth. God wants you to be wealthy, not materialistically,
not with money.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
That's the false of our.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Culture, the false narrative of so many false teachers that
use Christianity as a method of getting rich to themselves.
That God is He wants you to have great wealth
in the form of treasures in heaven. He wants you
to be transformed into the likeness of His Son, true godliness,
(14:21):
being adopted into God's family, learning God's way of life,
being transformed by the Holy Spirit, true Godliness with contentment,
without having to look out there to the world to
what the world's peddling is good. True godliness with contentment
is itself. Great wealth, our value, and our security is
(14:43):
found in Christ. That is the great wealth of the Gospel.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
You've been made whole.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
You are truly human in the person of Jesus, who
God dreampt you to be when he made you, finds
its fulfillment in Christ.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
That is the great wealth of the Gospel.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
To be a good steward, to properly handle our money,
our time, our resources, we have to find our contentment
in Christ. We have to stop believing that more money,
more resources, more status, more pleasure, more fun experiences, more promotions,
that those things will fulfill us. We must trust that
(15:25):
my fulfillment is found in Christ alone. My wholeness is
found in Christ alone. That was the main idea of
the second lesson that we explored together. So with that
being said, at your tables, discuss this question. Talk about
a time when you were generous and open handed, that
you trusted God, that you followed his ways, and that
led to a deep feeling of satisfaction and contentment within you.
(15:48):
If you're sitting by yourself, feel free to move. If
you see someone sitting by themselves, invite them to join
you at the table. Let's spend the next few months
discussing that question together. Hey, we had a great conversation
at the table that I was at.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Well.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Of the conversations that one of the things that we
spoke about is sometimes we can find ourselves chasing that
feeling of contentment and satisfaction just as easy as we
can find ourselves chasing pleasure.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Right, Like we could say, well, I'm.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Gonna be super generous so that I feel satisfied in
my generosity. And so that's another example of like we
find ourselves, well, that's something I need to continue to
lot to give over to God as well. So by
all means we're not chasing feelings at all. Right, So
that was a wonderful conversation that we had at our table.
Thoroughly we leave that good sewerds enjoy the blessings of life.
(16:39):
The words of Jesus John ten ten, the thief comes
only to steal, kill and destroy.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Dude, I practice that so much steal.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
I keep saying it like that, steal, steal.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life
and have it abundantly.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
During this week, we noticed that one of the major
problems that we have when it comes to applying our
faith in our lives. Is this idea of instead of
now so after, we think that our faithful produce join
and contentment when I die and go to heaven. We
think that we'll find peace and understanding when I mature
(17:14):
and get older. I think that I'll enjoy life when
I get that promotion, or when I go on that vacation,
or when I get a certain amount of money in
my bank, or when that health problem is resolved, or whatever,
when I'll find joy contentment When so after, we struggle
(17:34):
to believe that we can enjoy Christ's abundance right now
in the exact position of life that we're currently in.
We struggle to understand that is God's invitation to us.
Without realizing, we find ourselves always looking to the future,
always looking for when, instead of rejoying, enjoying our redeemed
life in Christ right now. I came that they may
(17:56):
have life and have it abundantly. Jesus came to give
you life, not a mediocre existence, but an abundant, overflowing,
joy filled life with peace and with purpose.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
You are already a child of God.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
You already have eternal life in Jesus, the abundance promised
by Christ. It's not about material wealth like so many
false teachers promise. It's not about being comfortable, always getting
what you want, things being easy. The abundance that we
have in Christ is about experiencing the richness and the
certainty of our relationship found in Him. Through the finished
(18:40):
work of Jesus Christ, you are already adopted into God's family.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
You already have eternal.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Life, the riches and the stability of God's kingdom.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
They are already yours.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
We long for the day when they are fully revealed,
but they are already yours.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Right now. We have peace with God.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Right now. You have peace with God right now. In Christ,
your identity is steadfast and immovable. You have the peace
of forgiveness, the peace of knowing that nothing can ever
separate you from the love of God that is yours
in Christ right now.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Likewise, we have purpose in Christ. Right now. We are
called to live in.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
A unique way because of who Jesus is and what
He has done for us on the Cross. We are
called to emulate the self sacrificial love of Christ, making
his kingdom known in the unique spaces that each of
us inhabit the unique relationships that each of us have.
We are to highlight the majesty and the glory and
the goodness of God and the unique spaces of life
(19:53):
that we inhabit. We are to use our resources, our interests,
our life experiences to glorify God, God to build his
church and to bless other people. Will never properly use
our time, our money, our resource as well if we're
functioning with the mindset that says, when right, when I
(20:14):
have more money than blank, when I have more time,
when my life slows down, when I navigate this difficult season,
then I'll never learn to be a good steward if
I keep saying when we must understand the abundance that
we already have in Christ, and that allows us to
(20:39):
hold with an open hand the blessings that God has
given us, and just as importantly, it allows us.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
To be grateful for the blessings that God has already
given us.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
When I have an attitude of when I also learn
to be really ungrateful because I'm looking at everything I
don't have instead of everything I do. I can live
with peace and purpose right now, regardless of my life.
My life's circumstances I can I can share with others
instead of amassing for myself. So that being said, let's
(21:11):
again pause for discussion at your tables.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Discuss this.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
What are some specific blessings and opportunities that I have
access to right now because of the finished work of
Jesus Christ. What are some specific blessings opportunity that you
have in Christ right now is a table. Let's try
to name three. Secondly, what blessings of life things that
have happened in the last month are you grateful for.
Let's just spend some time saying, hey, this happened and
(21:35):
I'm grateful, or this became obvious that I'm grateful, So
let's spend some time just reflecting on the truth. Let's
spend the next few months in discussion. So one thing
I'm grateful for is the introverse in the room bearing
with me. Thank you for the good news is all
individual reflections. From now on you can exhale a little bit,
(21:56):
So thank you for allowing me to lead in that way. Lastly,
good stewards find their identity in Christ. This was what
we talked about last week Romans five fifteen through seventeen.
This is a part of our scripture from last time.
There's a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
For the sin of this one man, Adam brought death
to many.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift
of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.
And the result of God's gracious gift is very different
from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam
sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to
our being made right with God, even though we're guilty
of many sins. For the sin of this one man,
Adam caused death to rule over many. But even greater
(22:36):
is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for
all who receive it will live in triumph over sin
and death through this one man Jesus Christ. In three verses,
Paul uses the word gift five times. Five different times.
He uses the word gift in three verses. At the
very core of who God is, at the core of
(22:57):
our salvation is profound generosity.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
God is generous. That's who he is of your inunion
with Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
You're in this state because of God's generosity towards you,
not because you've earned it, not because you have been
particularly worthy. It's because God loves you and he's generous
to you. Through faith in Christ, our relationship with sin
and death is completely severed. We are no longer connected
(23:28):
and controlled by Adam's rebellion. We are now in union
with God through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Our
very identity has changed because of God's generosity towards us.
If we willingly submit ourselves to God, if we've relinquished control,
following Christ as our rightful King, accepting his free gift
of grace, then his perfect life, his willing death on
(23:51):
the cross in our place, his resurrection from the dead,
his absolute holiness.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Is given to us as a gift.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Are credited with being righteous because we are found in Christ,
because we are connected with Christ, because our identity is
wrapped up in Christ, Jesus's obedience, his righteousness becomes your
own in a way that literally changes.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Who you are. It changes your identity.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Through Adam, One's sin death spread to everyone, but Jesus's
perfect obedience not only conquered that one sin, it conquered
every sin that spawned off of it. God's grace is
so much greater, so much greater. Sin no longer has
any power over you. We are living in this already
(24:47):
but not yet existence. But you are not dominated by sin.
You are enveloped in Christ's love. You are no longer
a sinner. You are a child of the King. That
is who you are.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Friends.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Through Jesus, our very identity has changed. We were completely
dominated by sin and death. But because of Christ, we've
been rescued. We've been set free. There's nothing left for
you to do so that God is happy with you
as a follower of Christ. You aren't to be generous
so that something good happens. You are to be generous
(25:28):
because something good already has happened. You are not to
be generous so that something good happens. You are invited
into the way of Jesus, being generous, open handed, and
a celebration of the good thing that already has happened.
(25:52):
When we choose to be generous, we are celebrating our
life in Christ. We are displaying and identifying with what
God did for us. Yes, we're taking the family values
on ourselves and saying this is who I think I am.
We learn to accept God's grace by sharing that same
(26:12):
grace with others. I learn how to take the clothing
of the Kingdom upon myself by imitating that in my
interactions with other people. This is why we're to be
good stewards, why we're to have an intentional plan. We
are to have an intentional plan for our lives. This
is how I'm going to live. This is how I'm
(26:33):
going to use my time, and my money and my resources.
I discover ways to be faithful sharing with others as
an act of complete worship.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
God.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
This is who I think you are. This is what
I think you've done for me. Being a good steward
is a statement about your identity. It's an affirmation of
who you truly think you are. Because of Jesus, I
(27:05):
no longer dominated by self sinnedness, by sin, by death.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
I am set free.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
When we're good stewards, we're teaching ourselves to believe the Gospel,
allowing it to transform us more and more. It's an
active way that we participate in the transformation that the
Holy Spirit is actively accomplishing in our lives. We know
the scripture promises that he who began a good work
in you will carry it on into completion. We participate
in that vision. Good stewards find their identity in Christ.
(27:38):
So as a final activity, I want to invite you
one last time to pause for a moment of self reflection.
On the backside of that handout from earlier, We're going
to land this entire sermon series, keeping everything that we
learned in full focus, considering these questions and what specific
ways am I going to grow in generosity this year?
(27:58):
And what might God do in my life life if
I did, what transformation might I see occur in my
heart if I partnered with the Gospel that's already at
work in me. So let's been the next few moments
in individual reflection. So, friends, God owns everything. Everything that
(28:20):
we have has been given to us by the Lord.
God gives us commands such as be generous, faithfully, share
what you have with others, look out for more than
just yourself. The reason that God gives you these commands
is not because God wants something from you. God commands
you to follow His ways because He wants good things
for you. As we're prepared to take communion together, the
(28:41):
elements are found in the middle of your table. We
are re enacting the truth that God is for us.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
When we take communion every week, we are acting out
the truth that God is for you.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
We take the bread and drink the cup to celebrate
that through the fish work of Christ, our very identity
has changed. We are no longer sinners. We are children
of the King. We are adopted into his family. It's
through God's generosity to us that we are released to
be generous to others. So may we understand that our
(29:18):
open handed generosity to the poor, to the suffering, to
the mission of Indie Metro Church. Here in the weekly gathering,
may we understand that this is a celebration of our
identity as much as when we take communion together, your
generosity is a celebration of your identity. And when we
take communion together in this sacrament, we are celebrating the
(29:39):
truth of who we are in Christ. So in the
night that he was betrayed, Jesus ate a meal with
his friends, and at that meal he took bread and
he broke it. He said, this is my body broken
for you eat this in remembrance of me.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
So let's take the bread together. Likewise, he took a
cup of.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Wine, and he said this is the blood of the
New Covenant, shed for for the figure, for the forgiveness
of sins. When we drank the cup, we are remembering
the generosity of God, the cost that he was he
was willing to pay because of his great love for us.
So let's take the cup together. Heavenly Father, point out
(30:40):
to us the areas in our heart that continue to
be either known or unknown to us, that are just
not in line with the truth of who you are
and who you say that we are. Help help the
people in the room who are gonna be tempted with
self condemnation to not do that. Help the people in
the room who are plagued by apathy to have the
(31:02):
courage to change more than anything, God, help us all
to understand ourselves enough to know how to submit ourselves
to Your kingdom out of worship. So God, thank you
for the generosity of your son Jesus Christ, who willingly
gave it all so that we could be redeemed in You.
We love you, we thank you, we need you continue
(31:23):
to give us a bigger picture of who we are
in your son. So in Jesus name, we pray Amen.
Thanks for spending your Sunday morning worshiping the Lord together
a few nowns before we go. The ways that you
can worship with your giving will be on the screen.
You can give in the box at the end. You
can give online animetro dot org. There's multiple ways. Next
(31:48):
week we start a sermon series on the Book of Acts.
We're going to be walking through that entire book that'll
take us up through Advent, So we'll be in the
Book of Acts from now until the end of the year.
I share that now because my request, as you start
reading the Book of Acts, just start reading it. We
(32:09):
want to think about how the early Church understood who
they were in Christ and how that changed their identity.
So I'm really looking forward to that. Yep, God bless
you have a great week.
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