Today’s message: Stewardship in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus said: I came that you may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
God has an abundant life in store for us, a life filled with peace and blessings on this earth, and so much more in eternity!
If your life here on this earth is not focused on eternity, you will live a miserable life and when you reach eternity you will regret how you lived selfishly.
The way we will live in eternity and what we will receive at the end of this earthly life will depend on the choices we make, how we invest in the kingdom of God and how we use our life, our time, our gifts and our resources on this earth. That’s why I’m preaching about “Stewardship in the Kingdom of God”.
Last week I started a new Series: Servants of the Kingdom with the message: I’m not an owner, I’m a manager!
First point: I’m not the owner. The rules of how “the house of God” has to be managed have already been established in His Word.
God is the owner of this earth, of your and my life.
Second point: I’m a steward, I’m a servant!
Adam and Eve failed because they were not content in being the stewards, because they wanted to be owners and to do things their own way.
Today we will have the second message in the series:
Todays message : Stewardship in the Kingdom of God.
Unfortunately, many Christians do not understand what it is to be a Servant in the Kingdom of God! They come to Church, or some were born in the church, were baptised, became official members but still do not understand what it is to be a steward, a servant in the Kingdom of God.
This word, if you receive it in your heart and put it into practice, will change your future and also your eternity.
Last week I talked about the number 1 servant who received five talents and the number 2 servant received two servants.
Today I will focus only on servant number 3 who received one talent.
Remember that everyone received according to their administration capacity.
God has given you talents, gifts and resources and He expects you to use, and multiply what you have received!
Let’s read verses 24th and 25th of Matthew chapter 25
““Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.” Matthew 25:24 NKJV
“And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’”
Matthew 25:25 NKJV
Today I’m want talk about this servant number 3, just in case we there are some slaves number 3 here today or at home watching me ! 🙂
Servant number 3 he begins by making excuses for his failures and then blames his failure on his Master:
‘Lord, I know you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.” Matthew 15:24
You are a hard man!
He lived in the Kingdom but didn’t know His Lord! He served in the
Kingdom but did not have an intimate relationship with his Lord!
For God is a loving, affectionate and faithful God, He is not unjust! On the contrary, He is fair. It is because of his justice that we will all have to settle accounts one day.
Remember that the one who received 1 talent, he did not throw it away, he did not abandon the Kingdom, he did not become an unbeliever, he stayed with the other 2 servants within the Kingdom.
He was part of a church, but he did not use his resources for the Kingdom, he did not use his time, he did not multiply as the Lord expected him to multiply!
He hid his talent! What did the Lord say to him?
““But his Lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant”
Matthew 25:26 NKJV
His Lord called him lazy because he didn’t work, but not only lazy, He also called him “wicked”!
Usually laziness is connected with wickedness. Why? Because sin destroys our relationship with God and as consequences we have no pleasure to serve God, we have no pleasure in being in His house, we have no pleasure in loving people, in making disciples and because of our sins and our pride, we decide to do things in our own way.
Because of his wickedness and laziness he didn’t use his talent and the Lord said to him:
“You know me, you know my expectation, you know that I’m a hard man, you know that I have high demands and I don’t accept cheap leftovers!”
What did the Lord do after that?
“Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.” Matthew 25:28 NKJV
Because he hid his talent, he took it and gave it to the servant who was not lazy and used his talents to their full potential.
The 3rd servant lost his talent, his opportunity and his blessings.
We may have trouble with this particular verse! It doesn’t seem fair!
The one who already had 10 talent got an extra one! He had 10 and God gave him more still. It sounds unfairness.
The explanation is on verse 29
“‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” Matthew 25:29 NKJV
God is taking back His own talents because they were all His to start with! The talents were His possession.
Since the 3rd servant was doing things according to his own plan and not God’s program, God said, I’m taking it back and I’ll give it to some one who will use it.
God will always give more to those who have more, those who have will have it in abundance!
Let me give you an example that we you will all be able to understand, maybe not everyone will like it but everyone will be able to understand it:
Those who attend Sunday service on a regular basis. They are here every Sunday, they go to their Cell Meetings , they go to Saturday Bible studies, they go to Prayer meetings, 12 hours of prayer, come to worship after 12 hours of prayer, go to Conquerors School, are faithful in their tithes and offerings, etc ….
What happens to those people?
Well, after more than 20 years in ministry I can tell you what happens to those people. They grow in spiritual knowledge, they grow in wisdom, in patience, and joy, and love and peace, they have a prosperous financial life, and live successful Christian lives!
Why? Because they feed on God’s Word continually, because they enjoy the fellowship continually, because they are exhorted continually, because they are taught continually, they are encouraged continually, because they are praying and serving in love continually and never stop.
On the other hand those who are unfaithful, sporadic, what happens to them?
From working in the ministry for decades I can tell you what happens : they just get weaker and weaker, they get bored with religion, they became more sinful and become lukewarm Christians. They have no strength left to believe and many times they fall away.
Those who are extremely faithful they’re blessed with gifts, resources and their faith multiply and those who are unfaithful suffer the exact opposite.
I’m teaching about stewardship in the Kingdom of God and Stewardship is the management of someone else’s resources and property.
Notice what God said that: A good stewardship, is not only maintaining but growing, multiplying, and using all that God gives you.
Servant number three maintained, he didn’t throw away part of his talent, he gave the entire talent back and God said: You’re wicked and lazy servant.
The only people God said: Well Done, Good and Faithful servant to, were those who increased what God had given them.
God calls faithfulness – increase and multiplication.
God invested his talents and money on these three people and He was expecting a return.
Maybe you never thought of this way! You are God’s bank, you are God’s investor, you are God’s manager, you are God’s preacher, you’re God’s servant.
All that God does on this earth He will do through you!
God acts on this earth only through the men and women who are willing to serve Him!
When God needed to save the world, Jesus had to become a man, He left the Kingdom of heaven, incarnated, was born of a woman to get salvation for humanity.
Does God want to save people? Yes or no?
““I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.”
Ezekiel 22:30 NIV
It is God’s will to save, but he is looking for someone to stay in the gap, someone who will be in prayer in favour of his people!
In the year 570 BC God sought for someone to intercede and did not find any!
The story remains the same! God depends on your prayer but the prayer meetings are empty, once a month we have 12 hours of prayer and it is empty!
God wants to save many people. How is God going to save these people?
If you pray for them, if you preach the gospel to them, if you visit these people, then God’s will will be fulfilled!
Do you believe that God expects the growth and multiplication of His church and His Kingdom?
But God needs more Cell leaders, people who will offer their home and will say: God you can count on me! Here I am!
Do you believe God wants us to have a great church in this city? Where will the resources come from? From your faithfulness to God!
Remember: You are God’s bank, you are God’s intercessor, you are God’s manager, you are God’s preacher, you are God’s steward!
Actually God has already given you all the resources and talents and He is waiting you to expand those resources, so He can expand His Kingdom on earth.
Maybe you are going to say, pastor I’m just a one talent person, I don’t have much, I don’t know that much, but you can increase your abilities.
When I got married I was making 1,5 of a Brazilian salary monthly and it felt like close to nothing. Then I learned more, I studied more, I was faithful in my tithes and offerings, I developed and I did everything I could so that I could be a better steward so that God could trust me with more.
After some years working in factories my salary jumped from 1,5 to 40 minimum Brazilian salaries.
““He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little thing is also dishonest in much.”
Luke 16:10 AMP
Be faithful in the little things that God gives you! If God asks you to pray, be faithful, if God is calling you to lead a Cell meeting, be faithful in that, if you’re receiving a little salary be faithful in your tithes and offerings.
Giving is a quality or characteristic of all good stewards!
The good steward gives his time, his gifts and his resources.
What does giving do to me? It reminds me I’m not the owner, I’m only the steward!
It reminds me that God owns it all and He entrusted it to me. Does God need my money? No, but I need God.
I need to be constantly reminded, since money is competing for my heart, that money is not my master.
I manage money, I’m not managed by money. You cannot say that money is not your master, if you cant give it up!
One of the way to honour God is when we get paid and then you take a percentage of that (tithes and offerings) and give back to God.
Trust me : 90% blessed by God is way better than 100% not blessed by Him.
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things.’”
Matthew 25:23
The growth and abundance will come when you use what you’ve received.
If you use what you have, if you are faithful with the little, God will put you in charge of many things.
God has placed you in this city and in this ministry for you to serve and use your gifts, talents and resources!
One day we all will be asked : What was done of the talents I put temporarily in your possession?
We need to serve with a humble heart, with a servant’s heart, in holiness, because sin will lead you to be lazy and move you away from the Kingdom of God and from the church. Sin can destroy your life in eternity.
I want to challenge you to live for something eternal, to invest your life, your time, your talents and gifts so that Jesus’ name can be glorified and one day we will be received by him as Good and Faithful Servants!