We'll turn to Luke chapter 16, and we're glad to see you in the house of God this evening. Luke chapter 16, and we'll begin reading at the verse number 1. We'll read the first 13 verses that we have here of this chapter. So Luke chapter 16 and the verse number 1. Let's hear God's Word. And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man which had a steward, and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? My Lord taketh away from me the stewardship I cannot dig, to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' So he called every one of his Lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my Lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And he said, unto him, take thy bell, and write fourscore. And the Lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye feel, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much. And he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Amen, and we'll conclude our Bible reading, our Scripture reading, at the end of the verse number 13. The parable that is here recounted for us in the opening verses of Luke's Gospel, chapter 16. The parable centers around a certain truth that we want to come to consider this evening as we continue on in our series on Christian identity. Tonight we're going to center our thoughts around stewardship. It is the truth that this particular parable draws to our attention and how we as Christians can be called or identified as being stewards, as being stewards. Now the word steward, it comes from an old English word which means one who has charge of the affairs of the household or estate of another. Someone who has the charge of the affairs of the household or the estate of another. And that's really what we have here in Luke's gospel and the chapter 16. We find a man who has been put in charge of the goods of a rich man, a certain rich man. Unfortunately, that steward or that what we would term maybe a house manager, was charged by others of wasting and squandering the goods of his lord or of his master. Unfortunately, and hearing this, the master of the house then summons the steward to answer the charges that are being leveled. against him. The master asked him, how is this that I hear this of thee? And goes on to say, give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be no longer steward. It is apparent from this particular parable that the master of the house expected his steward to be responsible for the goods that were entrusted to him. And Christ is pictured here as the rich man. The Savior has dispensed to his people certain goods, goods that we are responsible for. These goods have been entrusted to us and God expects us to use those particular goods for his glory and for His honor. And tonight we want to consider then the goods that God has entrusted to us as His stewards here on earth. And as we do so, I want us to ask the question, if God was then to summons me as he summons this steward in the parable, to give an account of the stewardship with respect to the goods that he has entrusted to me, I wonder would he conclude that I have been a good steward or will I be classified or would I be classified as someone who has been a wasteful steward of such things? So we need to consider then what goods has God entrusted to us as Lord that we are to then employ and use for His glory and for the advancement of His kingdom. In the first place, let's consider our stewardship when it comes to the matter of time. Time. Stewardship of time refers to the responsible management and use of the time. that God has entrusted to us. Now within the Christian context, it is understood that time is a gift from God. And believers are to use their time wisely for God's glory and for His purposes. In Ephesians chapter 5 and the verse 16, we are given the command to redeem the time. The Spirit of God says, redeeming the time because the days are evil. The word redeem means to buy back. And so there is the thought behind this command that we are to rescue, or we are to recover, or we are to buy back our time from waste. in order that we might employ it in those things that are profitable and those things that are good. You know, it's very interesting that the world talks about spending their time. Maybe someone asks you, well, how did you spend your time at the weekend? How did you spend your time yesterday? But the Word of God does not speak about spending time. But for the believer, the Word of God speaks about redeeming or buying time. Buying it back from waste. You see, God knows that we're very good at wasting time. We're very good at wasting time on trivial things, and we need to buy back that time. We need to redeem it. We need to recover it. We need to rescue it from waste. We need to be reminded that the time that we have on this earth is limited. Our time on earth is something that has been determined by God. Our time on earth is not something that is going to be determined at some point in the future for us, but our time on earth has already been determined by God. This is something that Job comes to acknowledge in Job chapter 14 in the verse number 5. When speaking about man, he says these words, Speaking about God. God has determined, God has appointed the days that we have on this earth, and that is something that cannot be changed. There is a bond, there is a line, as it were, drawn on the calendar of time in which we will never be able to cross over. In other words, God knows the day, the hour, the minute, the second in which we will leave this world. Our time is allotted to us. It is appointed to us. It is determined by us. And day after day, the time that we have is getting less and less. The sands of time. are sinking through life's time clock. And the Bible repeatedly emphasizes the fleeting nature of time and the importance of using it wisely. Psalm 90 and the verse 12 is one such example where Moses prays, so teach us to number our days. that we may apply our hearts on to wisdom. That verse really highlights to us the awareness that we need to have with regard to the brevity of life and the pursuit of wisdom and how we then use our time or employ our time. If we are to use our time wisely, if we are to be good stewards of the time that God has given to us, then the following principles should be taken to heart. Number one, when it comes to our time, we should prioritize and not minimize the kingdom of God. we should prioritize and not minimize the kingdom of God. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 6, 33, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added on to you. This principle calls us to prioritize our relationship with God and his purposes above everything else, ensuring that our time is aligned with eternal values. And this is what we have come to do tonight. Maybe you haven't thought of it in this way, but by setting aside all other things that vie for your time, you've made the effort to come to the house of God, to listen to the word of God, and to see God's face in prayer. You have invested your time, a commodity that is so valuable to all of us, to seek first the kingdom of God tonight. May the Lord bless you for it. And so there must be a prioritization, not a minimization of all things relating to the kingdom of God. When it comes to our time, we should be diligent and not lazy. Proverbs 6, in the verses 6 through to 8, encourages diligence when it comes to the employment of time, and it takes the example of the little ant. Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise, which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. And what that passage of Scripture and that little illustration does, it highlights the value of hard work and preparation, and it urges us as believers to be industrious and to be busy in the time that God has given to us, because winter is coming. Winter is coming. On the other hand, God in His Word warns against idleness and misuse of time. In 2 Thessalonians 3 verses 11 to 12 Paul addresses those who were idle. encouraging them to work quietly and to earn their own living. And this admonition, it reflects the importance of the productive use of our time. We are to use it, we are to employ it, not to flitter it away, but to be diligent, not to be lazy, but to be diligent when it comes to our employment of time. Do you remember what the Savior said? He was aware of the shortness of time that was left to him on earth. And so in John chapter 9 in the verse 4, he said, I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work. He understood that his window of opportunity to serve and to minister on this earth was going to come to a close with regard to his own personal presence on this earth. And so he was busy, employed, and employing his time. Think of the early mornings. Think of the late nights of our Savior. He was a man who was he bought back, he redeemed his time. When it comes to our time, there's a third principle. We should be focused and not scattered. I'm sure you've heard the saying, maybe you've heard it said about someone, they've got too many irons in the fire. Too many irons in the fire. It's really a statement that means that a person attempts to handle too many tasks or responsibilities simultaneously. And it often leads to an overcommitment or a risk of them being unable to manage the thing effectively. You see, as Christians, we are to be focused when it comes to our employment of time. There are many things that we could do with time, of course there are, but we need to be focused on how we employ this precious commodity. The Apostle Paul said, this one thing I do. He used his time for one thing. Rather than doing many things to a reasonable standard, we should use our time or we should do one thing to the best standard possible. Just think of all of the things that we waste our time on, non-important things. A little stock taking now and again would do us no harm when it comes to this good or this commodity of time that God has given to us. You think of that. God has determined a period of time in which you will exist in this world, and we will have to give an account to God for every moment of time, every minute that we spend in this world. Maybe a little less time on the telephone gossiping about others might be needful. Maybe a little less Time scrolling through social media feeds or watching YouTube videos might be the order of the day. In other words, less of this, and less of this, and less of this, and more of this would be beneficial. Less of this, playing with the computer, and more of this. How do we use our time? Less of this on the telephone. Gossiping about someone else within the work of God, and more of this. Why are we using our time? Let's use our time wisely as good stewards. Richard Baxter had counsel to give in regard to the subject of time. He said this, he said, place a high value upon your time. Be more careful of not losing it than you would of losing your money. Do not let worthless recreations Idle, talk, unprofitable company, or sleep rob you of your precious time. Be more careful to escape that person, action, or course of life that would rob you of your time than you would be to escape thieves and robbers. May God help me, may God help you to remember how short our time is. God has given you the good of time, one of the goods that he has entrusted to you. What are we doing with our time? What are we doing as stewards with our time? Think then about our stewardship when it comes to treasure, treasure. I know that I'm coming to speak about an uncomfortable subject matter whenever I come to speak about money and finances. When we come to think about our stewardship of our finances, we have already started off on the wrong footing. But you hear what I said. When we come to think about the stewardship of our finances, we've already started off on the wrong footing. I say that because they are not our finances. They are God's. And let me prove that to you. When David came to recount in his first 1 Chronicles chapter 29, the contributions that the people of God had made to the building of the temple. Contributions that included 3,000 talents of gold and 7,000 talents of refined silver. David addresses God in the verse 14 of 1 Chronicles chapter 29 with these words, but who am I and what is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort For all things come off thee, and off thine own have we given thee. In other words, what they gave to God actually already was His. They were simply giving back to God a portion of that which was already His. And so this verse reminds us This verse reminds us that the finances that we possess really are that which God has given to us, and we are simply giving to God that which is already, and that which already belongs to Him. You know, the key to these people's giving is seen in that little word in the verse 14. Willing. Willing. These people offered willingly. willingly. And you can read all of the things that they offered to God. They offered the best, obviously, to God when they came to see to the furnishing of the materials for the building of the temple. But they offered it willingly. That's what the scripture says. These people, they were not coerced. They were not pressurized, they were not emotionally manipulated, they were not put on a guilt trip by David to give to the work of God. Rather, these people gave willingly because they came to understand the need for the temple's building and they also understood that the blessings that they enjoyed in life were blessings that had come to them from God. And so in light of that, these people willingly gave. They willingly gave. Now, I know that God's people don't like to hear their ministers talk about money. And I don't like to talk about money. We need to be reminded, brethren and sisters, that there is no portion of our money that is our money. And the rest is then God's money. According to David, here in 1 Chronicles 29, It is all God's money, He owns it all, He gives it all, and He has simply entrusted a portion of it to us for His service. And let me make that little point of application when it comes to what we are attempting to do here in the building and refurbishment work. We simply want God's people to give willingly. I'm not going to coerce you. manipulate you. But there is a need, there is a need. The need is known to us, the finances are required, and we're simply looking for God's people to give willingly, willingly to the work of God. Now the Lord has a special interest in what we do with our finances. According and addressing The people in Malachi's day, God asked the question, will a man rob God? Yet have you robbed me? But ye say wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there be meat in my house, and prove me now. Herewith saith the Lord of hosts, that I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. God's people in the days of Malachi were not giving to God what was rightfully his, and God charged them with robbery. God forbid that such a charge would be leveled against me. The command of God is very clear, brethren and sisters. 1 Corinthians 16 verse 2, upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him and store as God has prospered him. When the tithe, which is about a tenth of a person's income, was required under the law, Now that we're under grace and we enjoy the benefits of being under grace, the tithe should only be the starting point, not the end point, when it comes to our giving. Where was it that the Savior sat when he went to the temple in Mark chapter 12? It was over against the treasury. And there he observed how the people cast money into the treasure. I wonder if God sat beside the offering plates of our churches. I wonder what God would have to say. What would he have to think about our giving? You may say, well, that's very personal, Reverend Stewart, and it is. But God has a lot to say about money and his word, the love of it, the investment of it, the use of it. And we would do well to familiarize ourselves with what God has to say about money and bring our lives into the teaching, into line with his teachings with regard to money. We are not to be wasteful when it comes to our money. We're not to spend money on unnecessary things and neither are we to be frugal. God says, especially when it comes to giving to God's work, that the Lord loveth a cheerful giver. And those that give bountifully will receive bountifully, or so bountifully will reap bountifully. God, who liberally gives us all things to enjoy, calls believers to return a portion of their income to support the work of the church. and the spreading of the gospel. And whenever we come to understand that our giving to God's work is a means of advancing God's kingdom, and a means of glorifying his name, and a means of laying up for ourselves treasure in heaven, and a means of receiving even a blessing in this life, then we will become those cheerful givers that Paul speaks about in 2 Corinthians 9 and the verse number 7. So again, we have been entrusted with finances, we've been entrusted with treasure. What are we doing with that treasure? What are we doing with it? Are we hoarding it up for ourselves or are we giving? Are we individuals that give liberally to the work of God? And I know that God's people here do give. You do give, but let us not be found wanting. Let us not be found wanting in these days. And so there is the stewardship of treasure. Thirdly, there is a stewardship of talents, talents. Every person has been endowed by God with a spiritual gift or a spiritual talent. Some have the gift of friendship. Others have the gift of communication. Some have the gift of hospitality. Others, they have a gift to organize. Some with regard to administration. Others with regard to encouragement. Some are gifted musically. Others, they're gifted when it comes to writing. The list is almost endless. Paul writes about the differing gifts. Grace that God has bestowed in the church in Romans chapter 12 Let me read from the verse number three for I say through the grace given on to you to every man that is among you Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think but to think soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith Whereas we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another, having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let prophesying according to the proportion of faith, or ministry let us wait on ministry, or he that teacheth on teaching, or he that exhorteth on exhortation, he that giveth let him do it with simplicity, he that ruleth with diligence, he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness." The gifts God has given to His children are those spiritual abilities that are given to Him that enable Christians to serve Him and to serve the body of Christ. Now those gifts, they're never to be used for personal gain or for personal advancement, but rather they are to be used for the glory of God and for the benefit of others. And that's what Peter comes to emphasize in 1 Peter 4, verse 12. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. And so we have the stewardship here of the gift. You know, brethren and sisters, God sovereignly determines the gifts and the talents that he dispenses to all within the body of Christ. They might be many, they may be few, but he mandates us to use those gifts to advance His kingdom on earth. And even those who have only but one gift are to use that gift to bear fruit for the kingdom of God. I wonder, are you employing then the gift that God has given you. God has gifted you and trusted you with certain gifts and graces. How are you deploying them? Are you using them to advance self or to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ? John Calvin, the reformer, said, there will be no excuse of the indolence of those who both conceal the gifts of God and waste their time in idleness. No excuse, Calvin said, for those who conceal the gifts of God and who waste their time in idleness. And rather than complaining that we don't have the gifts and the abilities that others do, let us deploy and employ the gifts that we do possess, remembering that we will all give an account of ourselves to God. And in that accounting, There will undoubtedly be an appraisal of what we did with the gifts and the graces that God endowed us with, both within the church and outside the church in our secular lives. Let's not neglect the gift that is within us. But as good stewards, let us employ and deploy those gifts within the church of Jesus Christ. So God has entrusted us as his stewards with time and with treasure and with talents. One final truth. What about our stewardship when it comes to the truth, the truth Now, certainly ministers are stewards of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 4, verse 1, Paul wrote, "'Let a man so account of us as ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.'" The minister of Christ is a steward of the mysteries of God. It's just another way of speaking about the doctrines of the gospel. The entrusting of the gospel to man is something that Paul writes again about in 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 4. But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, so even we speak, not pleasing men, but God. which trieth the heart." What an honor to be put in trust with the gospel, that God has entrusted man with the gospel. Now, while ministers are those who are entrusted with the gospel, in a sense, we have all been entrusted with the gospel. All who have come to believe and all who have come to receive the gospel are duly bound to do two things with the gospel. Number one, we are to share the gospel. If the gospel has delivered you, If you have come to believe and receive the gospel, then you, as one who has received the gospel, are then now to share the gospel. We are to be engaged in the fulfillment of the Great Commission, which requires us to go into all the world and to preach the gospel to every creature. Are we doing that? Do we share the gospel? Not only are we to share the gospel, but we are to also exhibit the gospel. Live out the gospel. Living out the gospel is so important in these days, for it evidences to us, as well as to a skeptical world, that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, as epistles being read every day by an ungodly world, we need to make sure that as stewards of the gospel, that we are then living out the gospel which sees to the practical application of the teaching and the principles of the gospel in the daily life of the child of God. In other words, we are to live out what we find in here. Whatever we find in here, we're to live out in our lives. were to exhibit the gospel, the teaching of the Word of God. Not every Christian is called by God to be a preacher. Not every Christian is called by God to serve as a missionary or to lead a Sunday school class or a Bible class or be a youth leader. But every Christian is called by God to share in the evangelization of this world. Brother, sister, the gospel of Jesus Christ has been given to you as a sacred trust. Are you a good steward of the gospel? Think of it. God has put into your hands the gospel. He's depending on us in this generation to spread the gospel. to propagate the gospel, to live out the gospel in this generation. God has put it into our hands. Are we good stewards of this gospel, the truth of God? Are we sharing it with others? Are we exhibiting it to others? Or are we hiding the gospel away from those who need to hear it and from those who need to see it? Every Christian is a steward. God has given to us goods. The Lord has entrusted to us goods, the good of time, the good of treasure, the good of talents, as well as the good of the truth of the gospel, the truth of God. How is our management of such things going these days. How are we managing our time? How are we managing our talents? How are we managing our treasure? How are we managing the truth of God? Maybe in light of what has been said tonight, we need to make a number of adjustments in our lives So that whenever we come to give an account of our stewardship to God, that we'll not be ashamed. If such adjustments need to be made in our lives, may God give us then the grace to make those adjustments. Maybe an adjustment with regard to our time. Spending a little less time scrolling, and a little bit more time studying God's Word. Maybe God dealing with our hearts with regard to our finances. Are we wasting it on silly, trivial things? There are necessary things in life, of course there are. We need to lay up also for future days and for our children. Of course we do. But do we use our money wisely? Are we investing it in the things that are eternal? When it comes to our talents, are we hiding our talents away? Or are we offering, as it were, our services in the work of God? Are we those who are willing to say yes when asked to do something for God? What about the truth of the gospel? Are we sharing it? Are we living it out? Are we living out God's Word from day to day? These have been put into our hands, these goods, as stewards. Oh, may we not be a wasteful steward, but may we be wise. And may we give ourselves to using that which God has put into our hands. May we use it for his praise and for his glory and the advancement of his kingdom here on earth. May the Lord bless his word to our hearts. We'll bow our heads in prayer together. Our Heavenly Father, Lord, I have to confess that this has been a very searching word, at least to my own heart, these various things that thou has given to us. And Lord, too often times we find ourselves misusing and abusing these particular things. Our time, oh, we waste so much of it. And our talents, oh, we give it to other things, to the advancement of self. or treasure. We buy things that, Lord, we really do not need. And Lord, we confess that at times we do hide the truth, a truth that is able to set sinners free. O help us, Lord, with these precious things entrusted to us. May we invest in those things that truly matter, and grant, dear God, us to come to the end of life's journey, and as we walk through heaven's gates themselves, that we would hear the words, well done, thy good and faithful servant and steward. O help us, Lord, to manage properly that which thou hast given, may we not be charged with mismanagement with regard to these particular things. We need help, Lord, in this. Guide us by thy Spirit and work in our hearts, we pray. We offer our prayers in and through the Savior's holy and precious name.