NEW EYES @ FBC CABOOL
New Eyes is a podcast experience intended to provide midweek studies that educate, enliven, and embolden you in your Christian walk and keep the year's emphases in front of your eyes. Walk with us in your studies and join us in person!
NEW EYES @ FBC CABOOL
From "Mine" to "Yours": Embracing Stewardship
What if the key to spiritual growth lies in transforming the way we perceive ownership? Join us as we explore the journey from a self-centered mindset, so often seen in early childhood, to the profound maturity of biblical stewardship. We unpack how the innate cries of "no" and "mine" reflect our sinful nature, shaping our relationship with God. Through a thoughtful examination of biblical texts, like James and the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, we delve into the necessity of shifting from an ownership mentality to one of stewardship. With Romans 11:33-36 as our guiding meditation, we invite you to center your life around God's grandeur and embrace the responsibilities of stewardship.
In the next chapter, we highlight the rich tapestry of blessings that God bestows upon us, encompassing time, relationships, finances, and more. We encourage a life that glorifies God through every word and action, embodying true worship. The discussion underscores the importance of being faithful stewards and living a life of worshipful service. We conclude with a heartfelt prayer from Ephesians, where Paul gives thanks and seeks divine wisdom and revelation. Let this prayer inspire you to live each day as a faithful steward of the Lord's blessings, recognizing and honoring the divine gifts in your life.
When babies grow into toddlers we get excited about all the milestones, like when they take their first steps or say their first words. We can't wait to hear the word daddy or mama. But soon their vocabulary begins to grow and we begin to discern their heart more and more each day. Soon you hear the dreaded word no, and shortly after you hear the even more revealing word mine. Christ tells us that our heart, out of the heart, the mouth speaks, and this is even true of toddlers. These words reveal something rooted deep in their heart and in our sinful nature. These words reveal a heart of ownership. The problem is, this is not something that they grow out of, but something we all grow into.
Benjamin Leonard:Much of how we talk and operate today is rooted in this ownership mentality that we even see in our toddlers. In the book of James he writes what causes quarrels and fights among you? Is it not this? That your passions are at war within you? You desire and you do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask, and you ask and do not receive, because you ask, wrongly, to spend it on your own passions. Our arguments and fights are well-rooted in the mentality of me myself and I. We tend to think, speak and act as though the world revolves around us and when it doesn't, we argue and fight and war with one another. However, the problem goes deeper than our squabbles with one another. The deeper reality is that our ownership mentality puts us at war with God. Mark Robop says begins by recognizing, reaffirming, responding to and rejoicing in God as creator. Stewardship begins by confessing you are God and I am not. The ownership mentality rooted deep in our sinfulness continues to grow at war with our creator, sustainer and purpose giver. This is a serious accusation and one you and I should not take lightly. This is why I called us on January 26th to have new eyes.
Benjamin Leonard:In contrast to this ownership mentality rooted deep in our sinful nature and our culture, we saw the calling to have a steward's eyes from Matthew 25, 14 through 30. In this sermon, we looked at the famous parable of the talents and we saw that this master and his servants reflect something for you and I. They reflect how we are to interact with our master, God himself. If you have not watched that or you were not there, I would encourage you to take a moment and go back and listen to Christ's vision of a faithful steward from Matthew 25. From that sermon, I stated that we would begin a year-long emphasis on biblical stewardship, and that's where today's video finds its purpose. I aim to have midweek studies throughout the year that help us focus our eyes.
Benjamin Leonard:Now, I know the words steward and stewardship are typically used very narrowly, but my goal is for us to understand the breadth and depth of these, so that all our lives might be lived intentionally before the eyes of the Lord. So before we jump in, let me ease your mind and remind you of what biblical stewardship means. I define it in four ways. A faithful biblical steward first, sees all of God's blessings as entrusted gifts. Second, recognizes their limitations. And third, acknowledges their responsibilities. And fourth, actively cares for everything God has entrusted to them.
Benjamin Leonard:So how do we help ourselves have a clear vision of the world that is not at odds with God? It begins in the place we should have always started, and that is, with a correct view of God himself. Our problem is similar to that toddler that I mentioned at the beginning. Our problem is similar to that toddler that I mentioned at the beginning. We think that the world revolves around me. Sure, we may not say that explicitly, however, that is often how we talk about our time. We call it me time. That's often how we use our words and building up our kingdoms rather than the Lord's. That's often how we even look at our relationships, fearing that sharing God's truth might hurt our friendships and cost lures. That's often how we even look at our relationships, fearing that sharing God's truth might hurt our friendships and cost us something and, in reality, denying that those relationships were given to us as gifts by God. So we must regularly turn our heart's eyes to see God, to behold His greatness and to rehearse His praise. We must begin putting God back at the center of the universe, and not just the God of our own making, but, more importantly, we have to put the God of Scripture back there. With that in mind, I'd like us to spend just a few moments meditating on Romans 11, 33 through 36, with hopes that you will continue to meditate upon this throughout the day and week.
Benjamin Leonard:Our passage is the culmination of 11 chapters exclaiming the glories of God and salvation, and as Paul comes to this point, he is overwhelmed by the grandeur and greatness of our God, as overwhelming praise that comes out in this song and it affects how he views everything in this world. So let's begin by reading it and then consider how it might help us be better stewards. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable are his ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor, or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid, or from him and through him and to him, are all things? To him be glory forever, amen.
Benjamin Leonard:We begin here by seeing this section and I want to ask the question how deep is the master? Or how great is the master? He says oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways. That beginning section, oh, is actually in the original language.
Benjamin Leonard:Paul is exclaiming a deep, gut-wrenching feeling of the depth of reality that we find in God himself. The being of God is not something shallow or light, it is not something that should be glanced over or thought little of, but instead it is something that should be plummeted to the depths, something that, when we begin searching the depths for, we will never find the end of. You know, I'm pretty afraid of water, specifically going into water, but it's interesting when you watch these deep sea divers how they dive deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper and it just seems like there's a never-ending depth to everything that is below. That's how we see God himself. There is a depth to God, specifically in his riches, in all this goodness that's wrapped up in him. Now, paul here he describes this richness in two ways. It's the richness of his wisdom and knowledge.
Benjamin Leonard:Now, I think, if we understand the immediate context, this is the richness of his wisdom and knowledge. Now, I think, if we understand the immediate context, this is in light of his wisdom and knowledge as it relates to the salvation of both Jew and Gentile alike and how he's done these things. But the Lord's wisdom culminates in the salvation of all people, but it goes well beyond just salvation. The Lord's wisdom encompasses all things and it is unsearchable and inscrutable. In other words, we cannot question it, nor could we ever find its end, but instead we have to trust him for who he is. You see, this view of the master in our lives is what founds and fuels productive lives.
Benjamin Leonard:To be faithful biblical stewards, we must behold the greatness of our master on a regular basis. This only happens as we behold him in his word, as we sing his word and pray his word and hear his word preached and speak his word to one another. And it is in these things that we begin to see God aright, we begin to see him as we should and not through tainted eyes, like most of us tend to think of God. But there's a second aspect to this, and that is found in the very next section. If the first section tells us about how deep the master is, then the second section tells us about how deficient I, the servant, am, for who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor, or who has given him a gift that he might be repaid. While God's wisdom and knowledge are unlimited, unfathomable, they're a depth too deep for us to find the end of. We are quickly reminded in this verse that we are very limited, that we do not contain the same power or might, the same wisdom or knowledge. And yet so often, when we challenge this stewardship mentality with our own ownership mentality, we assert ourselves as that person.
Benjamin Leonard:Paul here quotes from two Old Testament passages. The first is found in Isaiah, chapter 40, verse 13. He says For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor. This comes from a section in Isaiah which Thomas Schreiner writes about. This In Isaiah 40, the second exodus from Babylon is promised.
Benjamin Leonard:But Israel is filled with doubts and fears because they are so weak and Babylon is so strong. Yahweh assures Israel that he can accomplish his saving plan because all the nations are as nothing before him, a mere drop in a bucket or a speck on the scales. You see, israel was doubting that the Lord could fulfill his promises. Israel was doubting that the owner, the master of this world could do all that he said he could do. And so they began trying to be the owners of their own fate and trying to make things happen on their own. And Isaiah 40 rebukes them and rebukes their doubts and their fears and challenges them to see God for who he is, to see him as great and glorious and grand. I'd encourage you to go and read Isaiah 40 as a reminder of these things.
Benjamin Leonard:The second question in this section comes from Job, chapter 41, 11. You see, job's complaint was that God wasn't fair. He wasn't fair to him because he'd done all the right things. He'd sacrificed and been godly, and yet the Lord had taken everything away from him. Then, in Job, chapter 38 through 41, god reveals himself to Job. He comes down and he reveals in this lengthy section, about all of his greatness and his character and he rebukes him for thinking that he is more righteous than God or more knowledgeable than God because he passes a judgment upon God's decisions. Basically, he's saying what do I owe you? Nothing. Have you given anything to me? God says no. This leads to Job's response.
Benjamin Leonard:Job's response to God's revelation of himself is this in Job 42, 2-6. I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me which I did not know Hear, and I will speak, I will question you and you will make it known to me. I had heard of you by the hearing of ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes myself, and repent in dust and ashes Regarding stewardship.
Benjamin Leonard:We see the same heart in the wicked, thoughtful servant of Matthew 25, 24, and 25 when he casts judgment over the master. This view of the master prevents him from being a productive steward. And this view of God keeps us from being productive in our own lives. You see, when we exalt ourselves, because sin draws us to do that, we become like the wicked and slothful servant who sought to see himself increase and God decrease. Following Eve's temptation, this slothful servant wanted to make decisions as if he were the master. The same temptation lies in our sinful hearts today. This is what lies at the sinful heart of ownership, which sees my time and my things as mine. But God challenges us to have a different view through his word. You see, the righteous servant sees the world like John the Baptist, who said this he, that is, christ, must increase, but I must decrease, john 3.30. This can only be accomplished as we saturate our minds with the reality found in scripture, that he helps us to see God and ourselves, clearly leading us to repent for thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought To be faithful biblical stewards. We must repent of our pride. We must repent of our pride.
Benjamin Leonard:Third, we see in this section how determinative God is. He doesn't end by simply stating these truths, but he gives us a foundation upon which all of these truths are built, and he says for from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever, amen. You see, god is the grand determiner. Maybe you're unfamiliar with that word, so here's a definition from the Oxford Language Book A determiner is a person or thing that determines or decides something.
Benjamin Leonard:That seems pretty simple, right? A determiner is a decisive factor in things. I'd like to take that and apply that to our understanding of God today. You see God as the great determiner is the one that determines or decides everything, for from him the originator and through him, the sustainer, and to him the end to which all things go. Be glory forever. You see, as we go throughout our lives, God is the determiner of everything, not us, and so as we examine and think about all the things in our lives, we have to begin looking at that through the lens of God, the great determiner.
Benjamin Leonard:James 1.16 says Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change, shadow due to change. God is the giver of everything good. He is the great determiner. Allow me to give you a sample list of the good things the Lord has given us to steward. These are the things that I would like to look at more specifically throughout the year, but for now I just want us to take it in and see the breadth of the good gifts that the Lord has given us.
Benjamin Leonard:You see, the Lord has given us our time. The Lord has given us the gospel. The Lord has given us our relationships, whether that's family or friends or co-workers. The Lord has given us our finances and goods, like our homes and cars and things. The Lord has blessed us with generation upon generation that we might see things come to pass. The Lord has blessed us with our jobs. The Lord has blessed us with the church and people that are gifted within the church. The Lord has blessed us with the words that come out of our mouth and go through our minds. The Lord has blessed us with our bodies and he's blessed us with new hearts.
Benjamin Leonard:You see, when we view all these many blessings in our life as originating, being sustained by and purposed by God, it should lead us to glorify God with our words and our actions. As Warren Wiersbe said, worship is a response of all of man to all of God, as we consider all that God is. We, with all of our being, should be worshipers of God. Therefore, we must spend our days as stewards, in an act of worship to who, our master and his goodness to us, as his stewards on this earth. To be faithful biblical stewards, we must be worshipers.
Benjamin Leonard:With all these things in mind, I'd like to end us and our time today by reading a prayer from the book of Ephesians.
Benjamin Leonard:In Ephesians, chapter 1, verses 15 through 23, paul writes this.
Benjamin Leonard:For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
Benjamin Leonard:Do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers that the God of our Lord, jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance to the saints and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might, that he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come, and he put all things under his feet and gave him his head, over all things, to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Benjamin Leonard:I pray that Paul's prayer would be your prayer today and I pray that you would have a blessed day as a steward of the Master on High.