Jesus at the Center of Our Story
Stewardship • Message 3
Bryan Jones
April 21, 2024

A. Introduction

You know there are two subjects I have preached on that people bristle at… money and gluttony. I did a talk on gluttony in Texas, a land that is flowing with queso and Dr. Pepper, and it was the only time I literally got no feedback, good or bad. People don’t want to talk about fasting or money… but not you guys, right?!?

A survey was done years ago, and the two subjects people wanted to hear about were end times and sex… with a possible third, will there be sex in the end times?

There are some subjects people want to hear, and some others don’t want to hear…  

You know, in 1905, there was a belief that became a law… and this law became separation of church and state. The idea is that the First Amendment allows citizens freedom to practice any religion and prevents the government from favoring any religion.

The problem is culture has taken this to an extreme. As it becomes more and more secular, it doesn’t just separate it becomes hostile towards church and faith…

On a way smaller degree, I have found that the church has a separation of its own form… it’s not a separation of church and state…. It’s a separation of church and money…

In fact, I’ve noticed there is a level of resistance and hostility the moment you talk about money with certain Christians.

But I want you to see that you can’t separate money and the church, even if the subject has been handled well by the global church for years… and here’s one of the first reasons...

B. Money is a soul issue, not a surface-level issue.
(Luke 12:13-19)

In all honesty, we tend to treat money like it’s a surface thing… but Jesus shows us it isn’t a surface-level issue it’s a soul issue… I want you to see money isn’t a surface issue or a worldly issue; it’s a soul issue, it’s a discipleship issue.

Thus, you cannot separate money and faith.

You know what’s interesting in this text is that it’s a complete separation of God and money. There is no awareness, no mention or account of God…

Then He told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

Luke 12:16-19 (NLT)

Do you realize how many times in this parable himself is mentioned with phrases like me, I’ll, my, I? I counted 13 times… 13 times! Do you know how many times God is mentioned? Not once…

This man, like we can be prone to do if we aren’t careful, separated money and faith. We tend to make money a surface-level issue, but Jesus makes it a discipleship issue, a soul issue…

and He says it’s a soul issue in verse 19…

‘And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

Luke 12:19 (NLT)

Notice the word myself. It’s actually best translated soul or breathe.

It’s the world psuché (psoo-khay').

Listen to how the ESV actually translates it…

‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’

Luke 12:19 (ESV)

Do you notice he is telling his soul you have enough… the problem with the stuff of this world is it's never enough… it will be just a little more success, just a little more love, just a little more pleasure, just a little more money… you end up becoming consumed with money and resources this is what happens to the man… why?

Because money isn’t a surface issue, It’s a soul issue…

The point Jesus wants us to see is that for some, money isn’t what we have; it becomes who we are. It becomes a source of our identity. It’s the soul issue.

What I love about this story is Jesus wasn’t even talking about money in this section. He’s talking about hypocrisy and the religious leaders. Then a man interrupts and asks a completely disconnected question…

Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” Jesus replied, “Friend, who made Me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

Luke 12:13-15 (NLT)

Jesus is talking about one thing, and then this man just changes the subject and starts talking about a moment…

A moment of honesty, have you ever had a moment… where your friend or your spouse is pouring out their heart and once they're done… you ask that question that gets you a look of death… Hey, quick question, what do you want to do for dinner? or what’s for dinner? Which is practically like saying, Hey, I know your whole world is falling apart, but I’m hungry.

Jesus is talking about a whole other subject, but do you notice what this man is concerned about? Money is on his mind… There is Jesus, the source of life, right in front of him, and he’s concerned about the resources… He has the water of life, and he’s more interested in the fleeting pleasures of life.

C. God hasn’t called you to manage money, He’s called you to steward money.
(Luke 12:18, 20-21)

Managing money is a great business principle, but It’s not enough to manage money…

Look at this text; you would be hard-pressed to find a guy who managed his resources better.

Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.

Luke 12:18 (NLT)

This man is exactly who you would want to manage your money. He’s getting the best bang for his buck. He's not wasting; he’s saving. He's planning, he’s preparing for the future. You could even say he's been faithful with what he’s been entrusted with…

But yet, notice what God has a problem with… just managing money…

But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Luke 12:20-21 (NLT)

He's not a fool for being rich… He’s a fool for not properly stewarding his life and soul. He let money become his god. His life wasn’t caught up in bad things, but it wasn’t caught up in the right things…

Think about this whole series… Jesus at the Center of Our Story… How can Jesus be at the center of your story if He’s not at the center of your finances? I’ve said this before: You can give and not love, but you can’t love and not give.

So, let me show God is calling us to steward money.

Let me show I think we can have three approaches to money:

Consuming   (It's all going away)            Reduces the importance of money

Stewarding   (It's all God's)

Managing     (It's all about the money)   Reduces the Importance of God

Stewardship is all about being generous towards God.

I don’t think that I’m going to get to heaven, and God’s going to say I hold this against you, you spent too much money on hobbies… and I don’t think John is going to get to heaven and hear you spent too much trying to maximize money.

The most important question is: Have I been generous to God? That is the stewardship question.

The first approach is wasting or consuming… while people wouldn’t use those words… it’s the idea of the prodigal son wasting what he’s been entrusted with…

It’s the opposite of managing… it’s where we put little to no stock in money. We say things like it's all going away or it's just money… While the sentiment is good, it's not the right application. God wants you to be wise with what you’ve been given.

The opposite extreme is managing money… and I mentioned this… it's all about the money… in this case, you separate faith and money… and in this category, you tip God, but you treat money like it's yours… I have also noted in this category that people don’t want to tithe until they feel like they approve of everything the money is going towards…. my wife and I took a year off from ministry… and we were a part of a church. I didn’t agree with everything they did, but I tithed because I’m called to give… and I won't be held responsible for how they stewarded the money, but they will… Listen, investigate and look into things. That’s wise, and it’s stewardship, but waiting to give until you are convinced it’s the best bang for your buck isn’t stewardship it's managing, and if we're honest, sometimes it's an excuse not to give… I and the leaders of the church will stand before God and give an account of how we steward the resources of the church, and I don’t take that lightly…

The biblical response is stewarding. This is where you believe it's all God’s and are stewarding it… People in this camp know that they are investing in eternity… Listen, the point isn’t about being rich or poor; it's about generosity….

I know rich people who are very generous.

I know rich people who are greedy.

I know poor people who are generous.

I know poor people who are greedy.

One of my favorite moments of generosity that happened over the last 20 years of doing ministry actually happened this last year… a lady from our church wrote a note and said she is falling on difficult times, and she has very little. And with joy, she wrote a note and said I want to give all I can because God has given me so much… and I hope to give more one day… but I'm not waiting… and she gave few dollars…

Let me ask you this, don’t you think that moved the heart of God?!?

The point is generosity. Your heart is soft towards God and others, and stewardship is one of the ways you see that… We have so many generous people in our church… and I really am proud of you for your heart of generosity….

Generosity is between you and God… but it's my job to be faithful and preach on it… Maybe even the subject of gluttony, but I will spread them out, I promise…

But I want you to pray about taking a step…

Nothing to something.

Something to specific.

Specific to tithe.

Tithe to Spirit led.

I want to invite you to give out of a spirit of generosity and joy, not out of obligation… Friends, God isn’t needy, and He always provides for His church and people… so we must remember that as we give!

Several months ago, Tristan asked for some money for a toy box at school, so we gave him 5-10 dollars…

Little did I know that he had taken a portion of that money and used it to buy Steph and me Christmas presents.

And he was so excited that he put it in a little bag, and put it under the tree and when we were opening presents, he was excited to give me this gift… right here… the world’s smallest trophy

Let me ask you a question… Whose money was it? Mine, I gave it to him…

I didn’t need him to buy me that trophy. I could have bought a way bigger one…

And if we are being honest, from a management standpoint, I think he could have found it cheaper somewhere else. But do you know what I said? Thank you…

His kindness to me blessed my heart… I have it sitting on the top of a shelf in my home office, and the other day, he came in, and he said so, Dad, do you like the trophy. I said yes, son, I do…

You don’t give because God is needy. You give because He’s good.

My son’s gift moved my heart. And your gifts move the heart of God…