The Narrow Way, Part 2: Jesus and Money

Well, hey, good morning.

Good morning, you can go ahead and find your seats today.

What a great day to be in church.

Who's glad to be here this morning?

I love it.

I love it.

Y'all are a little more awake at 1030 than the nine o'clock is, and we try to say that to them.

They're still working their coffee into their system.

So you know they say that there's two things, a lot of things.

There's two things at least you're not supposed to talk about it Thanksgiving.

One's politics, the other's money.

We talked about politics last week.

We figured we'll just go ahead and talk about money today and just cover all the stuff right.

So welcome to church.

We're going to talk about money.

Glad that you're here.

Proverbs 16, verse 16 says this how much better to get wisdom than gold.

Proverbs 16:16

To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Now if we just tossed this out to you today and said, hey, in this box is a bunch of gold and a bunch of silver, and this box is a bunch of wisdom and understanding, and we ask you, hey, take your pick.

Do you want box A silver and gold or do you want box B wisdom and understanding?

If we're honest, there's at least something I think in probably all of us that says box A sounds really good, right?

I mean, can we just be honest this morning, like silver and gold, like somebody in the first service, like how much gold?

I'm like that's a great question, you know.

But here's the thing.

Solomon wrote Proverbs 16.

But here's the thing.

Solomon wrote Proverbs 16.

Wisest man who's ever lived.

He said that it is more valuable for us to have wisdom and understanding than it is to have gold and silver.

And so today we're going to try to marry wisdom and gold.

We're going to talk about both and what we're going to do is hopefully gain some biblical wisdom around the idea of finances, around the idea of money, especially as we consider our relationship to the way that we use our money.

And I love what Chris said a moment ago at the host moment, that when it comes to Jesus and his relationship to us, jesus sees us.

Isn't that a beautiful thing to remember.

Like, regardless of what you feel and what you think and the circumstances in your life, jesus sees you.

I think sometimes we can fall into this trap of thinking that, well, you know, jesus probably has a lot on his plate, you know, like running the universe and being the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords like that probably requires a lot of energy and effort.

It's probably pretty time consuming and, you know, pretty thought provoking to do all that Jesus has to do, and there's probably somebody that falls through the cracks in his thinking, in his mind, and it's probably me, because if anybody's gonna fall through the cracks in Jesus's mind, it's gonna be me and it's gonna be you, right, like, isn't that how we think?

But I love the reminder from Chris.

No, jesus sees you At every moment of every day, in every circumstance.

He sees you, and not only does he see you, but he loves you and he's got compassion for you.

He's thinking about you.

Can you just think about that for a moment today?

The creator of the universe has you on his mind at all times.

It's beautiful.

He sees you.

And so then, that begs a question for us.

What is our response to the God who loves us so much that he sent his son to give himself for us, to resurrect us from death to life in his name?

What is our response to the goodness of God when we realize that the mercy and the grace of God really is chasing us down all the days of our lives, when we realize that God is the sovereign creator and our response to him is to sing his praises all the days of our lives because we're thanking him for the blood that has been applied to our lives.

What is our response to God?

Well, it's this word stewardship.

We want to steward well the life that God has given us, and a major part of the stewardship conversation has to be money.

In fact, as we're going to see here in just a moment, money was one of the things that Jesus talked about the most, which, if you're new to reading the gospels, may surprise you, or maybe you're like well, I knew churches were just about money and so, of course, jesus is going to talk about money all the time, but it's one of Jesus's favorite subjects, I think in large part because he knows the pull that money has on the human heart and the complexities of the way that you and I oftentimes relate to money.

And here's the thing the complexities of the way we relate to money.

It doesn't wait until we are adults and have bills.

Those complexities start at a young age.

So in my house, we believe in Jesus and we believe in Amazon Prime and Walmart grocery delivery.

Okay, because we have a seven-year-old and a four-year-old and taking them places is an adventure, not always of the best sort.

And so one day we I don't know, I guess Prime was, you know their delivery was delayed or something, and Walmart grocery didn't have a pickup slot or a delivery slot, and so we ended up having to go to the store with the boys.

It's adventure time in the Lawson house.

We load them up, get to the store, we're in the store, and if you've ever taken kids to a store, you know how this goes right.

It's like you're walking the aisles and like, hey, can we get that?

Can we have that?

Can we have that?

We've never bought that before, but I think we need it today.

Why can't we have that Now?

We're going through this store?

And then there was a GPS error, on my end of things probably and we ended up walking past the Lego aisle.

And see, you know, you're like that's parenting 101, dude, like, don't take your kids past the Lego aisle.

We did, and we walked.

We didn't go down the Lego aisle, we just went past it and as we're walking past it, walked.

We didn't go down the Lego aisle, we just went past it.

And as we're walking past it, noah says hey, can I have that Lego set?

I don't even know what it was, it was one of the big ones.

I'm sure he's like can I buy that Lego set now?

Actually, he didn't say can I buy it.

It was can you buy me that Lego set now?

And Tara, being the rational, you know responsible parent, she's like Noah, your birthday is coming up soon.

Christmas is after that.

Save your money and maybe then you can get it at that point in time.

And Noah's response was Mom, just take that plastic thing out of your wallet and swipe that card.

Which is funny because for him, the idea of money and credit cards are completely disconnected.

You don't have to pay money for it, just swipe the credit card.

And then I realized, wait, that's what some of us still do, you know.

It's like, hey, we just swipe the credit card, right.

And then, oh, there's a bill that comes at the end of the month.

Who knew that was coming?

You know, tara does our finances.

I just have to say that from here.

But money's complex, right, and our relationship to money is oftentimes complex and we think about the status of the world when it comes to economics, let's be honest.

Cost of living is going up, the global economy is in question.

There's even more unrest in the Middle East today than there was on Friday.

We've got a lot of circumstances in our world leading us to economic unrest and economic instability, and it's so easy for our souls to get caught up in that cycle.

Is it not Not only that?

But statistics say that when a marriage ends in divorce, more than 40% of the time money has a great influence in that marriage ending in divorce.

In fact, finances is one of the top three or four things in a marriage likely to cause conflict.

Not asking, but has that ever happened in your marriage?

Have you ever had a conflict because of money in your marriage?

All the single people you're like don't leave me out.

I got money issues too.

It's hard to be single today in this economy.

You got to find a place to live on your own.

It's hard when it comes to finances and the way we relate to finances.

Is it not Not only that?

There was a survey done recently about mental health in young people and the survey found that 86% of like millennial generation and whatever the generation after millennials is Gen Y or Gen Z, I guess 86% of that generation that struggles with mental health also is facing significant financial challenge.

And so what this survey said is there's a link between the anxieties that we feel about the world and the future and this financial instability, this financial unrest that seems to be overtaking so much of the globe.

And so, for some of us, you're here today and you're like I'm pretty financially stable.

You've been blessed to be a blessing.

That's amazing.

Maybe you're here and finances is one of those things.

It's like you want to get my blood pressure stirred up and my heart pounding a little bit.

Let's talk about finances and the future Like we're just trying to get by, and I just want to say from the top I acknowledge that for so many people in our world, that is a reality that we are living in, and so I understand.

I want to have compassion there.

I get that completely, and I also think I have a responsibility to say that when you compare all of us collectively to what has existed financially for most people throughout human history, we are blessed, are we not?

You look at the poverty line in the United States today compared to the vast percentage of people throughout human history.

Even people living at the poverty line in today's society have far more abundance than most people throughout human history, and I think that's important to acknowledge that.

My point in all of that is to say this if we allow it, money will wreak havoc on our lives and our souls.

Whether we have a lot of it or a little of it, it has the potential to wreak havoc on us on the inside.

And, on the same note, money can also be an incredible tool for good.

In fact, it can even be a means by which we worship Almighty God, and that's the good news for us today.

Now, some of you are like well, I already know where this is going.

You're going to ask us to give because this is a church, and that's what churches do.

They ask for money.

And if that's what you're thinking, the first service laughed at that.

That you didn't laugh, which tells me you might be thinking that right now.

So I got my work cut out for me this morning and here's the deal.

I get that.

The idea of a church and money.

That's a complicated conversation, because so many churches have been called to the carpet for financial impropriety, so many pastors have been found to be misusing funds, and here's the deal I want you to be able to feel confident when you give to Somerville Baptist Church.

And so let me say a few things really quickly this morning.

One we have a financial stewardship team that does a phenomenal job of overseeing what we do.

In fact, some of them are in the room here this morning.

We've got a financial secretary in our office who keeps incredible records that are available to anybody that wants to come in and see.

You can look at anything financial that we've got on the record.

We have audits on a regular basis.

We are doing everything in our power to be financially above board with checks and balances when it comes to spending money in the office and things like that.

We take it seriously because we want you to trust things like that.

We take it seriously because we want you to trust.

We want you to trust us.

We want you to trust that your money is being used for the glory of God, for the intents and purposes to which you give.

And can I just say this Our church is doing incredibly well financially.

I love that.

I love that this is not going to end with a plea to give so that we can pay the bills next week.

Keep the lights on next Sunday at the downtown campus and pay our rent to be in this facility.

We're not going there because this is an incredibly generous place.

My heart today is to say God has given us the opportunity to steward well our time, our talent and our treasure for his glory.

Steward well our time, our talent and our treasure for his glory.

And when we steward well what God has entrusted us, it's an opportunity for worship.

And so I just want to take some of the pressure off there.

I want to just diffuse the stress in the room, maybe, and say this is not going to end with a plea to give more than you're given so we can keep doing what we're doing.

I just want us to steward our lives well in an act of worship to God.

Does that make sense?

You with me there?

So, with that said, two big chunks of scripture that we're going to cover today.

We're going to be in Luke 12 and Matthew 25.

I don't know if you do public speaking, but if you ever do public speaking, there's going to be a moment at some point in time where you realize you have too much content for the day.

That happened last service about halfway through the content.

That was a problem, and that's where I get a little bit nervous.

I'm gonna give it a shot anyway this morning.

I think you can handle it.

What do you think, taylor Lethko?

I think we can handle it this morning.

A lot of Bible's not a bad thing, right?

That's why you come to church.

A lot of Bible's not a bad thing.

Two big chunks of scripture it's because this is Jesus and money.

We want to see what Jesus has to say about money.

He talked about it a lot.

Why is Jesus spending so much time talking about money?

Well, let's see what Jesus has to say.

We're going to begin in Luke, chapter 12.

Luke 12 · chapter mention

The context of this passage Jesus is teaching, preaching, ministering, and all of a sudden, somebody comes up to Jesus with.

It's not even a question, it's more of a command, which is funny.

This guy comes up and gives a command to Jesus, but I want you to see what he says.

He comes up to Jesus.

Someone in the crowd said to him "'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me'".

Tell my brother to divide, to give me financially what I'm owed to rule in my favor.

Essentially is what this man asked Jesus.

Jesus' response he said to him man who made me a judge or arbitrator over you.

And he said to them take care.

So now he moves from talking just to this man.

He's like I'm not the judge of your financial predicament that you have found yourselves in.

Jesus has a bigger thing that he's dealing with here.

And so he then begins to speak to the crowd that's gathered around him and he says take care, be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

And then he told them a parable.

Now, a parable, it's a story with a point, and so, intentionally, today we don't have the words of all of this scripture on the screen, because I want you to see the parable in your mind's eye.

Some of you, you think in words, some of you, you don't think in pictures.

Challenge your brain to think in pictures for a moment.

Today I want you to see this parable in your mind.

He told him a parable saying the land of a rich man produced plentifully.

You see the harvest, right.

You see the fields.

Look at the crops.

Maybe it's, I don't know.

In our culture it's corn and it's tomatoes, it's okra, there's squash everywhere.

There's a giant watermelon in the middle of this field.

It's been a great year.

And so the man says to himself what shall I do?

For I have nowhere to store my crops.

He's produced so much.

Well, let me rewind that.

He thinks that he has produced so much.

He thinks that he has produced so much, he thought to himself what shall I do?

I have nowhere to store my crops.

And he said I will do this, I will tear down my barns and I'll build larger ones and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

And I will say to my soul soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years.

Everybody say many years this morning.

Many years, relax, eat, drink and be merry.

But God said to him fool, this night, your soul is required of you and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?

So is the one here's the point.

So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God.

And then Jesus said to his disciples therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body.

What you will put on for Life is more than food and the body more than clothing.

Consider the ravens.

You see a raven in your mind this morning.

Consider the ravens.

They don't sow or reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them.

Of how much more value are you than the birds?

And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to a span of life?

If, then, you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?

Consider the lilies how they grow.

They neither toil nor spin.

Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed or dressed like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow's thrown in the oven, how much more will he clothe you, oh you of little faith?

And don't seek what you're to eat or what you're to drink.

Don't be worried, for all the nations of the world.

Seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

Instead and here is the sermon and a sentence for today Seek his kingdom Instead.

Seek the kingdom of God, and these things will be added to you.

Fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

We just pause there for a second and say today you have a heavenly father who invites you to share in his glory.

You have a heavenly father who invites you to be part of his kingdom.

You have a heavenly father who wants you on his team.

It is his good pleasure, jesus says, to bring you in and provide for what you need.

So Jesus says sell your possessions and give to the needy, because you have a heavenly father who's caring for you.

You now translate that into caring for others.

Provide yourselves with money bags that don't grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

And then Jesus says this for where your treasure is there, your heart will be also.

The point of what Jesus is saying in this parable of the rich fool and his admonition, his encouragement to his disciples to not be anxious.

He's saying simply this there is a very clear link between our view of money and our ability to live free from the anxieties of this present time.

How we see our finances has a major impact on how we trust God.

The way we view and use money it actually has a real impact on our soul.

In fact, jesus says it like this in verse 34.

He says where your treasure is there, your heart will be.

Also.

If you're writing things down.

I'd encourage you to write this down when your money goes, your heart will follow.

Where your money goes, where you invest your money, your heart will follow.

Now we can even expand the definition of treasure and say let's define treasure as your time.

Where your time goes, your heart will follow.

Where your gifting, your talent goes, your heart will follow.

When you invest in something, whatever that something is, there will be love that grows in your heart for that thing.

So here's a little practical application, really quickly this morning If you want to see your love for the things of God grow, invest your treasure in the things of God and by doing so, direct your heart towards God.

It's amazing.

One of my favorite things that I get the privilege of doing as part of what I do is watching people who aren't sure about serving.

Plug in and serve, because it always goes something like this Like I don't really know that I can do that.

You know, I don't really know that I can handle that responsibility.

I can't.

You know, keep the kids or teach the kids.

I don't know I'm not trained to.

You know, set up lighting or whatever.

Like, whatever it is, like, I don't know that I can do that and then, as they do it, they begin to one, realize that God will equip them to do what he's called them to do.

But two, there's a love for the people of God and the house of God that grows as we serve in God's house, and it's beautiful to watch that happen.

One of my favorite things is to hear people stop calling church a they and begin to call church a we when it goes from being the church to being my church.

That ownership idea and that's the invitation here on the table in Luke, chapter 12.

Luke 12 · chapter mention

Steward well your life and share in the kingdom of God.

Share in the kingdom of God.

It's a kingdom perspective on money.

That's really what we need.

Right, we need a kingdom perspective on stewardship, on treasure, on using well what God has entrusted to us, because where our money goes, our heart will follow.

Where our treasure goes, our heart will follow.

Where our treasure goes, our heart will follow.

If you want to love people, you want love for people to grow in your heart.

Find ways to be generous and compassionate, to share your treasure with others.

You want your love for a cause to grow.

You invest time, talent, treasure in the cause.

Your love will follow.

That's what Jesus says.

That's the kingdom perspective.

So, with that said, let's flip to Matthew, chapter 25.

Matthew 25 · chapter mention

This is a moment in the Olivet Discourse.

It's towards the end of Passion Week, shortly before the cross.

I say middle of Passion Week.

It's towards the end of Jesus's time before the cross and he's sharing with his disciples.

It's a massive sermon about the kingdom of God and the end times and the second coming of Christ.

And so I just need to say, before we jump into this, there are a lot of different ways that people interpret Matthew 25 and the portions that we're going to read today, but I want us to read this in light of this conversation on stewardship and using well what God has given us.

So let's see what Jesus says about a kingdom perspective on our resources.

Verse 14,.

Jesus says this it will be.

What is it?

It the kingdom of God.

The second coming of Christ will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.

To one, he gave five talents.

Everybody say five talents.

He gave five talents.

Everybody say five talents.

To one, he gave five talents To another, two To another one.

So one guy's got five, one guy's got two.

One guy's got one.

Everybody say poor guy with one Right.

It's like what did that guy do?

Well, it says in the scriptures, jesus says it was according to their abilities.

So this one guy, man, he must be crushing it y'all.

He got five talents.

This other guy, he's kind of, I guess, middle of the road, he got two.

And then this poor fellow on the end, he got one talent.

But here's the thing A talent is a weight, it's a weight of coinage and so, depending on whether or not these coins were silver or gold in this story that Jesus is telling, this is 15 to 20 years of wages.

So one talent, it's 15 to 20 years wages.

The boy's doing fine, y'all right, like one talent boy is hanging out well with one talent.

Does that make sense?

Like the master has entrusted his servants with a lot, y'all see that.

Now, five talent guy, that's, like you know, five times 15, that's 75 years to 100 years of wages.

He's doing really well.

Two-talent guy, he's doing well as well.

30 to whatever 40 years of wages.

And one-talent guy, he's hanging in there as well.

So then the master goes away Verse 16, he who had received the five talents when at once traded with them, he made five talents more.

He who had received the two talents went and made two talents more.

But he who had received the one talent, he went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.

Now, after a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

And he who had received the five talents came forward bringing the five talents more and saying master, you delivered to me five talents here, I made five talents more.

His master said to him well done, good and faithful servant, or good and faithful steward, you've been faithful over a little.

I'll set you over much.

Enter into the joy of your master.

And he also had the two talents came forward saying master, you delivered to me two talents here, I've made two talents more.

His master said to him well done, good and faithful servant, you've been faithful over a little.

I'll set you over much.

Enter into the joy of your master.

And then he who had received the one talent came forward saying master, I knew you to be a hard man and I've always read that phrase and just assumed that this servant was right in his interpretation of the master.

But I don't want us to miss the broader context of this passage.

This is a generous master who loves his servants and is entrusting his servants with his property.

Now, yes, there's stewardship expected on behalf of his servants, but don't lose sight of the graciousness and the goodness of the master and what happened to those servants who stewarded well what they'd been entrusted.

Well done, good and faithful servant.

Enter into the joy.

This is the heart of God for us that we would share in his joy.

Don't miss that, because this servant says I need you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, gathering where you scattered no seed this is a business phrase in this day and time.

And what the servant is saying is hey, you know how to make the most of what you have.

And so the servant says I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground.

Here have what is yours.

So he returns to the master the one talent that he had been given, having done nothing with what he had been entrusted.

The master answered him you, wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed.

Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers and at my coming, I should have received what was my own with interest.

So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the 10 talents, for to everyone who has will be more given and he will have an abundance.

But from the one who has, not, even what he has will be taken away and cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness.

In that place there'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth, and so the story, this parable, ends on a little bit of a dark note for the one servant right who wastes what he has been entrusted with.

And so I want to keep reading just for a second to get some context for what we just read, because Jesus then immediately begins to talk about when the Son of man, the Messiah, when Jesus himself returns to the earth, so watch what happens next.

Jesus says this when the son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep on his right but the goats on the left.

Then the king will say to those on the right come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

I want to pause just for a second.

Jesus shifts the scene and he begins to tell the story of what's going to happen when the son of the world.

I want to pause just for a second.

Jesus shifts the scene and he begins to tell the story of what's going to happen when the Son of man comes again.

And his claim here y'all is phenomenal.

He says that when the Son of man returns, he will sit on the throne and he will judge the world.

And we hear that and we're like, of course, he course he will.

He's Jesus, he's the king of kings, he's the lord of lords.

To a first century Jewish audience they hear that and they go wait a minute.

Only God has the right to judge the world.

And Jesus is like that's the point and I think his disciples, maybe in this moment, are starting to understand that the son of man, he's going to come in his glory.

The angels will surround him, he'll sit on the throne and he'll judge.

He'll separate the sheep from the goats like a shepherd.

Now, which category do we want to be in on that day of judgment?

We want to be a sheep or do we want to be a goat?

In our world it's like goat sounds pretty good.

Greatest of all time.

Sheep aren't that smart.

Let me take the goats.

Not on this day, y'all, we don't want to be with the goats, we'll take the sheep.

Jesus says the sheep.

They get to inherit the kingdom of eternal life in the presence of almighty God.

How do they get there?

Notice that the separation of sheep and goats happens at the beginning of the story.

Because it's by grace, through faith in Christ, that we enter eternal life.

Because what Jesus is going to say next?

He's going to tell us what it looks like as a sheep who belongs to God, to steward well our life.

And I don't want us to get it twisted this morning.

What Jesus says next is not the reason that the sheep have eternal life and the goats do not.

We gain eternal life not because of our good deeds, but because of the one good deed that Jesus did on our behalf.

It is by grace, through faith and the finished work of Christ that we enter into the kingdom of God.

This is what Jesus says.

The kingdom was prepared for you from before the foundation of the world.

Isn't that beautiful Like well, how do I know if I'm part of the sheep group, because I don't want to be a goat.

If the goats end up separated from God and the sheep end up in the presence of God, how do I know that I'm part of the sheep?

Have you received the gift of salvation?

How do I know that I'm part of the sheep?

Have you received the gift of salvation by grace, through faith in Christ?

If you have, then you can be confident that in this moment, on this day, when the son of man is sitting on his glorious throne and the nations are gathered before him and he begins to judge, you will be in the presence of God forever.

Begins to judge, you will be in the presence of God forever.

And isn't that good news?

Think back to what Jesus said in Luke 12.

Don't be anxious about what tomorrow holds, because the son of man will sit on his glorious throne, and if you belong to the son of man in that moment, you know where you end up.

So Jesus goes on and he begins to explain what it looks like for the sheep to steward well their lives.

And he says this for I was hungry verse 35, and you gave me food.

I was thirsty and you gave me drink.

I was a stranger.

You welcomed me.

I was naked.

You clothed me.

I was sick.

You visited me.

I was in prison.

You came to me.

Then the righteous, the sheep, will answer him saying Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you and thirsty and give you a drink?

When did we see you a stranger and welcome you naked and clothe you?

When did we see you sick and in prison and visit you?

I love this.

They're surprised at what Jesus is saying, why?

And the king will answer them.

Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me.

See, here's what Jesus is saying To belong to the kingdom of God is to live in such a way that we simply live generous lives.

We're not trying to earn our way to God by doing good to others.

We're not trying to do compassionate things so that one day God will look at us and give us a hand clap and a pat on the back.

It's the overflow of what it means to follow Jesus.

God has given us so much.

We can't help but be generous with those around us To be part of the kingdom of God is simply to live a life of generosity, to care for those who are hurting and broken and in need.

If we have the ability to meet a need as followers of Christ, it's what we do, not because we're trying to earn a reward, but because God has already given us so much.

Then Jesus goes on.

He says to those on the left the goats depart from me.

You cursed into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

It's not God's goal for any to enter that eternal fire.

It's prepared for the devil and his angels.

God's goal for you is to dwell in his presence forever.

But then Jesus says I was hungry and you gave me no food.

I was thirsty, you gave me no drink.

I was a stranger.

You did not welcome me.

I was naked, you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison.

You did not visit me.

Then they will also answer saying prison and did not minister to you.

Then he will answer them saying truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me and these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Generosity is the overflow of the grace of God in our hearts.

When we give generously, we are imitating the character of our God, who loved us and gave his son for us.

And so let's talk just for a moment about the principles of kingdom stewardship.

That's the big idea of this passage is what it looks like to live as a steward of God's kingdom.

A couple of thoughts really quickly this morning.

Number one God owns it all.

God owns it all.

Psalm 50, verse 10, god speaking.

Psalms 50:10

He says this every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.

Now just picture a bunch of rolling hills as far as the eye can see, a thousand hills.

You got a thousand hills in your mind this morning.

Now picture cattle covering all of those hills.

God says I own all the beasts in the forest and all the cows on all the hills as far as you can see.

In Deuteronomy 10, 14, god says this to the Lord, your God, belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, and the earth and everything in it.

God owns it all.

James, chapter one, says it like this every good and perfect gift comes from our Father, above the Father of lights.

God owns it all.

Which brings us to the second idea, number two God has entrusted us with his stuff.

You know sometimes we call it our stuff, do we not?

My house, my car, my money, my clothes, whatever, my food, my whatever, no, no, no, like, at the end of the day, god owns it and he's entrusted it to me to steward.

God owns it.

He's entrusted it to you to steward.

Whatever it is.

God's entrusted to you your giftings.

God's entrusted to you your words.

God's entrusted to you the breath in your lungs, the days that you have on this planet.

Whatever material blessing has come your way, god has entrusted it to us and his heart has always been what he said to Abraham in Genesis that God blesses so that people can be a blessing.

If God has blessed you, you're blessed, not to hoard it for yourself, not to be like the guy in Luke 12 and build a bigger barn, but to be a conduit for God's blessing to the people around you.

God owns it.

God's entrusted us with his stuff.

Noah, my seven-year-old guy who wants the credit card just to swipe whenever he wants to swipe it.

His baseball team has a few team rules.

One of those team rules is no one cleans up behind the A's, and if anybody has to clean up behind the A's, then the A's don't get treasure box at the end of the baseball game, which means they leave without double bubble for the day, and that's a travesty for the A's.

I think that might matter more than whether or not the A's actually pulled out the victory.

It's the double bubble at the end of the day, but nobody cleans up behind the A's.

Why?

Because it's about stewardship.

Right, the A's don't own the dugout, they're just in the dugout.

They want to leave it better than they found it.

We say the same thing here, especially in our kids' wing down the hall.

Right, we want the teachers that we borrow their rooms on Sundays.

We want them to love us being in their rooms because we leave it better than we found it.

We want to be good stewards of the opportunity that we've been given.

We don't own it, it's not ours, it doesn't belong to us, but we are entrusted with it for a moment, and y'all in the same way.

Our job as followers of Jesus, god has entrusted us with this moment, this day in time.

This generation is our generation and our job as followers of Jesus is to steward well our time on this planet and then one day hand it off to the next generation in better shape than we received it.

You know well, james, that sounds really optimistic if you looked around the world today.

And maybe it is, but I believe in a resurrected king who gave his life so that we could find life, who overcame death, hell and the grave and rose in resurrection power, and who promises that the same spirit who raised him from the dead can now dwell in us.

Is there a such thing as overly optimistic in the kingdom of God?

What if we, as people, just begin to say we're gonna live as kingdom stewards of the life and the talent and the time and the treasure that God has given us, so that we can hand off the world to the next generation and say this is what life with God looks like, this is what is possible for you and your children and your children's children as we seek first the kingdom of Almighty God?

Number three is this Money can become an idol that we worship or a means by which we worship God.

If you want to boil this whole conversation down today and go back to this idea of money that we began with, money can either be an idol that we worship, and maybe it will either be an idol that we worship or a means by which we worship God.

Leon Morris, talking about Luke, chapter 12, he said this a man whose life hangs by a thread and who may be called upon at any time to give account of himself as a fool if he relies on material things.

Luke 12 · chapter mention

If he relies on material things, can we search our hearts today and say, god, am I trusting more in me and my stuff and my treasure than I am in the king of heaven?

Am I trusting more in my ability to create a stable future than I am in your ability, god, to lead me into the future that you have for me?

And if we are, and I'm willing to bet there's something in all of us where we're not trusting God with the future, we're trusting too much in our own selves.

Let's have a moment today of saying God, I just want to open my hands and my heart and have a moment of repentance where I turn and I change my mind and I agree with you and I seek first your kingdom.

My hypothesis y'all today is this that money, in and of itself it's a moral, neutral right.

It can be used for bad and it can be used for good.

But my hypothesis is this is that in our hearts, money will not remain a moral neutral for long.

I don't know if you're fans of Lord of the Rings, if you've seen the Hobbit, read the Hobbit.

But some of you you will love this and others of you are like you are so weird, golly, why do you do this?

I brought my friend to church today and you're talking about the Hobbit Like stop it.

But there's a moment.

Thorin Oakenshield is the rightful heir to the throne of the dwarves.

He's the leader of the company of dwarves and Bilbo Baggins going to find the Lonely Mountain and restore the dwarves' kingdom that Smaug the dragon has taken over.

And he gets to the Lonely Mountain, thorin and the company, they get there and they finally they find the horde of dragon's treasure that Smaug has accumulated, and it's gold beyond belief.

They find the treasure, they kill the dragon and then something happens to Thorin.

His heart is changed.

And the other dwarves?

They're like what's going on with Thorin?

And one of them says he has dragon sickness.

He's been captured and captivated.

His heart has been drawn astray by the lure of gold, so much so that he breaks fellowship with his friends.

He loses his ability to trust people, he loses his love for his own family.

He's only captured by the draw, the pull for more gold.

Seek first the kingdom of God, because the dragon sickness is real in all of us the pull for more, the desire for more.

It's within all of us.

Eugene Peterson, in A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, he said it like this, talking about worship and feelings and our ability to choose to direct our heart and our tendency to get drawn off course.

He said this we live in what one writer has called the age of sensation.

We think that if we don't feel something, there can be no authenticity in doing it.

Have you ever heard somebody say I just need to live my truth, I just need to find my authentic self and be the best version of my authentic self?

Peterson says that's the age of sensation.

We got to feel it for it to be real.

We think that if we don't feel something, there can be no authenticity in doing it.

But the wisdom of God says something different that we can act ourselves into a new way of feeling much quicker than we can feel ourselves, into a new way of acting.

Worship is an act that develops feelings for God, not a feeling for God that is expressed in an act of worship.

When we obey the command to praise God in worship, our deep, essential need to be in relationship with God is nurtured.

Maybe you're here today and I don't feel like being generous.

I think Peterson would say to us exactly what Jesus said to us be generous anyway, and your feelings will follow your act of obedience.

I don't feel like seeking first the kingdom of God.

Seek first the kingdom of God anyway, and your feelings will follow your step of faith as you orient your life after the heart of Almighty God.

To quote Jesus.

Jesus said it like this give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

Money's temporary.

It bears the image of the rulers of this world, the image of the rulers of this world, but your life bears the image of Almighty God.

Give your life to God and trust your future to him.

Trust the King of Kings to provide for you what you need.

And let's break the tie that binds so many of us to the anxieties of this present world, binds so many of us to the anxieties of this present world.

God, I trust you more than I trust me, more than I trust my stuff more than I trust my abilities.

God, my life, my heart, my hands, everything I have is open to you, father.

That is our prayer this morning, god, that we would truly, deeply, intentionally, seek first your kingdom, believing God that our feelings will follow, that that we can direct our hearts towards you, by your grace, because you've been generous to us.

And so, father, today, have your way in our hearts.

As we respond to you this morning in worship In Jesus' name, amen, as we get ready to sing again today, maybe you're here and you're like.

This idea of generosity to God sounds so foreign to me.

I want you to know that long before you ever get the opportunity to be generous to God, god has been generous to you.

Ever get the opportunity to be generous to God.

God has been generous to you, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him would not perish, would have eternal life.

And so we have to start this conversation of generosity there and simply say do I have a personal relationship with Jesus?

Have I been the recipient of God's generosity?

And if you're here today and you've never trusted Jesus as your Savior, when we stand and we sing.

I would love to meet you at the back.

I would love to have that conversation with you about what it looks like to follow Jesus, to open your hands, your heart, your life to God and say God, I turn from my sin and I place my faith in the resurrected King.

But as we stand and sing, if you need to pray, you can pray down here at the front, you can pray at the back.

If there's an area of your life that maybe your stewardship hasn't been in line with what God is inviting you into and you wanna pray about that this morning, take a moment and pray.

If you wanna join the church, this is a moment for you to respond.

As the Spirit leads, let's stand and worship Jesus together.