In the sermon titled 'Stewardship,' Kelly Jennings discusses the concept of stewardship from a Christian perspective, emphasizing its importance beyond just financial intelligence. Jennings starts by defining stewardship as the responsibility of managing what one does not own, as per Webster's 1828 dictionary, highlighting that everything belongs to God. The sermon stresses the dangers of money and the love of wealth, referencing scriptures such as Psalm 24, Matthew 6:24, and Deuteronomy 8:18, which underline that God is the true owner and provider of all resources. Jennings warns against letting worldly wealth control us, urging listeners to examine their motives and prioritize working for the glory of God. Furthermore, the sermon explains that godliness and contentment are vital attributes of a true steward, citing 1 Timothy 6 and the teachings of A.W. Pink to illustrate that godliness should transform our daily conduct. The speaker also discusses the potential pitfalls of the love of money, which can lead individuals to stray from their faith, using personal anecdotes and scripture to emphasize the need for contentment and reliance on God. Lastly, Jennings encourages believers to use their wealth generously, to not place their hope in riches, and to focus on storing treasures in heaven as outlined in Matthew 6:19-21.

I want to start by saying good evening everyone and to basically say you're actually going to hear a lot of the same and what I'm about to say And I think that's vitally important because we're setting a foundation here. We're talking about financial intelligence, we're talking about money. But we know that money and that love of money can be very dangerous. So we're spending a lot of time setting a foundation for everything that you're gonna hear this weekend. And so it's if we miss this point but give you all the financial intelligence in the world we missed the boat.

So again hang on here with me for 30 minutes you're gonna hear a lot of the same but you must get what God word says about says about money mammon those different things. So my job here this evening is stewardship. And so I'm gonna start by giving us a definition of stewardship. And also say, I am an oddball here. I actually don't have a PowerPoint for this this evening.

And so I'm just going to try to take God's word and just dissect this a bit. Now I will say if you need notes or things or kind of text that I talk about, let me know. I can shoot that over to you. Or I can send Mr. Brown the whole link and get it out to everyone.

All right with that said stewardship. So I'm gonna start with a definition. Webster's 1828 dictionary says a man employed in great families to manage a domestic concern, superintend the other servants, collect rents or income, keep the accounts. So a steward is someone who is put in charge of something by a master or an owner. The steward does not own any of any of it but is responsible for everything that he does with it.

Now stewardship is vitally important. As a Christian we do not truly own anything as you heard earlier as it says in Psalm 24 it says the earth is the Lord's and the fullness and all its fullness the world and those who dwell therein so in simple terms God owns it all we have to remember that all right and then as our definition says we are stewards Basically we're an employee if you will. We're working for God if you want to look at it that way. I think it is important to note as well that although we are talking about financial intelligence we are given stewardship responsibility over much more than just financial things. For example, our bodies, church, family, friendships, all those different things.

So even these principles, you hear on a financial intelligence basis, they apply to much more aspects of our lives. Okay? And so, what does that look like in the world of our financial intelligence? Well, one, I wanna make this clear. You should work harder for the kingdom than you work for the world.

So, examine yourself, examine your motives. As you work, whether or not, if you're working as an entrepreneur, as an employee, as a steward of your financial resources, your number one objective should be working for the glory of God, and God will supply the rest. You will hear scripture as I mentioned as was mentioned earlier referred to money as mammon. We saw that in Matthew chapter 6 verse 24 it says no one can serve two masters for either he will hate one and love the other or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other you cannot serve God and mammon and I know that's kind of a foreign word maybe for the younger people as that's kind of what we're directing this to so I want to help kind of give a definition of mammon mammon just basically means worldly wealth the things of this world as was mentioned earlier as well mammon in and of itself is not bad. It's not wrong.

They are just things. The problem comes when you no longer have worldly wealth, but worldly wealth has you. You have to ask yourself, is mammon controlling you or are you controlling mammon? Deuteronomy 8.18 says, and you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant with he who swore to your fathers. As it is this day, he gives man the power to gain wealth.

Again, God owns it all. Drive that home in every aspect of your consciousness as you're trying to manage your financial resources. So as that again, that concept pertains to money, money again, it's a medium of exchange. Basically, the only value that money has is the value that we give to it. So we say this is a one dollar bill.

Well, we both agree that this one dollar will purchase whatever we say, yes, that one dollar purchase. That is it. We know that Money in and of itself is amoral. And so when we talk about money, we are talking about our life. Where your money goes is an indicator of where your heart is.

How you spend your money tells us a lot about you. Hear this quote, our attitude toward and our treatment of possessions directly affect the glory of God and the testimony of Christ. Say that again. Our attitude toward and our treatment of possessions directly affect the glory of God in the testimony of Christ." That was said by Pastor Dean Allen. Now I'm not going to go into Luke 16 because Brother Davenport will hit on that tomorrow, but suffice to say when he hits on and talks about Luke 16, another quote, stewardship is vital.

You will reap in eternity what you sow here on earth. Again, stewardship is vital. You will reap in eternity what you sow here on earth. So remember 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 7. For who makes you differ from another?

And what do you have that you did not receive? Now, if you did not receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? Remember, it is not in and of itself wrong to enjoy the things that God has created. Going on a vacation, buying a car, buying a house, these things are not bad. Again, you wanna make sure that you are in control of those things and those things are not controlling you and your emotions.

But just make sure you thank God for it. That you give God the glory for all that we have because we know we are working for him. He's providing all that we have. Okay, and I wanna say one final thing before I look at our text this morning on how to pursue stewardship. Be careful not to have the attitude of, How much can I get of this world and still go to heaven?

Young people, if we're not careful, we have these conversations all the time. Can I do this, if I do just that and I don't go outside that line, can I still be a Christian? If I spend my money on this and I know it's a little outside that line is that don't walk that line and I would ask you if you find yourself in this position I would ask you to find yourself on your knees before God in repentance, if you are. I don't have time to look at it deeply, but if you find some time over the next few days, I would like for you to go to Luke chapter three and look at verses seven through 14. That's Luke chapter three, seven through 14.

This is why I say this is important when he was baptizing You see what he says to the people when they ask him. What must we do? Y'all know the scene you've heard it. He's baptized and they come just what must we do? You will see that every answer he gives pertains to the management of their financial resources.

How we handle our finances and our resources are vitally important. All right, now if you have your Bibles, will you turn with me to 1 Timothy, chapter six. I just wanna look real quickly at verses two through 10 and then 17 through 19. That's 1st Timothy 6, 2 through 10 and 17 through 19. In my quest to drive home the importance of stewardship I want to look at three different attributes of a true steward.

Godliness, contentment, and true riches. So in verses three through five it says, teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up and conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicion and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain." And so, I did not realize until I was preparing this message how many times that Paul uses the word godliness here in this letter. It is used more times in this book than any other book in the Bible.

You see it in 1st Timothy 2, 1 through 2 and also verse 10, 1st Timothy 3, verse 16, 1st Timothy 4, verse 7 through 8, chapter 5, verse 4, chapter 6, verses 3, 5, 6, and 11. So we're talking about godliness. What is godliness? I think the simple answer is Godliness is pursuing God or trying to be more like God. I want you to hear how A.W.

Pink defines Godliness. The doctrine which according to Godliness is much more than a series of intellectual truths intended for the instructions of our brains. They are to have a powerful effect upon our daily walk. There is no doctrine revealed in scripture for a merely speculative knowledge, but all is to exert a powerful influence upon conduct. God's design and all that he has revealed to us is to the purifying of our affections and the transforming of our characters.

The doctrine of grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust and give soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Everything in scripture has in view the promotion of holiness. That's A.W. Pink. What we learn about God basically is what he's saying is not, can't be merely head knowledge.

I mean we go, you want to, if you're not careful you get puffed up because I know a lot of what the Word of God says. But our actions must reflect that which we say we believe. It's basically what Mr. Pink is saying here. Can I please, I wanna please put a footnote here as well?

We all know the story of Job. The Bible says that He was blameless, he was upright, yet he still went through hardship and he went through poverty. Pursuing godliness does not mean that you will be rich, that you will have your best life now, and you will prosper in all the ways that you hope. So young people, when you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that does not mean the gates open up and all the money pours in and you just your life is the greatest thing that you're ever gonna have. Think of Job the hardship that he went through, yet he continued to pursue God.

Did he have some difficulties in things there? Yes, but the overall point of that is continue to pursue God and pursue godliness, even through your hardships. Contentment, so I wanna move to verse six through 10. But godliness, he says, but godliness with contentment is great gain for we brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing with these, we will be content.

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and perceived themselves and pierced themselves with pains so Verse 6 he says but godliness with contentment is great gain Therefore our pursuit of godliness in our pursuit of godliness. We must also remember to pray for contentment. Honestly, it is strange to me that we can earnestly pursue God, yet lack contentment.

It continues to illustrate to me that we are wretched from the word go. Think about it, you're pursuing God, the God of this world, yet I'm not content. Paul could have said godliness is great gain, but he says godliness with contentment is great gain because he knows our desire for more. So as we're talking about financial resources, hard work, all those things and how we are to dissect those things. We must seek to be content with what God has given us.

Cause we gotta remember things are coming at us every day. We got ads on computers, billboard signs, cell phones, friends, families, you name it, it is being thrown at us each and every day. And I'm gonna go out on a limb, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that everyone under the sound of my voice right now falls into the category, this rich category. If you don't think so, take a trip to the Delta. I came from Mississippi, the Delta, it's like going to a third world country.

And so if you haven't been, take a trip there or take a trip to a third world country and you will really start to see just how rich you really are. And, because I don't want us to think that this text is talking to like the one percenters, the upper class that you kind of hear out in our country where the the billionaires and those we need to tax those guys and all this thing. Again I'm out on a limb here that everyone sitting under the side of my sound of my voice would fall into this rich category. Be mindful of that that God has given you we must seek to be stewards of his riches of the riches that he has granted to us But Paul says if we have food and clothing or The word can also be translating if we have food and covering we should be content But the truth is that we are no different than the Israelites. As soon as God blesses us, the next minute we're crying and whining about something, or we want more, or oh, why this, or Why not that also when we receive our blessings from God?

So then Paul isolates the love of money when you look at verses nine through 10. And so it says, but those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money as we discuss is the root of all kinds of evil. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. Let me be clear.

Again, the problem is not the money. The problem is our sinful, lustful hearts. Romans, let's not forget Paul in Romans chapter 7. He says, in my flesh dwells no good thing. Then we see in verse nine where he says, the love plunges us into ruin and destruction for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

And if you think about it, and it's just probably me, As anyone ever said, you know what, I would never do that. No way. Somebody said, well, what if they gave you $10, 000 to do it? Well, I don't know. I think I would do that.

What changed between me looking at that situation and saying, there's nowhere in the world I do that? Well, you offered $10, 000. In that, it was not the money, it was me knowing what that money could do for me or the enjoyment that it could provide for me. We must again be mindful of our heart's desire. If you don't hear me say or get anything else out of what I say here tonight, it's we must be mindful if we are to be true stewards of God's resources to us.

Okay, Paul says that the love and that desire causes some of us to wander from the faith. I want you to wrap your mind around this. He says it causes some to wander from the faith. Can you imagine that? I hope you can't.

I pray you can't. But it has happened, it is happening, and it will continue to happen. The fact that one would crave the love of money so much that they would know the love and truth of God, but yet walk away from it because that thing can provide something. I want to throw something out here. My background, coming from where I came from, in the football world, never forget a guy was sitting around, we're talking, we're at a conference, and he said he received the second contract and in this world of football the second contract is always kind of the thing to get to.

He received it a lot of money and he said he went out to eat with his wife and the the thought truly crossed his mind This was a Christian brother. He said, you know, I don't feel like I need God anymore. I want you to chew on that for a second. He had enough money where he knew he could basically do anything he desired to do and the thought crossed his mind or the feeling or whatever you want to call it he said I just didn't feel like I needed God anymore be careful little ones be careful be mindful Listen to the warnings of your parents. It can be dangerous, but we must be mindful.

We must look to God's word. All right, just wanna hit us also with some just scripture on that to keep us mindful, where it says in Ecclesiastes 5 verse 18, behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun, the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. In Philippians chapter four, verse 10, I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have received your concern from me. You have revived your concern from me. You are indeed concerned for me, but you have no opportunity.

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am in to be content. I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I know that even that verse nowadays is taking a lot out of context when we just use God strengthening me from any and everything.

But here in the context of what he's talking about, he knows how to be brought low. He knows how to abound. He can do all things through Christ who strengthens him. And then Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5, keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have. For he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all else will be added to you. Finally, verses 17 through 19. It says, As for the rich in this present age, remember keep yourself in mind as it's falling in that category, charge them not to be haughty nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good and to be rich and good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus throwing up treasures for themselves as a good foundation for the future. For they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Here, Paul provides a corrective to the wrong view of what he mentions earlier in the verses earlier. So we talked about contentment and pursuing godliness and now he wraps that up and this falls under that umbrella where he says this is to those who have become richly, have become rich, presumably not by way of greed or selfish ambition, but by seeking to do the basics, providing for family, providing for humanity, God blesses us to become rich. For whatever reason, Paul says, out of a string of commands for the believers, that we see here that God has not called every Christian to abject poverty. You also hear too in circles where basically I need to just be poor and God will take care of me. I don't think that's what we see here in this text And as Brother Brown said earlier, we should be seeking to use the wisdom and the intellect and all that God has given us to earn as much money as we can earn.

Again, checking our heart and that, but giving as much away as we possibly can for the kingdom of God. And that's what I think we see here in these verses as well. And so, first he instructs the believers who are rich not to be haughty. The Greek word there is to be arrogant or exceedingly proud. In other words, do not put confidence in your riches.

Put confidence into the one who gives the riches. Do not miss the second half of verse 17. Who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. And I kind of see that as a play on words, where whether you're rich or poor, it is God who richly provides. So even if you're poor God is richly providing you everything that you have and so even in the way we think about being rich and poor we want to think about it in the proper context of God providing it therefore I'm rich.

If you have Christ, you are rich, period. Don't add, there's nothing you can add to it, nothing you can take away from it. I don't care how much money and financial resources, you have God, you have riches, period. Okay, God never intended for our blessings to stop with us. God blesses us that we may be a blessing to others, to the church, to the poor, to the needy, to the widows, to the orphans.

This according to verse 19 stores up treasures, stores up treasures for us in the future Generous distributions of one's wealth to meet others needs does not earn eternal life. Let's say that again generous Distributions of one's wealth to meet others needs does not earn eternal life. God does not need your money. God is God. You can try to pay your way to heaven all you want.

That won't get you there. But it demonstrates that one's hope has been transformed from the uncertainty of riches and placed instead on God who is the lavish giver. And what basically Paul is saying about for the future in verse 19 is we know that it's the life to come. We gotta look past this world and look to heaven, placing our treasures where they will not be stolen. And I wanna end with Matthew chapter six, verse 19 through 21.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also. This is how we steward our riches. This is how we steward the riches that God has given us.

Let's pray. Gracious God, we thank you so much for this opportunity. God, to just open your word, to look to you, to have you and for you to be enough. God, I pray as we learn about ways to steward our resources, we still find ourselves on our knees before you remembering this, that it's you who provides it. And God of us, as brothers and sisters, that we're looking, even looking out to one another to where another may have need.

I pray that you will make those things apparent to us, God, where we may be great stewards of all that you've given us, and continue to bless our times together, Father, that it may be a joyous time. We love you and we thank you