“What Kind Of Steward Am I?”
(Luke 12:42-48)
I. Introduction.
A. One of Jesus’ constant themes in His teaching was
preparedness. And, preparedness was often connected with
stewardship, as it is here in Luke 12.
1. The dictionary defines the word “steward” as: “One
who acts as a supervisor or administrator, as of
finances and property, for another or others. A
manager.”
2. Not nearly so formal was one person’s own
definition: “Stewardship means that life is like
a great ship loaded with rich cargo to be delivered
to many places. God is the owner of the ship and its
cargo, but I’m the captain.”
3. Whole concept of stewardship revolves around
management, not ownership. It is the managing of
life and all its resources for God, and for the good
of everyone. It is an attitude that sees material gain
as temporary, and material things as only for this
life and only for our use in this life.
4. How we view what we have, how we use what we
have, determines whether we are a faithful or an
unfaithful, a wise or a foolish, steward. And –
Bible tells us: “. . . it is required in stewards that
one be found faithful.” (I Corinthians 4:2).
B. The original Greek word that Jesus used in Luke 12, and
Paul used in I Corinthians 4, is “OIKONOMOS”, which,
literally, meant a “house arranger.” It’s also the word from
which our term “economics” comes.
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1. The “steward” was in charge of the whole
administration of the household. He controlled
other servants; he controlled supplies and their use;
he ran the household.
2. But, however much power and authority the steward
had – he, himself, was still but a servant in the
master’s domain. He still had to answer to the
master – the owner – of the house.
3. You get that picture of the master-servant
relationship from Jesus’ parable in Luke 12. And
Jesus makes clear, we are either good or bad
stewards. (No other categories).
C. The Bible gives us the view that all that is above us, all that
is beneath us, all that is around us, is God’s.
1. Deuteronomy 10:14: “Indeed heaven and the
highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also
the earth with all that is in it.”
2. Psalm 24:1: “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its
fullness.”
3. Even we are His - everyone by the fact that God
made humankind, as He created everything – and
some by the fact that we have accepted the gift of
His Son (I Cor. 6:20: “. . . you were bought at a
price; therefore glorify God in your body and in
your spirit, which are God’s.).
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D. Our stewardship encompasses life itself. We own nothing
in the strict sense of that term – and, as Jesus points out in
Luke 12 – we will at some time be called upon to give an
account of the use we made of what God – the Owner, the
Master – put in our trust and keeping. Stewardship is not
something some people are responsible for and others not
responsible for. The proper question to ask is not “Am I
a steward?”, but, rather, “What kind of steward am I?”
Faithful and wise? Or, unfaithful and foolish?
II. The Faithful Steward.
A. What, exactly, does it mean to be a faithful steward?
1. It means we put to use that which has been
entrusted to us (RE-READ Luke 12:42-43).
2. It also means putting to use that which has been
entrusted to us according to the will of the owner,
or in such a way as to bring to the owner the
greatest returns that trust can yield. The reward
for such effort, and such stewardship, is great:
“. . . he [the master] will make him ruler over all
that he has.” (Luke 12:44).
3. If these ideas are incorporated in our lives, as
Christians, they will, without doubt, influence
our work for the Lord and what we give to His
work, of our time, our talents, and our resources.
B. An improper understanding of stewardship, or an unfaithful
approach to stewardship, is the difference between reward
and condemnation. It’s the difference between spiritual
growth and spiritual decline. It’s the difference between
welcome and rejection from God:
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1. In Matthew 25, Jesus makes two contrasting
statements: “Well done, good and faithful
servant; . . . Enter into the joy of your Lord.”
(Matthew 25:21).
2. As opposed to: “Depart from me, you cursed, into
everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his
angels.” (Matthew 25:41).
C. An improper attitude toward stewardship stands in the way
of spiritual progress and it stands in way of our eternal
home with God.
D. Let’s take answer to question “What Kind Of Steward
Am I?” to more personal level. There are four types of
stewards, and we all fall into one of these categories. For
myself I must ask, “Which of the four descriptions applies
to me?” And, “What does this say about my stewardship?”
III. Four Types Of Stewards.
A. First, there’s the person who does little with much.
1. Jesus gave examples of people in this category.
a. Earlier in Luke 12, have the story of the
wealthy farmer (verses 16-21). May know
him better as the “rich fool.” With his
abundant harvest, on top of what he already
had accumulated, he saw a problem: “What
shall I do, since I have no room to store my
crops?” His selfishness is evident in his
thoughts on this matter, as the personal
pronouns “I” and “My” appear 12 times in
these few verses. He failed the test of good
stewardship when he decided to hoard what
he had for his own use and ease.
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b. Then there is the “rich man” of Luke 16
(verses 19-24). He had all the world could
provide, the best of everything. Verse 19
says he: “. . . was clothed in purple and fine
linen and fared sumptuously [or, lived in
luxury] every day.” He failed the test of
good stewardship when he ignored the needs
of those around him, like the beggar
Lazarus. He had much to give, but chose
not to.
c. There was also the young ruler who spoke to
Jesus (Mark 10:17-22). Scripture says he,
too, had much, “. . . great possessions.”
(Mark 10:22). But, he, too, was covetous of
what he had. He failed the test of good
stewardship and walked away from Jesus
and the call to discipleship.
2. Jesus’ teaching on possessions, his encounters with
the wealthy, had nothing to do with getting their
goods or money from them. It had to do with
developing the proper attitude of stewardship. It
gave a clear indication of what God thinks of the
person who does little with much.
B. The reverse of this is also a category of steward. The
person who does much with little.
1. When the disciples voiced a concern about feeding
the multitude, Jesus made a simple request that they
give Him what they had in the way of food.
(Matthew 14:18). When we give what we can,
when we turn over to God what we have – it will be
more than enough.
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2. When Peter and John encountered the crippled man
at the gate of the temple at Jerusalem, he begged
them for some money to help sustain him. Peter
replied: “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I
do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6). What the
man received was greater than what he’d asked for.
But, it had nothing to do with money.
3. The English writer Thomas Carlyle asked “. . . the
question of questions: What talent is born in thee?
How do you employ that?” Devotion to little things
can add up to great results for God. To pass the test
of good stewardship, we use what we have, we give
what we can, no matter how minor or insignificant
it seems to us.
C. Number three, is the person who does little with little.
1. In Matthew 25, the “one talent” man “. . .went and
dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.”
(verse 18). He thought the master would be pleased
that he hadn’t lost it. But, the master was
displeased – angry – because the man hadn’t done
something with it.
2. His was the sin of omission – of not doing what he
knew was right. James 4:17: “. . . to him that
knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is
sin.” Often our fears (of what people will say; of
not fitting in; of appearing too self-righteous)
dominate us, as they did the “one talent” man
(Matthew 25:25). Those fears will keep us from
doing what’s right.
3. What we do with what we have determines our
success or failure – not how much we have.
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4. We fail the test of good stewardship when we don’t
use what we have, no matter how small it seems to us.
D. Steward number four, the person who does much with
much.
1. This seems easy. To have much and give much
wouldn’t seem to put a strain on us. But, it’s still
a matter of how great our faith and commitment is.
2. This is the category most of us are in.
3. Here is where that foundation principle of
stewardship comes in. Everything is God’s!!!
You hear people talk about the “Lord’s money.”
As if, by some unseen process, what we give is
changed from ours to His. What we don’t give
is as much His as what we give!
4. Our stewardship, in all its forms, should be seen
as our acting for God. We pass the test of good
stewardship when we handle His possessions
properly, for the right purposes.
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IV. Conclusion.
A. Good stewardship of all God has entrusted to us is not an
arbitrary thing – God fully intended for it to be to our
benefit.
1. Good stewardship, with a proper attitude, protects
us from the tyranny of possessions. It is the
antidote to materialism.
2. It removes anxiety when we understand that our
material possessions are not ours, but God’s,
given to us for our use.
B. What kind of steward am I? Good and faithful? Or
foolish? (Return to parable of farmer in Luke 12;
READ verses 19-21).