Soul Shift: Consumer to Steward / Message #5

September 9, 2012

Soul Shift: Consumer to Steward / Message #5

Luke 12:15-21

Scott Howard

How is culture affecting us?

·         Do I see other people’s stuff and become critical or bored with my own?

·         Do I shop for recreation?

·         Do I buy compulsively (because I feel like it) without thinking first of my budget or my need?

·         Is my circle of “need” getting bigger (such as cell phones, iPods, etc)?

·         Do I complain a lot about how much I make (my salary)?

·         Do I feel self-conscious when I am around rich people?

·         Do I give less than 10 % of my income to the ministry of the church?

·         Does it annoy me when the preacher talks about money?

In order to shift our souls, mindsets, attitudes from a Consumer to a Steward we must realize that:

Everything we have comes from God!

“You may say to yourself, my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me, but remember the Lord your God for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”  ----Deuteronomy 8:17-18

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.”  ---Psalm 24:1

Sermon Scripture:

“Then he [Jesus] said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’  And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do?  I have no place to store my crops.’  Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do.  I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.  Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you.  Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’  This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.’”    ---Luke 12:15-21

·         I am a Manager of everything that God has given to me.  And we will all be held accountable for how we manage it all, and how we care for the things God has given to us.

·         When I realize that everything that I have is God’s, it is easier for me to give back to God what really belongs to Him anyway.  It won’t be ours forever, we can’t take it with us, so it’s as if we are just borrowing it for now.

·         God wants your Heart---everything else will fall into place if we are “rich toward God.”

Guidelines:

·         If your standard of living isn’t being somehow changed by the amount of money that you give, then you may not be giving enough.

·         The Cross --- Jesus gave ALL of Himself, sacrifice

·         We have to learn to Share with others

The rich man in the parable was selfish and arrogant.  To become more Steward-minded we must realize all that we have has been given to us by God.  We are to share what we do have with others, and give back to the church to further God’s Kingdom while we are here on earth.  And when it comes to possessions that we have in our households; just like when a friend gives you a gift, or lends you something, you want to take care of it because it was not yours to begin with.