Sermon Tone Analysis

Stewardship 2010

Keys to Stewardship Living #1

Forward in Faith #40

Hebrews 13:5-6

Contentment

We all know what a combination lock is.

You turn it right to a certain number, left passed that number to the next number, and then right again straight to the final number and a tug and the lock opens, releasing all the valuables hidden behind the lock.

We have been talking about faith for the last year in the book of Hebrews.

Apart from our salvation, the act of being who we were created to be takes nearly as great an exercise of faith.

What were we created to be?

We were created to be stewards, that is to care for the things of God.

Adam and Eve were created and placed in the Garden of Eden to tend to the Garden.

Why do we rise up to defend children when parents don’t take care of them?

It is because we believe we have a God-given duty to care for the children we have been given.

Paul said that in our jobs, though we have earthly employers, we are to work for them, as if we were working for God. in our jobs we are caring for the things of God.

Everything we have is from God, is through God, and is to God.

That is because it is all his and we are caretakers.

We are stewards of time, things, resources, talents, and that belongs to God.

A steward is one employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns.

And so, stewardship is the office, duties, and obligations of a steward, the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.

If being a steward of the things of God is what we were created for, then we need to study it.

Not only were we created for it, but a study of what scripture says about eternity shows us that we will serve him joyfully for eternity.

So, we erally need to understand stewardship since we have that job for eternity.

We need to carefully and responsibly manage the things with which we have been entrusted.

You have been entrusted with life and we must be careful and responsible.

You have been entrusted with perhaps children or grandchildren or other charges.

You have been entrusted with intelligence

You have been entrusted with a job

You have been entrusted with financial resources or wealth

Oops, now I am treading on dangerous ground  .

One of the #1 complaints that people have with church is, “all they talk about is money”.

Well, we only talk about what the Word of God teaches.

Could it be that our finances are evidence of where our heart is?

Could it be that they reflect our relationship with the Lord?

Our finances give a strong indication as to who or what we believeis in charge and to whom all we have belongs.

So, if we are going to live a life of Stewardship Living, if we are going to experience the blessings of faithful stewardship, then we have to turn the lock, we have to find the correct tumblers.

What is a tumbler, it is “A pivoted piece in a lock that holds the bold until lifted by a key”

We are going to look this month at 3 tumblers, 3 pivotal pieces, 3 numbers in the combination for unlocking a life of Stewardship Living.

These are not the ONLY aspects of living as faithful stewards, but these 3 release us into a life that God has for us.

Let me say something else … very gently …

It is something that could cause some to not want to hear the rest of my message.

It could cause some to not want to come to the other two messages in this series.

Perhaps you would even want to go somewhere else.

Listen to me please.

I very much understand that finances are tight for you and are they are very tight for us here at New Life.

That however is NOT why I’m preaching this series.

Finances are tight in many churches, but not because the economy is bad, but because we either don’t understand the biblical commands, we don’t follow the commands, OR for other reasons we have wandered from it.

So, I’m asking you to stay with me and prayerfully work through these 3 tumblers.

I asked the Lord, what are the things that keep us from being good financial stewards and he led me in this direction.

So let’s start turning the Lock, turning toward the Lord.

And the first tumbler is CONTENTMENT.

That brings us back to Hebrews 13.

Read with me and look for this first tumbler.

*READ Hebrews 13:5-6*

After being shipwrecked and coming to faith in Christ … Robinson Crusoe said

/I learned to look more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the dark side, and to consider what I enjoyed, rather than what I wanted; and this gave me sometimes such secret comforts, that I cannot express them; and which I take notice here, to put those discontented people in mind of it, who cannot enjoy comfortably what God has given them, because they see and covet something that He has not given them.

All our discontents about what we want appeared to me to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have.

/

* What is contentment?

Does it just mean we live apathetic lives?

NO! Do we live without ambition without aggressively striving toward goals?

Do we not try to be more and have more?

NO.

But, let me ask you a question.

How different would my life be if, while I strive as best I can for the goals before me, yet, I believe that God has allowed into my life what I have or what I don’t have.

So, I have to stop blaming everyone and become grateful and satisfied with what the Lord has given me and then learn to be faithful and even generous with my allotment from the Lord.

THAT … is contentment.

So, how do we live contented lives? 4 things that were in our text, FIRST …

!

*1.

Free from the Love of Money*

Remember we said last week that sometimes we worship or have affection for “insufficient things and they become objects of worship for us.

Now, contrary to what some think, money is NOT the root of all evil.

Money is the economy of the world it is necessary for living in the world.

But the Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:10 /“the LOVE of money is A root of all kinds of evil.”/

It goes on to say /“… “some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”/

There is nothing wrong with money.

We need it.

We use it.

But we can’t allow it to take an improper place in our lives.

We can’t allow it to breed fear in us.

We can’t allow it to drive us to blind ambition or jealousy.

We are told “don’t have a love for money”.

This is not just a concept.

It says /“keep your lives”/ – that means to make the manner of your living, your lifestyle …

/“free from the love of money”/ – it is a compound word.

It takes the word for “love of money” and puts the letter “a” in front of it.

Like something “typical” because NOT typical when you put the “a” in front of it and it’s “atypical”.

Something “moral” becomes absent of morals when it is “amoral”; without morals.

So, the Greek word, /philargyria - fil-ar-goo-ree-roo- love of money; avarice, covetousness/

With the “a” in front becomes /aphilargyros -af-il-ar-goo-ros- not loving money, not avaricious, not covetous/

Can we break down this 1st step to contentment?

It means to rid ourselves of avarice … what is that?

Avarice is /“extreme greed for wealth, or material gain"/

And we have to rid ourselves of covetousness – which is /"a desire for something that someone else has"/

To be content we have to recognize greed within or a dissatisfaction with what we have and an envy to have what someone else has.

Is this important to God? Well, in 1 Timothy 3:3 pastors must have the character that is not a lover of money.

It’s the same word and Deacons are told to not be greedy, a synonym word.

Why is this important for deacons and pastors?

It is because we are leaders who are to lead people who should follow in the same way.

So, if I am to be free from greed for more money and free from wanting what someone else has, just for the sake of having it, it is because I am supposed to lead you there too and then the 2nd step in this is

Puritan Preacher Jeremiah Burroughs said

/What a foolish thing is this, that because I have not got what I want, I will not enjoy the comfort of what I have!