Stewardship, February 21, 2021

 By Rev. Michael Mwangi

Senior Pastor, Fedha Church KAG

Matthew 25:14-30

Introduction 

• This parable is not about salvation or works righteousness, but about how we use our work and what we have to fulfill our callings here on earth. It is about whole-life stewardship,
• We should maximize the use of our talents not for our own selfish purposes, but to honor God. God seeks to measure the quality of our stewardship. 
• He is looking for how faithful we are using what he has given us for his glory

What is stewardship?

Biblical stewardship according to Wikipedia is defined as: "Utilizing and managing all resources God provides for the glory of God and the betterment of His creation." 

In essence, stewardship is managing everything God brings into the believer's life in a manner that honors God and brings him glory.

• Stewardship is what we do as we wait for the return of Christ. Making profit or gains for the master with what he has given us.
• Many Christians today see their salvation as simply a “bus ticket to heaven” coupled with some time to enjoy what they have as they wait for the bus to zion. 
• They are not careful with what and how they do in the meantime as they “wait for the bus.” This Parable teaches us what we are supposed to do while we await the return of our master
• We are to work, using our talents to glorify God, serve for the common good, and further God’s kingdom.
• Biblical success is working diligently here and now using all the talents God has given us to produce the expected return by the Master.

Is this too your definition of success?

Key lessons from the parable

1. We are stewards

• Each one was given the talents. None of them owned even a single talent.
• The money given to the servants was not their own and neither did they have their own. The money they earned with the capital was not theirs to keep. The servants were only stewards of the master’s investment; they held everything in trust for their master. They were to work for the Master, not their own selfish purposes. They were given talents to manage not own.
• Everything we have is a gift from God whether we have earned or worked for it. It is him who has given us time and the ability to do so.

1 Corinthians 4:7

[7] For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

• Let's remember we came with nothing and all we have we have received that's why we will go with nothing.

1 Timothy 6:7

[7] For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

It's important that we view what we have not as ours but as a gift from God.

2. Everyone has a talent/s

• Everyone received talents

• God always gives us everything we need to do what he has called us to do.

• Whether much or less, it is sufficient to meet his call upon our lives. Even the one given one talent was given more than enough to meet the master’s expectations.

• What the master expected them to do was to put their talents to work and generate profit. Even today God expects us to generate a return by using our talents towards productive ends. The servants were given enough to produce more – It is the same with the gifts God has given us.

Ephesians 2:10:

For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

3. We are different and graced differently

• We are very diverse in our creation

v15 the master gives to each servant talents, “…each according to his ability.”

• They had different abilities and receive different no of talents.

They never received according to how much they had requested but by master's discretion. In fact, none of them had requested. It was a pure privilege.

• This takes away any room for pride. There should also no place for comparison, competition, complaining.
• The master understood that the one-talent servant was not capable of producing as much as the five-talent servant. The abilities were different and this is true and evident from our own experiences.
• This is not unfair as God is not unjust and that's why he expects according to what he has given each one of us.

Luke 12:48

[48].... From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

• Despite the differences between stewards and what they were given, we see equality in the Talents. You notice that it takes just as much work for the five-talent servant to produce five more talents as it does the two-talent servant to produce two more talents.
• It is no surprise that the master gave them equal rewards. The master measured faithfulness or degree of effort not the number of resources.

4. We will be held accountable

• The master gave them talents with expectations.
• It is good to feel satisfaction and joy from doing our best with what God has given and wherever he has placed but let us seek to succeed in order to honor him. 
• We should therefore be very careful knowing we will be held accountable. God expects certain returns from what he has given us. There will be a reward for faithful ones and punishment for the lazy ones. Our tendency is to put His talents to make our gains as we build our own kingdom. 
• This is corruption and that's why we carry nothing. We can only transfer by using it for his glory and be rewarded in the next life.

We work for the Master, not our own selfish purposes. 

Conclusion

• The unfaithful steward in this parable didn’t so much waste the master’s money but he wasted an opportunity. As a result, he was judged wicked and lazy. We are responsible for what we do with what God has given us, and one day we will be held responsible.
• We only make gains or profits with our talent any time we use it for His Glory.
• Every opportunity to give or minister i.e. doing good for his glory is an opportunity to make a profit.
• Our church building project presents a mega opportunity to put our talents to work. Don’t miss this great and unique opportunity of a lifetime.
• No one will ever be rewarded for heaping his life with goodies.

Ephesians 5:15-16

[15]Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,

[16]making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

We have an opportunity of a lifetime

Galatians 6:9-10

[9]Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

[10]Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

• Consider the story of Lazarus and the rich man.  Very wealthy but very poor in the next world. 
• Suppose is you today, how much do think you are worth?
• You have a golden opportunity. Join us and invests your gold in God's project which has a heavenly eternal return.
• What you will hear from the Master on that day is up to you