Week 9: Stewardship

Mar 19, 2008 03:18 AM
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt25:14-30;

Mar 19, 2008 03:48 AM
Several versions start this section off with
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey"
The "it" referred to is the kingdom of heaven, as stated in verse 1.
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ..."

It would be interesting to look at all the passages where the kingdom is said to be like something.

Mar 19, 2008 01:35 PM
Strange you should mention that Shea...I began working on this question as a personal study over a year ago. What appears to be sermon outline or even a book emerged. I have tabled the study for other topics since...but your question reminded me. Below is the basic stuff I have developed thus far. maybe i should suggest this as a sermon series?

PRINCIPLE 1
The Kingdom of God is: Populated by the humble broken and penitent. They are valuable to God. The religious are excluded. Accomplishments, stature and seniority have no bearing. God is interested only in our need and desire for Him.
Matt 21:28-32 (tax collectors and prostitutes first)
Matt 21:33-46 (tax collectors and prostitutes first)
Matt 20:1-16 (no dues to pay. Last hired, same pay. Works don’t count)
Matt 19:13-14 (like little children)
Matt 18:1-4 (like children)
Matt 18:10-14 (Like sheep)
Matt 18: 21-35 (forgiven/forgiving – unmerciful servant)
Matt 8:8-12 (law keepers thrown out; lovers kept)


PRINCIPLE 2
The Kingdom of God is: Valuable above ANYTHING else in all of creation…period.
Matt 12:46-50 (relational denial. No human intimacy greater)
Matt 13:44 (material denial – treasure)
Matt 13:45-47 (material denial – pearl)
Matt 19:16-28 (material denial – rich young ruler)
Matt 16:21-28 (self – denial ”get behind me Satan!”)
Matt 18:7-9 (self –denial “gouge out eye”)


PRINCIPLE 3
The Kingdom of God is: the fulfillment of the law. It is built UPON The law. It is what the law has always pointed to. The RESULT of the law, it is the point of the law.
Matt 5: 7-20 (not ABOLISH law, but fulfill. Not a stoke of the pen taken away)
Matt 12: 1-4 (law is fulfilled; Sabbath grain; mercy NOT sacrifice)

PRINCIPLE 4
The Kingdom of God is: Comprised of true disciples mixed with those who falsely believe they are disciples (See principle 1). They will be allowed to co-exist, and will be separated out by God at the end of time.
Matt 7:21-23 (not works oriented, “Lord, Lord!” people will be surprised)
Matt 13: 31-32 (spreads. Starts slow but grows – mustard seed)
Matt 13:33 (spreads. Starts slow but grows – yeast)
Matt 13:3-23 (sower. Many seeds sown, only some grow)
Matt 13:47-50 (collected together THEN separated ;net)
Matt 13:24-30 (collected together THEN separated ;wheat and tares)
Matt 25: 1-13 (some will not be prepared; 10 virgins)
Matt 25:14-30 (serve with abandon; talents)
Matt 25:31-46 (concludes with judgment)

Mar 19, 2008 02:20 PM
I like this a lot, Dan. I'll keep this in mind for a future series.

You put all together and you start to get a beautiful composite picture of the true disicple. It's a bit ironic. Many in the church today like to use Kingdom Theolgy or the "Red letters" to put the Gospels in an artifical war with the letters of the N.T. Specifically, they separate the social and the spiritual dimension of CHristianity, making Jesus only concerned with social aspects of the gospel, care for poor, oppressed etc, and the apostles only concerned with the spiritual, personal salvation, heaven, afterlife, etc.

What's cool is that with just a very simple, cursory overview of Kingdom princples we see clearly that there is no war. Jesus was painting a full picture of his true followers that meant a total abandonment of themselves to his Lordship - which would lead to personal salvation AND transformation of society (Luke 14:15 - 33).

You can't come to the Kingdom unless you bring everything you are to Jesus... your sin, your pretensions of righteousness, AND your whole hearted commitment, self denial and desire for heart righteousness.

It's the folks who bring God their desire for righteousness only that can sink back into a social gospel that ignores questions of eternity. It's the folks who bring God their sin and past only that can sink back into an irrelevant spiritual ghetto that 'sins all the more that grace may abound.' A true disciple of the kingdom brings EVERYTHING. (Lk 14:33)

Mar 21, 2008 08:21 AM
Very Nice Dan!
I think I may actually put together an MP3 of these passages just to see how they all sound in a continuous stream.

Mar 22, 2008 10:01 AM
(Rick T) "You can't come to the Kingdom unless you bring everything you are to Jesus... your sin, your pretensions of righteousness, AND your whole hearted commitment, self denial and desire for heart righteousness."

I am relating your comment above to the conversation we had about our ability to lose our salvation. You stated that you believe the "one sin" that leads to death (eternal separation from God) is an out right repudiation of Christ and the Deity.
That nothing else we do or do not do could keep us from the Kingdom after our salvation.

In your post, are you referring to salvation, ministry, judgement? Are you saying that salvation is not "true" or "real" unless we bring everything at that moment? Help! I am not quite following : )

Mar 26, 2008 08:43 AM
Tracy... I guess I'm referring to all of it.

I don't think that you can read the N.T. and conclude that Jesus meant it to be understood any other way... "unless you hate your own life, deny yourself, follow me, you CANNOT be my disciple". It doesn't get much clearer than that. But i would keep in mind that my understanding of my self and therefore of self denial and commitment, AND my understanding of who Jesus is matures as i grow up in the faith.

So I've said to seekers before, "you don't have to have all answers before you commit your life to Christ. You just have to bring all that you are, to all that He is and the rest is growth." So young Christians can have a very incomplete understanding of self denial, or whole hearted commitment and what that will mean. They come as babes and and it shows in their still-raw life. Their entry into the kingdom isn't dependent on the gleam of polish on their knowledge or lifestyle.

BUT, if i bring only half my own self understanding to Christ, if i'm hedging my bets on Grace, if I'm fully prepared to disobey Jesus who is not "Master" to me but only (in some esoteric and completely detached way) Savior, if i've come with half my heart - and still expect all the benefits of the Kingdom... I think that person is kidding themselves that they're in the Kingdom. Kingdom means after all, "Sphere of Rule". How can they be in the "Sphere of God's Rule" if Jesus doesn't in any sense "rule"??

Now, I think every true disciple will grow through seasons of rebellion and mistrust and doubt. Did Peter stop being a true disciple when he denied Jesus? No. So the half hearted thing I'm talking about is not defined by momentary rebellion but rather by persistent rebellion and lack of faith. It's best illustrated by things like the seed that sprouts up and dies for lack of root, or the people that turned from Jesus when he started talking about eating his flesh and blood, or Simon the Sorcerer who thot he could buy and sell the Holy Spirit, or Demas. What's the difference between them and a rebellious Peter? Nothing that we can tell by looking at the moment. But God knows those who are his and he calls their name and they will follow - eventually. (Matt 21:28-32; John 10:27-30; 1 John 2:19)

If they never follow, they never belonged.

This is why the salvation formula in Scripture always seems to mention repentance as a part of saving faith (Acts 2:42). And that's why John the Baptist and his simple message of repentance was a required precursor to "prepare the way" for the Kingdom and the King.

Mar 26, 2008 11:33 AM
wow!!!!

Apr 06, 2008 01:20 AM
[[NOTE: I LOVE CS Lewis and his stuff, thus I "could not" resist picking him as my avitar. Since I didn't know Rick also had Lewis when I signed up tonight, in order to not get us confused, I will make sure I make it clear that it is ME speaking when I post (even though my name is right below my avitar). I think it'll just make it a bit easier to tell the difference.]]

[[MICHAEL]]
Rick, PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong in any way...
Wasn't it you (or maybe another pastor I had while in Indianapolis) who said there are 3 types of salvation? *trying to remember exactly...*

There is the immediate spiritual salvation where, upon wholy accepting Christ, our names are written in God's book of life; a kind of "anticipation" claim (if no better wording can be made) for what WILL come, but is not quite here yet. It's the claim that Jesus puts on our souls, saying, "This one is Mine!" no matter what might happen during our lives on earth.

Next is the renewing salvation which is, as I believe you just mentioned above, the kind of salvation of the mind. This is where our understanding in knowledge and facts of Christ/Bible/etc is added to and as we learn to APPLY that knowledge, our very lives on a day-to-day basis begin to grow and mature and change. All this leading to a heart that is focused more and more on God and His will.

The third aspect of salvation is...for the life of me I can't quite put my mind to it! It's like my heart knows it but my brain can't remember. I'm not sure. Maybe I managed to touch on it in one of the other two aspects. It's been a while since I heard the sermon on this.

In summary: there is the immediate/eternal part of salvation which Christ promises us upon accepting Him and then there's the progressional redemption which He walks us through until we see the FULL redemption and salvation on the other side of Heaven. ...and then the third part... (?)

Apr 06, 2008 10:42 PM
Don't you just love those words, "This one is Mine!"

Welcome to hoo doo, Michael.

Apr 06, 2008 11:57 PM
[[MICHAEL]]
Thank you, Kristine. :) I'm just happy to be back at AC3. I really want to focus on growing where I've not been very responsible concerning my spiritual growth aka walk with God.

Apr 08, 2008 09:13 PM
[[MICHAEL]]
I was reading over the passage about the three servants and thinking about the question at hand... What does it mean to SEEK the Kingdom of Righteousness?
Well, given Jesus' parable, we've all been given a gift or gifts. As well as special insights to this or to that. Some have gifts of strength, or knowledge, or spiritual connection to God's will. In any case, we have been given something that is not ours and we are meant to do something with it.

Specifically, we are meant to SEEK what we currently have either lost or never even had in the first place. But the idea is to be active with what we do have: the gift(s).

Because God is all good, there is very little else anyone can deduce as to what we are supposed to do with those gifts. We are to use each gift as a tool to find more clues towards the One who gave us the gifts. Any time we misuse what He has given us, then it should hopefully come as a clear sign that something is wrong and what we were doing needs to be properly adjusted, otherwise we only set ourselves farther back from our destination: the Kingdom.

Righteousness is definitely a key word. (I know there are several who could better describe what it means than my present skills...) as I understand the words, in my best definition my mind can present, righteousness is not merely being good, it is also being good for the right reasons. Such as, as my "old friend", CS Lewis, would say in "Mere Christianity", that if we gave alms simply as a way to gain favor in the eyes of others it is not really being charitable, but a form of pride. It is self-seeking. But if we give because we truly want to help those who are presently unable to help themselves, then we are, in this case, being good for the right reasons. We are being righteous. However, because we are still infected with the influences and results of our sin, even our best tends (not always, for we can still show God our hearts desire His ways) to fall short...very short.

Now, brining the phrase "seek righteousness" together with the parable Jesus gave, the idea still seems to rest on using what we do have - as little or as much as it is - and seeking to get that much closer to God's original design: perfect relationship with Him. There was no distinction of praise that the master gave the first two servants. Both did what they could and gave more back in return. It was not that the first servant did better and the second worse; both were equally faithful with what they had and that was what pleased the master. So it makes sense why the master was completely unhappy with the third. The master returned and the third servant had done nothing to give back to him. So, he was thrown out of the master's graces. (Because of the way Jesus ended the parable, I am of the mind that this was more a wide scope to show how we should live our lives up until our death or when Jesus comes back. If we do nothing to accept the Master - Jesus - then we will not be with Him in Heaven, but rather in Hell where there is a gnashing of teeth. This also makes sense given the master's praise, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!" This, as I recall, is what God will say to us shortly after we're taken up with Jesus.)

So, in light of Jesus' parable, to seek the Kingdom of Righteousness is to use what He has given us - which is HIS - and to give Him back more by 1) growing closer to Him, 2) obeying Him, 3) bringing others to Him with us, and 4)...anything else that could fit in this category that I can't think of. *chuckles* ...AH! I know: allowing our hearts to be changed to be LIKE God's (yes! That is a key element: CHANGE, improvment!).

(WARNING TO ALL! Get me going in a forum, especially on God-stuff and I can talk up a storm! Just let me loose. *mock diabolical laugh* Be prepare for LONG entries.)

Apr 09, 2008 01:47 AM
I seek righteousness because Thou art the Righteousness of God.

Apr 11, 2008 06:36 AM
Some thoughts on Seeking:
I don't know what the greek word is or how it differs from searching, looking, or questing - these are just my impressions. The word implies movement or action to me, as in seeking the lost sheep, or the lost coin, but it also could imply an anticipation, a watching or a focus, as with the prodigal lost son.

Jesus said, if the light of the eye is good, the whole body will be good. This confused me for a long time. What could this possibly mean? I've come to a conclusion (again, no greek or hebrew expertise involved) that this has to do with focus and movement. The eye sees by way of light, and the eye guides our movement (body). If a true light provides a true focus, it will guide our body on a true path - or something like that.

Righteousness:
Obviously the root here is "Right" which has no meaning apart from "wrong". Right and wrong imply a standard and they imply a measurement or a judgement against that standard.
The form righteous I think simply means "being right" which implies the measurement against the standard has been performed.

We think of right as being good (and it is) and of wrong being evil (and it is) but doesn't this all depend on the standard with which things are measured? If a demon were allowed to set the standard then right would be evil and wrong would be good and righteousness would take on a whole different color wouldn't it?

The concept of Righteousness in the bible can be very confusing. On the one hand there is very clear communication of the fact that it is expected of us, and that it takes serious energy to "achieve" it. On the other hand, it would appear true righteousness is utterly out of reach for us (even the most righteous deeds we can do are tainted by sin and are seen as filthy rags by the Standard -Isa. 64:6)

It is also obvious that we cannot attend the party at the end of time dressed in filthy rags (Matt 22) and so we had better be about finding some appropriate threads. Believe it or not, this summarizes my whole post... finding some appropriate threads to wear to the party.

Genesis 3:21
The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Exodus 28:1-3
Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor. ... make garments for Aaron, so he may serve me as priest.

Isaiah 52:1
Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor

Isaiah 61:3
proclaim the year of the LORD's favor ...and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
... a garment of praise

Zechariah 3:4
The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you."
(should the word angel have a capital A here? I dunno but it seems like your average everyday lower case angel does not have such power)