Archives: Sermons

Being a Good Steward of Your Friends (2 Corinthians 1:23-2:3)

“But I call God to witness against me--it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain…continue reading →

Being a Good Steward of Your Family (2 Corinthians 2:14-3:5)

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7) We gain so much more from the book of Proverbs when we understand each of the proverbs in context. Proverbs 1:7 sounds very familiar to us. It's interesting that this verse is immediately followed by an admonition to receive instruction from our parents. “Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching.” (Proverbs 1:8) But why should we do this? “For they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your…continue reading →

Being a Good Steward of Your Time (2 Corinthians 1:16-20)

There are many possible reactions to any given situation. Solomon wrote that there's a time for every matter under heaven. How do we know which response to choose? So many stewardship issues come down to this one: time. How do you decide what God would have you do in any given moment? How do you choose between several options? “And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea. When I therefore was thus minded, did…continue reading →

Being a Good Steward of Your Body (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)

Reader's Digest published a story once about a retired couple who decided that they should walk two miles a day to stay in shape. They chose to walk a mile out on a lonely country road so they would have no choice but to walk back. At the one-mile mark on their first venture, the man asked his wife, "Do you think you can make it back all right, or are you too tired?" "Oh, no," she said. "I'm not tired. I can make it fine." "Good," he replied. "I'll wait here. You…continue reading →

State of the Church Address (Matthew 16:16-18)

From time to time, it's good for us to reflect on how we're doing as a church. Are we fulfilling the purposes for which the church exists? Are we merely going through the motions, or are we serving God with devoted hearts? Are we shrinking backward in hopelessness, or are we pressing forward in hope? “Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in…continue reading →

Aim to Please Him, Part 2 (2 Corinthians 5:5-10)

Jack Lalanne died a week ago today at the age of 96. This was a man who was the epitome of perfect health. Not long ago, he stated that he couldn't die because that would ruin his image. But he did die, because we all do, so how we spend our short life is vastly important. Jack made it his primary goal to be healthy and think positively. Our ultimate aim is to please God in all that we do. “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has…continue reading →

Aim to Please Him, Part 1 (2 Corinthians 4:15-5:4)

Why be a good steward at all? What is the aim of a Christian? There's a saying that goes, “If you aim for nothing, you'll hit it every time.” We can't work for our salvation. We don't need to! Christ died for us. So why work at all? We work to please God. We're to use all that we have to glorify Him. We're to use all our abilities to glorify Him. I mentioned last week that King David sinned in counting the Israelites. And as David was nearing his death, he again…continue reading →

Sharing God’s Blessings (2 Corinthians 8:13-15)

Financial stewardship is about more than giving to the church. We're to be generous toward the people around us. Financial stewardship is about more than money, too. We're to be generous with the things that we have. We're to use our things for the glory of God, rather than purely for our pleasure. We're to consider the needs of others, and sacrifice our wants for their needs. “For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time…continue reading →

Give Until It Hurts (2 Corinthians 8:1-5)

We talked last week about the New Testament ideal of being a cheerful giver. But this is only half of the equation. We must also give sacrificially. Can we give both sacrificially and cheerfully at the same time? “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can…continue reading →

Being a Good Steward of Your Money (2 Corinthians 9:1-15)

“Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are…continue reading →