Good Stewards
Our hearts run our entire being. We get that. It pumps blood throughout our whole body and keeps us alive. But when we say the word “heart,” we mean more than the muscle within us. As much as our physical heart runs our entire being, our “heart,” spiritually and emotionally and relationally runs our entire being as well. Our heart doesn’t stay in our chest. We send it places. But also, what Jesus makes abundantly clear is that our heart is attached to things.
One thing our heart is attached to is money. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). Your heart is attached to your treasure. Jesus is purposefully painting an image of money and possessions here. It’s like—image with me for a moment—that there is an imaginary string attached to your heart and your money. The two are inextricably linked. It makes sense all the more what Jesus says leading up to verse 21:
Matthew 6:19-21 – 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Since your heart is linked to your treasure, you should send your treasure to heaven. Then your heart will be with God. That, y’all, is “The Treasure Principle.” And it is what we will be looking at how to live out over the next couple of weeks.
The things of God are of far greater value than the things of this world.
From that text, we automatically see a dichotomy between the things of this world and the things of heaven. The things of this world break down and are stolen. They are temporary. The things of God last forever. They never fade. They are worthwhile and enduring.
We can see this dichotomy played out in two different teachings of Jesus: one of his parables and one of his interactions.
First, in Matthew 13:44, Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
What does this reveal about how we view God and how we view things? Well, simply put, we treasure God above all things. Randy Alcorn says,
“The parable of hidden treasure is one of many references Jesus made to money and possessions. In fact, 15 percent of everything Christ said relates to this topic—more than His teachings on Heaven and Hell combined. Why did Jesus put such an emphasis on money and possessions? Because there’s a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and how we think about and handle money.”[1]
He goes on to say, “Our approach to money and possessions is central to our spiritual lives.”[2] It shows what we truly value. Because you know what we do? We don’t put our money where our mouth is—we put our money where our heart is.
Second, let’s contrast that man with the rich young man that comes to Jesus wanting eternal life.[3] I want us to ask what the difference is between the two people after reading this.
Luke 18:18-23 – 18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.
What’s the difference between the two men? “The rich young man wasn’t willing to give up everything for a greater treasure, but our traveler in the field was. Why? Because the traveler understood what he would gain… He gained far more than he lost.”[4]
We often think of the treasures of this world as the things we “need.” But we could be poor regarding the things of this world but be rich in God, and we have everything we need. Today, people have more than ever but are less happy than ever.[5] Part of the reason is, we aren’t putting our treasure where it matters. The reason you can be poor and be happier than the rich is because it’s where your heart is. That’s part of the reason Jesus says, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Matt. 19:24).
The things of God are of far greater value than the things of this world. So how do we break the hold the things of the world has on us so that we can start to store up treasures in heaven? The first thing is realizing:
God owns everything.
There are many verses we could look at,[6] but here are several that make it clear:
Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein
Haggai 2:8
The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts.
Deuteronomy 8:18
You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
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.
Everything belongs to God. He created everything. He sustains everything. He owns everything.
That means the world and everything in it belongs to Him. Your children belong to Him. Your body belongs to Him. Your thoughts belong to Him. Your job belongs to Him. Your skills belong to Him. Your time belongs to Him. Your house and bank account and retirement fund all belong to Him. Everything we have and are belongs to Him.
And that means everything we think we own is really on loan to us. This is the main point for today. We have to grasp this for our life. And when we start to grasp that, it changes how we view everything. It changes it from an ownership mindset to a stewardship mindset. We must steward everything God has given us well.
We are to be good stewards of everything we have.
Since God owns everything, obedience to God is about stewardship. You are a manager, not an owner. You don’t own your house. The bank does. (Just kidding…) I love the title of Rosaria Butterfield’s book, “The Gospel Comes with a House Key.” Your house belongs to God to be used for the purposes of God. To have people over. To have gospel conversations. To host missionaries. To foster children. To gather small groups for Bible study.
You don’t own your body. First off, if you’re married, it belongs to your husband or wife.[7] But ultimately, it belongs to God. He created you.[8] He has a purpose for you.[9] There is no circumstance in which you should be sitting back doing nothing for the kingdom of God and not actively involved in the ministries of the church.
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
There is no “my body, my choice” when it comes to God. It is His body, His choice. You can rebel against Him, sure. But you’re rebelling against the almighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You and I don’t get to make that call.
Also, you don’t own your money. I’m meddling a little too much now… You earned it though, right? But who gave you that job? Who gave you that ability to work? Who answered your prayers when you prayed for that promotion or that raise or that fill-in-the-blank? Everything you have is a gift from God. Every cent in your bank account is given to you by the gracious, Almighty God.
Remember Deuteronomy 8:18 that we read just a moment ago: “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Moses is talking to the people before they go into the Promised Land. The Promised Land is a land “flowing with milk and honey.”[10] But the verse right before verse 18 shows us the temptation. Verse 17 says, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.” That’s exactly what we sound like! We earned this! Everything we have, we worked for! And then you know what we do? We start worshiping the things have, which the following verses warn of. Hear verses 19-20:
19 And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. 20 Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.
Everything you have is on loan to you from a gracious God. The sooner you realize that, the quicker you are to walk in obedience to that gracious God, and the greater satisfaction you will have in your life.
Because not only is obedience to God about stewardship, but satisfaction in God is about stewardship. When you are serving God with what He has given you, blessing others and glorifying God in return, that is where maximum satisfaction is found. When we hoard things for ourselves, we are either constantly afraid it is going to disappear, or we are constantly working for more and more; That doesn’t satisfy. It is never enough. When you live with a stewardship mindset, and you are looking to give away what you have for the purposes of God, you are living with a surplus, not in a deficit. You’re living below your means because you’re not tied to the things of this world. They don’t have a hold on you. You truly understand and see with your own eyes what the Apostle Paul meant in Acts 20:35 when he quoted the words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” We don’t know where Jesus said those words, but we know Jesus lived it.
God uses giving to conform us to His image.
Who wants to look like Jesus? If you want to look more like Jesus, you know what you will do? You will give. Randy Alcorn says it this way:
“Gaze upon Christ long enough and you'll become more of a giver. Give long enough and you'll become more like Christ. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8:1: “We want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.” How was God’s grace demonstrated? By their act of giving to needy Christians. In verse 6, Paul calls the Macedonians’ giving to help the hungry in Jerusalem an “act of grace.” The same Greek word is used for Christian giving and for God’s grace. Christ’s grace defines, motivates, and puts in perspective our giving: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (v. 9).”[11]
That is 2 Corinthians 8:9. Jesus is God in the flesh.[12] Remember, God owns everything. He owns cattle on a thousand hills.[13] But what did He become? He became poor. Think on the incarnation of Jesus.[14] We are supposed to model His humility according to Philippians 2:5-11. He was born in a manger with no royal fanfare. He didn’t grow up rich and powerful, but grew up in Nazareth, the son of a carpenter.[15] In the three years of his itinerant ministry, He didn’t have a place to lay His head.[16] He literally poured Himself out. But that wasn’t the greatest act of giving Jesus did.
You have been offered everything because of the generosity of God.
We mentioned it, but let’s read it together.
Philippians 2:5-11 – 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
John 3:16–17 show us, “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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
You haven’t just been given everything monetarily by the grace of God. You have been given everything spiritually, which is the far greater gift. And that’s what we must live for. That’s all that matters. We must steward the gospel well. That means we must receive it and spread it.
So what are you going to start living for? Where is your heart? Where is your treasure? Let’s lay it at the feet of the Christ to be used for His purposes.
[1] Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving, rev. and updated ed. (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2017), 3.
[2] Alcorn, The Treasure Principle, 4.
[3]Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-23
[4] Alcorn, The Treasure Principle, 5–6.
[5]https://www.crossway.org/articles/pinpointing-why-so-many-of-us-claim-to-be-not-very-happy-oshman
[6]Deuteronomy 10:14; 1 Chronicles 29:11–12; Psalm 50:10–12; Job 41:11; Leviticus 25:23; Exodus 19:5; Psalm 89:11; 1 Corinthians 10:26; Genesis 14:19, 22; Exodus 9:29; Psalm 95:4–5; Colossians 1:16; Acts 17:24; Revelation 4:11
[7] 1 Corinthians 7:4 – For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
[8]Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13-14; Colossians 1:16
[10]Exodus 3:8; Numbers 14:8; Deuteronomy 31:20; Ezekiel 20:15
[11] Alcorn, The Treasure Principle, 32.
[12]https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-deity-of-christ
[14]https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-is-the-incarnation; https://www.gotquestions.org/incarnation-of-Christ.html
[15]Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3; John 1:46
[16]Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58; https://www.gotquestions.org/nowhere-to-lay-His-head.html
