Theological term
Stewardship
15 sermons · All terms
The Qualifications for Elders, Part 1
What qualifies a man to lead Christ's church as an elder, and how is a genuine call to ministry recognized? Expounding 1 Timothy 3:1, this sermon works through four elements of a man's call to eldership drawn from Albert N. Martin's Pastoral Theology: the desire of the man, the graces of the man, the gifts of the man, and the opportunity for the man. The internal, subjective desire for ministry must be checked by external, objective criteria — the qualifications of verses 2–7 and the common suffrage of the local church as confessed in the Second London Baptist Confession, chapter 26. The sermon closes with exhortations to the congregation to pray for gospel laborers and to take the qualification process seriously, and with a call to unbelievers to trust the Christ whom these ambassadors proclaim.
The Free Offer of Eternal Life
Paul's defense of his ministry in 1 Thessalonians 2:1–4 is not merely self-vindication but a demonstration that the gospel he preached is categorically different from the self-serving philosophies of his day — it came without error, without moral corruption, and without deceit. The message cost Paul greatly to deliver, yet it costs the hearer nothing to receive, because Christ paid the full price. God himself, through appointed ambassadors, freely offers eternal life to sinners who will lay aside their rebellion and receive the gift by faith alone.
The Stewardship of the Mystery of Christ
Ephesians 3:1–7 presents Paul simultaneously as prisoner and steward — his imprisonment for preaching Gentile inclusion in the covenant of grace is inseparable from the divine commission that caused it. The sermon traces the apostolic stewardship of the mystery of Christ: a truth partially disclosed in the Old Testament through types and promises, but fully unveiled in the New Testament through the Spirit's revelation to the apostles and prophets. The content of the mystery is that Gentiles are fellow heirs of the same body, not a parenthetical people of God, but full partakers of the covenant promise in Christ through the gospel — a reality that demolishes any two-peoples-of-God framework. The power enabling that ministry is God's alone, not the orator's persuasion, so that faith rests in divine power rather than human wisdom.
The Olivet Discourse, Part 14
The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30) is Christ's definition of watchfulness: not passive waiting for the Son of Man's return, but diligent, faithful stewardship of whatever the Master has entrusted. The sermon expounds the three servants in turn, establishing that talents are distributed according to God's sovereign wisdom rather than merit, that faithfulness rather than quantity of output determines commendation, and that the one-talent servant's condemnation flows directly from a defective doctrine of God. The central application is that justification by faith alone is never a license for inactivity — those truly justified will evidence it by serving the Master's interests in light of His coming.
The Eighth Commandment
The eighth commandment, 'You shall not steal,' addresses far more than petty theft — it encompasses burglary, robbery, kidnapping, fraud, extortion, property destruction, and even religious theft in the withholding of tithes. This exposition of Deuteronomy 5:19 works through three structural movements: the prohibition and its associated sins (including sins of the heart such as covetousness and idolatry), the theological reasons grounding the commandment in God's sovereign ownership of all things, and the positive duties it implies — diligent labor, charitable giving, and biblical contentment. The civil implications extend to currency manipulation, unjust taxation, and ideological systems such as socialism and communism, all of which violate the same moral principle. The sermon closes with Christ as the fulfillment of Psalm 15, the one who perfectly honored every obligation the commandment demands, and through whose righteousness covetous sinners are justified.
Marks of a Real Christian
Deuteronomy 6:1–15 sets before Israel — and by extension all covenant people — seven marks of genuine, healthy Christian living: loving God, fearing God, obeying God, holding to sound doctrine, desiring heart religion, promoting truth to the next generation, and prizing the Word of God. The passage then turns to cautions against apostasy, warning that material abundance, forgetfulness of God, and idolatry are constant threats in every era of redemptive history, not merely in the Old Covenant. The sermon closes with a direct gospel appeal: these marks of real Christianity can only be pursued by those who first come to personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Final Charge
The final two verses of 1 Timothy close Paul's first letter to Timothy with a charge that is as urgent as it is simple: guard the deposit and avoid the dangers. This sermon works through the nature of that deposit — the gospel of God, owned by God, entrusted to Paul and passed to Timothy and the church as stewards — and the dangers that threaten it: the profane and idle babblings of false teachers whose contradictions are falsely called knowledge. The application presses the church to see that faithful gospel preaching is inseparable from the glory of God, the edification of believers, and the salvation of sinners, and that the only power sufficient to sustain that fidelity is the grace with which Paul both opens and closes the epistle.
The Instructions for the Rich
Paul's closing instructions to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:17–19 carry a twofold charge to the wealthy: resist the twin sins of pride and idolatry, and actively pursue generosity. The sermon works through two prohibitions (do not be haughty; do not trust in uncertain riches) and three positive exhortations (do good; be rich in good works; be ready to give and willing to share), grounding each in the character of the living God who gives richly for enjoyment, not for hoarding. The concluding section sets out ten biblical perspectives on wealth, insisting that godliness neither requires the renunciation of riches nor permits their idolization, and that the benevolence of the rich man is itself evidence of the eternal life God has graciously given him — received by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
The Lord's Prayer, Part 5
The fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer — 'Give us this day our daily bread' (Matthew 6:11) — addresses the believer's daily dependence upon God for temporal provision. This study examines what the petition does not mean (it neither excuses idleness nor promises wealth), what it does mean (a request for all necessary temporal sustenance, not luxury), and its theological weight: it confesses the forfeiture of blessing through the fall, acknowledges that even the capacity to work is a divine gift, expresses faith in God's provision, and recognizes God as the first cause behind every blessing. The practical scope of the petition extends beyond personal need to intercession for fellow believers, the suffering church, and the persecuted worldwide.
The Danger of Covetousness
Covetousness is condemned throughout Scripture not because possessions are evil but because the love of money and the pursuit of riches displace God as the supreme object of the heart's devotion. Expounding 1 Timothy 6:6–10, this sermon distinguishes between the lawful possession of wealth (which Paul nowhere forbids) and the idolatrous craving for it (which Paul calls a root of all kinds of evil and warns leads to destruction and perdition). Godliness with contentment is set forth as the great gain that exposes the false teachers' mercenary religion as a counterfeit, while the positive commands to labor diligently, give generously, and seek God's kingdom first are offered as the practical antidotes to a covetous spirit.
The Lord's Concern for Widows, Part 2
What qualifications must a widow meet for the church to enroll her in ongoing financial support, and how should the church handle younger widows? Expounding 1 Timothy 5:9–16, this sermon works through Paul's three-part framework: the existence of a formal widow's list, the qualifications for older widows (age, marital fidelity, and a record of good works), and the apostolic counsel to younger widows to marry, bear children, and manage the household rather than receive church support. The underlying principle throughout is that the church is a steward of God's resources and must distribute them according to Scripture, not sentiment — and that God's own character of compassion for the needy is the ultimate ground and pattern for the church's care.
Deuteronomy 16
Deuteronomy 16 prescribes three annual feasts for Israel — Passover and Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles — each grounded in the Exodus as the paradigmatic act of divine redemption. This study traces the structure, purpose, and manner of each feast, showing that God commanded His covenant people not merely to observe religious ceremony but to rejoice corporately, give generously, and remember His saving work. Six lessons emerge for new covenant Christians: the necessity of remembering redemptive history, the priority of joy, the importance of corporate community, the relationship between divine blessing and giving, protection from idolatry, and the promotion of obedience through the indicative-imperative pattern of grace and gratitude.
Biblical Manhood in the Book of Proverbs, Part 1
Proverbs 3:1–12 and its surrounding chapters frame what it means for a man justified by faith alone to live a life devoted to Christ. This sermon insists that Christian ethics flows from the indicative of justification — not toward it — so that every exhortation to discipline is grounded in Christ's imputed righteousness, not in moralism. Two of four announced characteristics of the Christian man are treated in full: devotion to Christ in worldview, possessions, and acceptance of divine chastening, and discipline in life through the restraint of the tongue, physical passions (alcohol, food, and sex), and the spirit. The congregation is called to own their failures before God, flee to the Redeemer, and pursue sanctification as men who will not go to heaven because they obeyed but because Christ obeyed perfectly in their place.
The Letter to Laodicea
Revelation 3:14–22 contains the most severe of the seven letters to the churches of Asia Minor: Laodicea receives no commendation, only a devastating indictment of lukewarmness, self-sufficiency, and spiritual blindness. Christ identifies himself as the Amen, the faithful and true witness, and the inaugurator of the new creation — credentials that expose the Laodiceans' faithlessness, their inaccurate self-assessment, and their complacency born of material prosperity. The threat of being vomited from Christ's mouth is not a final verdict but a conditional warning, issued in love, calling the church to zealous repentance and renewed communion with Christ. The sermon applies five Laodicean sins — pride, self-sufficiency, spiritual ignorance, misplaced trust in material wealth, and worldly compromise — as a mirror for any church prone to confuse outward comfort with genuine spiritual health.
Paul's Stewardship of the Gospel
Colossians 1:25–29 sets before the church the apostolic stewardship and preaching ministry of Paul as a pattern for gospel ministry. The passage unfolds in three movements: Paul's divinely assigned stewardship of the mystery of Christ in the Gentiles, the content and manner of his Christ-centered proclamation, and the Spirit-empowered labor that drove that proclamation toward eschatological completeness. The sermon draws out the implications for both preachers — who must warn, teach, and strive with wisdom in dependence on God — and hearers, who bear responsibility to receive the preached word with attentive, covenant-renewing ears.