I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      The main point of the lesson is found in one verse, which is Luke 12:48 – “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”

                                                             1.      This teaching by the Lord tells us that our responsibilities are proportional to the measure of the blessings that He has given to us.

                                                             2.      This teaching also tells us that the Lord has invested His blessings in us, and He expects a return on His investments.

B.      Every one of us needs to take this lesson to heart, for each of us has been given a stewardship from God, and much has been entrusted to our care.

                                                             1.      One goal of our present lesson is to understand what the responsibilities of stewardship are so that we may be faithful stewards of God.

                                                             2.      The other goal of our lesson is to recognize what has been entrusted to us so that we may be careful managers of every blessing.

II.      STEWARDSHIP

A.      A steward is entrusted with the oversight of another person’s possessions.

                                                             1.      It was customary during the times of the Bible for an owner of much property to appoint stewards to manage his estate, slaves, livestock, and other belongings.

a.       Stewards, who were often slaves themselves, were given full authority over their charges.  They could buy and sell, give orders, enforce punishment, or perform any other tasks necessary to their responsibility.

b.       At the master’s request, stewards would be required to account for the management of their stewardship.  If they performed well, then they might be rewarded, but if they performed poorly, then they were likely to be punished.

                                                             2.      The chief rule of stewardship is stated in 1Corinthians 4:2 – “…moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”

a.       A steward who managed his charge poorly could squander his master’s possessions and possibly ruin his master’s estate.  Therefore, it was important to the master that he selected trustworthy stewards.

b.       A steward would have to be proven as trustworthy over small charges before he was given something great.  The most trustworthy and proven stewards were given the greatest responsibilities by their master.

B.      Let us consider the lessons of the parable of the talents with regards to stewardship (Matt. 25:14-30).

                                                             1.      Three slaves were entrusted with talents by their master (one with five talents, another with two talents, and one with one talent) according to their abilities.

a.       The word “talent” was used by Jesus to designate a measure of money.  Today, because of this parable, we use this word to designate a special ability.

b.       In this parable, the talents and the abilities of the slaves were separate entities, but they were proportional to one another.  Thus, the slave with the greatest ability was given the most talents, and the slave with the least ability was given the least talents.

                                                             2.      Two of the slaves proved to be trustworthy stewards, but the third slave was unworthy.

a.       The two good and faithful slaves were rewarded with greater stewardships and the praise of their master.

b.       However, the wicked, lazy slave was punished, rebuked, and cast away from the master.

i.         Notice that this slave understood the expectations of His master, but rather than working to fulfill those expectations, he was afraid.

ii.        The lazy slave could have benefitted from the words of Franklin Roosevelt, who said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  The slave’s fearful inactivity became the source of his ruin.

                                                             3.      Consider a few lessons from this parable.

a.       The Lord is fair and will not entrust us with more than our abilities can handle.

b.       The Lord has a formula for our growth: He will prove us first with lesser responsibilities, and then give to us greater responsibilities when we succeed.

c.        There are only two possible results of our stewardship: success or failure.  Doing nothing with our stewardship is not an option, for our Lord’s expects us to use His blessings.

C.      Let us also consider the parable of the faithful steward (Luke 12:41-48).

                                                             1.      In this parable, the emphasis is upon the consistent faithfulness of the master’s steward.

a.       The faithful steward carried on the master’s business in constant anticipation of the master’s return.  For this, he was richly rewarded.

b.       In contrast, the unfaithful steward abused his charge when the master was not present.  He was surprised by his master’s sudden arrival, and the master punished him severely for his wickedness.

                                                             2.      Consider a few lessons from this parable.

a.       As we noticed in the parable of the talents, if we prove to be faithful stewards of God, then we will be rewarded with a greater stewardship.

b.       Unfaithful stewards will be punished and assigned “a place with the unbelievers” (v. 46).

i.         Notice that knowledge of God’s will gives us greater responsibility.  It is actually worse to know His will and fail to do it than not to know it at all.

ii.        Knowing God’s will and failing to do it makes us equivalent to unbelievers.  We must be doers of God’s word and not hearers only (Jas. 1:22).

c.        With greater blessings come greater responsibilities.  Indeed, all that is placed in our care belongs to God, and when we have more of His blessings, we have more for which to answer.

III.   WHAT IS OUR STEWARDSHIP?

A.      As Christians, we are stewards of the word of God.

                                                             1.      The Bible describes the gospel of Christ as a treasure that is entrusted to those who receive it (1Thess. 2:4; 1Tim. 1:11; 6:20; 2Tim. 1:14; 2:15; Tit. 1:3).

                                                             2.      Such a treasure as the word of God is not to be hoarded, but rather its wealth is to be shared and spread to all people (Matt. 28:18-20; 2Tim. 2:2).

B.      Everyone is entrusted with a stewardship over their physical and material blessings.

                                                             1.      All that we have truly belongs to God, and none of it is truly ours (Psa. 50:10-12).

                                                             2.      Christians especially must recognize that even our own bodies belong to the Lord, for Christ has bought us with the price of His own blood (1Cor. 6:19-20).

                                                             3.      Such physical and material blessings are given to us by God for our sustenance, for His service, and for the service of others (2Cor. 9:10-11; 1Pet. 4:10).

C.      We are all stewards of our time and opportunities.

                                                             1.      God gives us opportunities to use our time for good, godly purposes.  As good stewards, we must make the most of those opportunities (Gal. 6:10; Eph. 5:15-16).

                                                             2.      The Lord taught us that time is a limited blessing, so we must work before our opportunities come to an end (John 9:4).

D.      Men and women have stewardships over their own households.

                                                             1.      Men are stewards over the bodies and souls of their wives and children (Eph. 5:25-33; 6:4).  They are primarily responsible for the physical and spiritual care of their own family (1Tim. 5:8).

                                                             2.      Women are given the stewardship of care of their homes, including the love of their husbands and their children (1Tim. 5:14; Tit. 2:4-5).

E.       Elders within the church have stewardships over the household of God.

                                                             1.      The qualifications of elders are stringent because these men are entrusted with the management of God’s household, which is His church (1Tim. 3:1-7; Tit. 1:5-9).

                                                             2.      As stewards of God over the souls of the church, elders will give an account to the Lord for the flock entrusted to their care (Heb. 13:17; 1Pet. 5:1-4).

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      Every person’s stewardship is different from others.

                                                             1.      God assigns our responsibilities according to our abilities.  Some have more, and some have less.

                                                             2.      Let us understand our particular stewardships so that we may manage them well.

B.      Regardless of our stewardship, the rules of good stewardship apply to every person in the same way.

                                                             1.      Let us always be mindful of our Master in heaven to whom we must give an account.

                                                             2.      Let us also be found trustworthy of the stewardship entrusted to our care.

C.      If we prove to be faithful stewards over small things and great things, then we can receive the praise of God and even greater things to come.