John Lloyd - Stewardship: All for Jesus

Strengthen Your Core Series

Stewardship:  All for Jesus

January 19, 2020

Pastor John Lloyd

Our physical bodies are made up of several core muscles.  If kept in shape through exercise, they will function properly.  God’s goal for followers is to make us more like Jesus.  This happens when we think like Jesus, CORE beliefs, act like Jesus, CORE practices, and be like Jesus, CORE virtues.   We need to exercise our CORE in order to glorify God.  The journey of becoming like Jesus begins by thinking like Jesus. When we start thinking like Jesus, we are well on our way to becoming like Jesus.  Today, we will consider the spiritual belief of stewardship.  Jesus gave his all for us.  He asks us to give Him our undivided attention and recognize that everything we have is a gift from Him.  We are managers not owners.

Beliefs covered so far:  God, Personal God, Salvation, The Bible, Identity in Christ, Church, Humanity, Compassion and today Stewardship. 

John 21:15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.)  And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Memory Verses:  Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

Key Question: How much does God want of me?  Do you love Jesus more than these?Key Idea: I believe everything I am and everything I own belong to God.

I.                God has given His _________ to us.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

John 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Rom 5:8

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

I Corinthians 4:7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

Everything that I am and have is a gift from God!  It’s all a gift!

II.  Undivided love demands ___________________ love.

Matthew 22:37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Matt. 10:37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

John 21:15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” (John 21:16-19) …. Follow Me!

“Nothing satisfies a heart that loves except love.” J. Oswald Smith

Reflective questions: How much does God want of me? 

Does God hold supreme place in my life?

Action:  I deed over to God ownership of all things external and internal.  Lord, I love you more than my these!

III.  I ______________ but I do not own.

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 

I Corinthians 4:1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

Stewardship isn't a subcategory of the Christian life. Stewardship is the Christian life. After all, what is stewardship except that God has entrusted to us life, time, talents, money, possessions, family, and his grace? In each case, he evaluates how we regard what he has entrusted to us and what we do with it. Randy Alcorn

2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ  (Steward of my thoughts)

I Peter 4:9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. (Steward of my home.)

I Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.  (Steward of my body)

I Peter 4:10 Use your God given gifts to serve one another. (spiritual gifts)

Philippians 3:13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

(Steward of my past, present and future)

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

Stewardship can make a major difference in our lives when we move from simply understanding it in our heads to fully embracing it in our hearts.  God is the owner of everything we have and everything we are.  When we come to faith in Christ, we turn over the “deed” of everything—our children, our money, our homes, our bodies, our very breath—to him.  God then turns to us and invites us to manage all these things according to his purposes.  When we do, we are freed from the hassles of ownership and enter a life of reward and blessing.  Randy Frazee

The world asks what does a man own, God asks how does he use it?

I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.”
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

And when before the throne I stand in him complete
Jesus died my soul to save. My lips shall still repeat

Have I deeded my life to God and then accepted stewardship of all he has given me?  Am I 100 percent His?

Spiritual Growth Questions for January 19, 2020

(take one question each day and grow deeper in Bible study)

Use a scale of 1-6 to rate how strongly you believe the statements below:      (1 = no belief at all, 6 complete confidence).

___  I believe that everything I am or own comes from God and belongs to

        God.

___  I believe that a Christian should live a sacrificial life, not driven by pursuit

        of material things.

___  I believe that Christians should give at least 10 percent of their income to

        God’s work.

___  I believe God will bless Christians now and in the life to come for their

        good works.

1.     Read Luke 16:1-15. What stood out to you from this passage?  Contrast the lifestyle of someone who loves money with that of someone who loves God. What lessons can these verses teach us about stewardship? 

2.     Read I Corinthians 6:12-20.  What is Paul teaching in regards of stewardship of our bodies?  What would be the motivation that Paul presents for sexual purity? 

3.     Read Deuteronomy 12:5-7 & Malachi 3:6-12.  In several places in the OT law, the Israelites were instructed to bring the first portion of the resources and other offerings that God provided back to him. If they did, they would be blessed.  What are the key identifiers of “good stewardship”? How does God reward good stewardship of his resources? 

4.     Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:2, I Peter 4:9, 3 John 7-8.  Why are we encouraged to practice hospitality? Why is hospitality so important to God? 

5.     Read Mark 12:41-44.  What seems to be the most important to God when it comes to the act of giving?  Can the poor widow’s example be emulated by a person of wealth? If so, how?

Who in your life has the poor widow’s mentality toward their possessions?

6.     What, if anything, hinders you from practicing good stewardship?  What is something you can do this week to demonstrate this belief?

7.     List some of the things God has entrusted you to manage.  How are you doing in each of these areas? How can you improve your stewardship of them?

Memory Verses: Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.