Ready and Faithful: The Call to Stewardship

“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning, and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master when he comes will find watching.” [00:21:07]

“Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat and will come and serve them, and if he should come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so, then blessed are those servants.” [00:49:02]

“Therefore, you also be ready, for the son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do you speak this parable only to us or to all people?” The Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward when his master will make ruler over his household to give them their portion of food in due season?” [00:80:77]

“Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that I will make him ruler over all that he has. If that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming’, and begins to beat the male and female servants and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he’s not looking for him, and at an hour when he’s not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” [01:13:909]

“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required, and to whom much has been committed of him they will ask the more.” Again, we have teaching that comes to us from the lips of Jesus that carries with its solemn and severe warnings directed specifically against those who are not outside the pail of the church, but for those who at least make a profession of faith in Him, but have not acted according to that profession. [01:77:269]

“Throughout this 12th chapter, we’ve seen a common theme, a theme in which Jesus speaks forcibly about the focus of our lives. He told the story of the man who was wealthy and had a prosperous harvest and said to himself, ‘I will tear down my barns and build bigger barns. I will take my ease and I will eat, drink and be merry, for I have set up these things for many years to come.’ Jesus spoke of this man as a fool, saying that God would say to him, ‘Thou fool, this night, your soul is required of thee.’” [00:211:769]

“Jesus said, ‘Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning. The darkness has come, the night has already fallen. It is the time to light the lamp.’ As the evening progresses and weariness comes in, then the tendency is to blow out the light and retire to your bed. Jesus said, ‘There are certain circumstances where you don’t put your pajamas on. You put your belt on and you keep your lamps lit.’” [00:298:65]

“Jesus here talks about a master who appoints a steward over his house. That’s what a steward was in the ancient world. He ruled and managed the affairs of the house. He was the one who managed the staff of servants in the house. He didn’t own the house. He didn’t own any of the things that he was called to manage. All of these things belonged to the master, but it was the task of the steward to take care of these things in a wise, in a gracious and in a godly manner.” [01:776:43]

“Everything He entrust to us, He gives to us as stewards, always with a responsibility of due diligence, always with a responsibility of honoring the master with how we handle the things that He entrust to us. My money is His. My house is His. My life is His. We are stewards of the very air that we breathe because it all belongs to Him.” [01:834:839]

“The unfaithful steward is a mere image of the rich fool who said, ‘I’m going to eat, drink and be merry.’ He added to this frivolous life of partying and hedonism is the element of cruelty to others. The master of that servant will come on a day when he’s not looking for him. He will come in an hour when he’s not aware, and he will set him down and speak to him and say, ‘I’m really disappointed in you. I really expected greater things from you. You really let me down.’ No, no, no, no. That’s not what Jesus said.” [01:953:06]

“Jesus finally concludes with these words, ‘To whom much is given, from him much will be required, and whom much has been committed of him, they will ask the more.’ Friends, I hope that you’ll think today about this question, ‘How much has God given you? How much grace have you experienced? How much of His tender mercy has He shown you?’ That question scares me to death, because in my life, I’ve been flooded by the grace of God.” [02:1287:036]

“When we receive the blessings from His hand is not the time to ungird our waist and to blow out the lamp. It is not a time to eat, drink and be merry, it’s a time to serve. It’s a time to honor. It’s a time to bless the one who has blessed us. God grant that your hearts will be fully inclined to make your entire lives a message of thank you to the God of grace who has redeemed your soul.” [02:1301:136]