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[0:00] A message now on being a steward from Matthew 22 verses 15 through 22. But Jesus perceived their wickedness and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute money.

[0:42] And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image? And superscription. They say unto him, Caesar's.

[0:52] Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. When they had heard these words, they marveled and left him and went their way.

[1:09] Stewardship. Stewardship, it means taking care of what you have, using what you have wisely. Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's.

[1:26] Stewardship. Stewardship encompasses, number one, our talents. Our talents, our ministry, our service. It means finding a role in the church, a place of service.

[1:37] Some of them have said sacrifice is a hard word. It sounds good, but it sounds even better for someone else. It's like Kevin. Mum was preparing pancakes for her two sons.

[1:50] Kevin was five, and Ryan was three. And the boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. And the mother said, Boys, if Jesus were here, he would say, Let my brother have the first pancake.

[2:04] Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, Ryan, you be Jesus. What about you? How are you using your talents? How are you going spiritually?

[2:16] Are you using the talents God has given you wisely? It's not about others. It's about you. Will you give of yourself? The sacrifice has to come from within a personal commitment.

[2:29] Are you growing spiritually? Will you be a vision-driven Christian? Will you be one who has that clear and compelling call to serve? Will you use your talent or bury it?

[2:41] Be driven by the nails that were driven for you. God has given each of us, his children, different ways, different abilities.

[2:52] It's our responsibility to discover those gifts and use them. God has given us all something we can do for him. Part of our stewardship is in developing and using these abilities.

[3:06] Also, there's a stewardship of our time. It's about time we took time to think about time. Time is a gift amongst the greatest gifts from God.

[3:17] Do we render unto God the things that are due unto God in relation to our time? How are you going in the stewardship of life? How is your life, your relationship with God?

[3:30] How is your consistency of living for God? I preach often, I know, about the subject of commitment. It can be easy to make the mistake of getting over-committed.

[3:41] Time is running out. It's often something I feel. Let's not waste time on what's not important. We need to give time to be with God and God's people.

[3:53] Consider the value of life, the value of people, the stewardship of time. It involves our planning, our future, a vision, a purpose, a task of what we are doing in service for the Lord.

[4:08] These are things we should reckon on. And we think, as we've talked about, our stewardship of our talents, the stewardship of our time. And thirdly, consider the stewardship of our treasures.

[4:22] The Word says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12, 34. Part of our worship is our giving. People are giving sacrificially in this church.

[4:33] We know that. Christianity comes at a cost. There's the cost of Christ's giving of His all for us. The world is in desperate need. How can we use our personal treasures to see more treasures in the church?

[4:46] More souls. The real treasures in the church are the people. The priceless value of souls. One day we're going to walk down streets of gold. And earthly treasures will have no value.

[4:58] Step out in faith. Take the challenge. Are you being a good steward? Are you doing what counts? Aim high. Stretch yourself. Extend yourself. As a church, we want to do God's will.

[5:09] And as a church, we often are constrained by limited finances. Let's base our budget around the ministry instead of basing the ministry around the budget. It's about fulfilling God's mission.

[5:21] That's our calling. Do we limit our outreach or do we reach out and trust God? It's been said, reach the lost at any cost. Wouldn't it be great for us to be a church full of stewards?

[5:33] For our church ministry to grow. Christian giving is not about an amount, but it is about sacrifice. The poor widow cast in two mites. Mark 12, 41 through 44.

[5:46] The churches of Macedonia assisted other needy churches. In 2 Corinthians 8. The needs on the mission field at home and abroad are constant. God demands that we give cheerfully, freely and generously in supporting the cause of Christ in 2 Corinthians 9, 6 through 8.

[6:05] A steward is a caretaker of the possessions of another. God made everything. God owns everything. And everything that we have is not ours, but his.

[6:17] Do we render unto God the things that are God's? As a steward, let's take care of what God has provided us that he owns. Be a steward.

[6:28] Let us grow personally in our relationship with God. Let's take care of what God has provided us. See the church grow. Our relationships with others. Invite others along.

[6:40] Of course, when we can meet. And the real treasure in earthen vessels is Christ, not the human vessel that carries him. So we all have that treasure in our earthen vessels. We must all submit to the will of God.

[6:53] How can we get the job done? Where are we going? What are the goals as a church? What are the ministries that matter? And how can we increase our discipleship? Let's get back to that grassroots mission, that freshness, that creativity, and reach the world that we live in through the power of God.

[7:09] That's our commitment to unleash the power of faith, the power of the gospel, and to be good stewards of what God has given to us, to communicate the word of life, to hold it fast and hold it forth.

[7:21] So let's commit to be stewards, to make the church a better place, to renew that sense of mission, to re-engage that purpose, to do God's work in God's way.

[7:32] Let's be faithful stewards in becoming connected to the church, in our ministries and our actions, and in our life of service unto him. Let's be stewards for his glory.