Faithfulness in the Ordinary: A Call to Stewardship

Disciplehip is not forged only in moments of crisis or passion. Too often we see salvation is moments of crisis. When somebody is going through something that is tragic in their life, they will often run to Jesus uh for salvation and to receive his mercy and grace uh in desperation. We're crying out basically grasping for straws at that moment for someone to do something for us. But disciplehip is not forged in a moment of crisis or in a moment of joy and passion. These are opposite extremes of which disciplehip actually takes place. Disciplehip takes place this morning. Uh disciplehip takes place when we show up when the word of God is being delivered in whatever manner it is being delivered in. We're ready to receive from him so that it can shape us and it can develop us. [00:28:39]

In the stewardship of it is formed in the rhythm of responsibility in the stewardship of time, talent, treasure and testimony. Today we shift from the dramatic fire to the often overlooked furnace of daily choices. God forms us through what we do with what we have been given. And the question is not, have you been blessed? I want you to understand this. The question is not have you been blessed. It's what are you doing with the blessing? What are you doing with a blessing that God has given to you? [00:31:08]

Stewardship is the visible expression of invisible formation. When we're doing the things of God, it is an expression of what is taking place at home, what is taking place in private. When we're following the commands of God in daily life, it becomes an expression outwardly in the way in which we live, the way we talk, the way we live, the way we act, the things that we our attitude, our actions, our giving, our faithfulness, our service. They're expressions of who we are privately. Formation is proven in faithfulness with little. [00:31:47]

We often wait for big moments to prove our disciplehip. But God watches how we steward the unseen. It seems oftent times, and let's look at the financial aspect of things, that when God does big things for us, we've received a big blessing. We're willing to tithe. We're willing to give offering. We're willing to help the poor out. We're willing to sacrifice a little bit because we've received a a big blessing, maybe a bonus from work or something has happened in life and insurance made a big payout. And so we are willing to do in those moments and we're looking for God to bless us because we've done something in the big moment. [00:32:28]

God's blessing isn't only in the big moment. God's blessing is in the everyday life when we have chosen that we got paid on Friday, we're giving in the offering and we're tithing on Sunday. Why y'all so quiet? It's not just those moments of financial blessing on a weekly basis. It is the moments of are we serving faithfully? Are we sacrificially doing? We get into a place where we don't want to serve because we don't think they'll like what we are doing or how we are doing it. Listen, we're not leading in worship and getting in the worship team just because we're good at it. [00:33:23]

We're not getting up and preaching or teaching uh lessons because we're good at it. We're doing it because God has called us into a ministry in which needs to be performed. And God has called every single one of us to perform for him to do for him to serve for him. Don't wait for a big opportunity to do something great and to prove your disciplehip. Serve every single week. Do every single week. And I promise in the little things, God will move even bigger in your life. Do greater things. God watches how we steward the unseen. God watches how we steward the little things. [00:34:11]

There's a a baggie hanging on our our little calendar. They got little clips on it and you'll see baggies hanging at our house with coins in it or a dollar or two because they have been blessed some way and they know immediately that they got to give uh in their tithe and and so they do so and there's these little baggies hanging uh that they'll bring to church with them. And uh uh Blake brought his little baggie I think last Sunday uh with his tithe in it because and we teach the lesson. Well, it's just a little lesson that is easy as they're learning now the little lessons of doing and serving that later on they will know this is just what we do. [00:35:12]

This is how we do it. This is how the church operates. This is how we give back to God. This is how we honor the Lord. The little things. And I believe that if we instill those little things into their life, and listen, it's not easy because they've fussed about it before. They fuss just as much as you fuss sometimes over it. But oftent times, we must learn to get ourselves to a position and a place where our tithing and our giving is the biggest checks we often write. And I know nobody likes those things. I'm not just talking about to the church. I'm talking in the way in which we operate our daily lives. [00:35:55]

Faithfulness in obscurity is often the prerequisite to influence. Oswald Chambers said it is ingrained in us that we have to do that we have to do exceptional things for God. We think that we've got to do exceptional things for God. But we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary. We don't do anything exceptional for God. When we are doing for God, it is God who is doing great and big things. Amen. It is God who is working in us and through us that we are doing good things. [00:36:50]

The philosophy that I've held on to is is that I will get a rest when I get to lay down and take my last breath. And until then, I need to give everything and my all to Jesus. And I just believe he deserves Ryan's best. Amen. It's not a matter that when we come together as the church that we're doing our best to show somebody else, oh, look at our worship. Oh, look at our service. Oh, look at our giving. It's, oh, look at what God's doing in and through us. It needs to be about God. [00:37:44]

And when we show up at the house of God, it needs to be about magnifying him, worshiping him to our very best of our abilities. It's not just that these guys come practice worship, the pastor puts together a good sermon. It's got to be that we show up and give him our best, too. He's worthy of that, is he not? He's worthy to be magnified. He's worthy to be worshiped. Lift up your voice and praise the name of Jesus. Be glad. Be happy. He's a good God. We're not doing real well at stewarding our time in his presence. [00:38:14]

Formation is practiced in the mundane. Whether it shows how you handle your schedule, your giving, your attention to others, or your care for God's house, your habits are forming your heart. Your habits are forming your heart. The things you listen to, the things you watch, the things you do. Show me your Google search history. Show me your YouTube search history. Show me your recent text messages to your best friend. No, I'm serious. Get it out. Let me see. Uh, we don't want to show any of those things. Is it magnifying God? Is it honoring God? Is it pleasing God? [00:38:59]

Whether it's how you handle your schedule, your giving, your attention to others, or your care for God's house, your habits are shaping your heart. Many want an anointing, but few want accountability. Many want many want a prayer. Many pray for a calling, but ignore the stewardship. I got to get to my main text here. Matthew chapter 25 verse 14. For it is just like a man about to go on a journey who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. This is a man whose workers who work for him. He's saying, "I'm going to give you some of my possessions." [00:40:32]

To one, he gave him five talents and approximately 20 years worth of salary. Now think for a moment. If you were to receive 20 years of your salary today, what are you going to do? I'm tell you what I'm doing. I'm gonna go on vacation. You might not see me again. I'm 40. That's 50. That's 60. 61. I'm almost to retirement. I'll work at McDonald's. To 65, we we're good. That's why Jennifer said that I could never play the lottery. Not that we believe in that, but she said I could never play the lottery. [00:41:21]

If we were given 20 years worth of our salary, I'm out. You're out. Think about what you're going to accomplish in receiving that 20 years. So let that process in your mind. This servant has received 20 years salary to another two and to the one. Now, we often think, well, it's kind of sad that he just got one. So, he got one. Four years salary. Four years. Imagine the things you can do with four years. All of a sudden, you've received your salary. He receives four years. Each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey. Master left. Gone. Here you go. [00:42:30]

He not only took 20 years salary, he went and got 40 years salary out of this. And what did he do? It uses the Greek uses the word traded here and and in translation of this word traded meant he went and went to work. He went about serving. He didn't just go put it in the stock market. He didn't just go put it in the bank. He went and decided, well, I'm going to buy this cattle over here and and some of these uh uh animals so that I can have some livestock. Going to buy some land so that we can grow some grain. May have went and purchased some other uh type items in which he could turn a profit. [00:43:22]

God's going to bless those who are going to return a benefit to the master. God's going to bring healing to you because he knows you're going to stand up and testify and give glory and honor to the one who brought the healing. It's not going to be about, well, I fasted so many days and I prayed so many days and and the Lord finally healed my foot. No, it had nothing to do about you. It was all about him. He is the one who done it all. Didn't matter what I done. Didn't matter how I done it. He deserved the glory. [00:44:56]

And so when we give on a weekly basis of tithe and offering, let's just look at that side of it. It's an ordinary thing and God continues to bless and he's able to honor and take care of you in bigger things later. When you show time and you say, "Well, you know what? I'm going to commit. I'm going to commit that I'm going to find me a job that's not going to keep me out of the house of God. I promise you when you commit to those things that God will work those things out for you to get you a good job. God will work through all the different things that you are bringing to him so that he can receive the glory and the benefit." [00:45:41]

Time is part of stewardship as well in our formation. You do have time to pray every day. You do have time to read your Bible every day. You do have time to worship God every single day this week. You steward your time f so that God can be magnified in your life. And if you can steward your time in those things, you will then be able to steward your schedule. And then you will be able to steward your giving. You will then be able to give attention to others. And you will be able to take care of God's house. Your habits are forming your heart. [00:47:26]

The servant who gives his talent back, he despised the grace that was given to him. He was given four years worth of a salary to go and do something great with. And I'm sure that he was completely could have been completely taken care of. But while he had four years salary buried in a hole somewhere, he was probably starving at the same time. Not only starving, was probably homeless. I'm reading into this a little bit just so you know, but he was a servant and his master's gone and nobody else is probably taking care of him. And now he's just frustrated because he can't touch the salary that he's got buried in a hole and he's getting bitter about it. [00:52:34]

See how what h see the correlation here of what happens to us when we get bitter about our stewardship. We despise the grace that is given to us. We may not make as much as somebody else. We may not have as much as somebody else. But goodness, God has blessed every single one of us in this church today. You got clothes on your back. You got a roof over your head. You've got food on your tables. And God is still a good God. I don't have it all. There's ones who got greater things than me and more than me, but I am still blessed. [00:52:55]

We have become passive about our surface, burying our talents in the ground. It's not merely unfortunate, but it is also sinful. When you are led and dictated by somebody else and not by the Holy Spirit, you are allowing somebody else to instill fear, anger, hate, resentment, all those other things into your heart. and it fers until it boils over. It's sinful. Making no effort for the kingdom out of fear, apathy, or resentment places a soul in danger of hearing the dreadful words cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. [00:57:12]

If we're not using what God has blessed us with to honor him, we are not a disciple of Christ. See, when we give our heart to Jesus Christ, that is just the first stage of developing us into who he has called us to be. There is always something for us to do for the kingdom of God. We might not be doing it in the house of God. Sometimes it happens at our workplace. Sometimes I I I just love to see that one of the eldest men of our church service serves his time at a food pantry. Brother Carlton serves every Wednesday and every Thursday. I have seen people give over and over of themselves. [00:58:14]

And we are Union Grove. We are the church of God. We are a part of the kingdom of God. And the way in which we care for this place is not just financially, but it is also in saying, "Oh, there's a piece of trash. Oh, the weeds need taken care of. Oh, so and so's sick. Let me check in on them. Oh, there's a prayer request that has come through. We got to stop right now so that we can pray." It is always about the church. Our lives are shaped about this church. I know you have jobs. I know you have families. But we are the family of God. [01:00:00]

Be that legacy of the generation before us who were people who not only gave of themselves, but they gave of their time and their talents. And they honored not only the ministry, but they honored the children. and the next generation. You don't know what you might be taking off your back that's going to be a pastor one day, that's going to be a servant one day, that's going to grow up and is going to help you in this life one day. There have been countless individuals who have went by and they have honored the older generation because the older generation was honoring them. You are sewing into people. [01:10:06]