James 2:14-26 "Faith & Works"

                The final text for our series on stewardship of self comes to us from one of the most debated texts in all of Scripture.  James 2 has been the battleground for the age-old argument of faith vs. works.  Now, we’ve said in various studies and discussions that good works are the proper response to our right faith in Christ, but I don’t want you to fall into the temptation of just saying that you already know where we’re going and thus there’s no reason to wrestle with the text that is before us.  I want each of us to spend some time taking in God’s Word written here by James and examining our own faiths as we try and determine if we are actually living a salvation by faith life or a salvation by works life.  Notice that I didn’t say whether we believe in one or the other, but how we are actually living.  It’s one thing to say something, and an entirely different thing to put it into practice.

                Our text begins with James asking, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can that faith save him?”  After giving some examples of faith without works, he concludes his opening remarks by saying, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead.”  Now, for some reason, this text has been used to promote the concept of good works and to say that they are in some way equal to or greater than faith in Christ; it’s used to promote the notion that we somehow have something to do with our salvation.  While good works ought to be promoted, encouraged, and not overlooked; unfortunately, too many have stretched these verses beyond their meaning and caused them to say something that they do not.  Remember, James, Jesus’ earthly brother, the writer of this epistle, was a very faithful man.  He was a man who trusted in God and fully claimed Jesus as the Lord.  So, when we read the words of James, we have to remember the larger context that is at work here.  This isn’t a man who is simply a moral person who doesn’t hold a high view of faith in Christ.  This is a man who is a very faithful believer in Jesus Christ who is calling for something more than just faith, or at the very least a mere profession of faith.  If we try and separate James’ faith from his ideas about good works, then we have missed the actual meaning of the text.

                What James is trying to get across to his audience here is the notion that faith and works are intertwined.  That notion is something that honestly, is sometimes overlooked in our world today.  In our Reformed traditional, we boldly proclaim that salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.  Now, I’m not differing or straying from that statement in the least, but it has caused a bit of a problem.  You see, this statement was taken from Ephesians 2:8-9 as a battle cry of sorts around the time of the Reformation, which finds its beginnings in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the doors of All Saints Church in Wittenberg.  Well, have you ever told a story and then after some time has passed the story makes its way back to you but it’s changed some or the understanding about the story isn’t quite the same?  Well, that is kind of the case here with the concept of saved by grace through faith in Christ.  You see, this statement hasn’t changed in terms of its truth, but it has changed in terms of what it looks like in today’s world.  Unfortunately the sentiments behind this statement and the understanding of how it actually applies have been used more as an excuse to do whatever we want instead of a promoting of how great and powerful our faith in Christ truly is.

                Now, I’m not the type of Christian who gets caught up in outward appearances.  There are some that do and that’s fine, I have no issue with the person who acts in such a manner.  I have no problem with the Christian who removes all habits and behavior that could even slightly be perceived as sinful.  I may view them as going overboard and they may view me as being too lax about my faith, but I would hope that we could both see each other as two people who are living for God.  However, I am very careful to constantly ask myself whether my actions are a.)sinful, b.)causing someone else to sin, c.)destructive to God’s kingdom, or d.)having a negative impact on my Christian witness.  If any of these answers are yes, then I am in need of a change so that my actions or works are not hindering the spread of the gospel.  However, not all Christians ask themselves such questions.  We live in a world where many profess with their mouths and not with their hearts, hands, feet, or any other part of their bodies.  They live immoral lives with no evidence of true saving faith and yet any time they are questioned or opposed about their faith in Christ, they’re very quick to defend themselves with statements that reflect the notion that we are indeed saved by faith alone and not works.  Some of the more common statements we hear are:  “Well, it’s a personal matter and only God knows what’s in my heart.”  “It’s between me and God.”  “It’s not what we do but what we believe.”  I hear these statements, and while there is a great deal of truth to each of them, there’s great shame in them as well.  You see, if the only evidence that someone has that we’re a Christian is what we say we believe, then is it really a true saving faith?  In our text, James answered this question by saying, “You believe that God is one; you do well.  Even the demons believe—and shudder!” 

                Even demons, those who explicitly serve the enemy, they believe in God and in Jesus as the Messiah as well.  However, theirs is only an intellectual admission.  They acknowledge God, but there are no good works that flow forth from them and from their belief in God.  We would never say that such a belief in God is adequate for salvation, but that’s kind of what we do.  When we say that we have faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and that his death and resurrection have saved us but our lives don’t reflect such beliefs, how are we any different from the demons.  What’s the difference between saying that we have faith and simply believing or acknowledging God’s existence if neither produces any good works or holy fruit as Matthew Henry puts it?  I don’t really think there’s as much of a difference there as we sometimes think.  The only real difference is that one wording seems a little more forgiving than the other.  To further convey Henry’s thoughts on a faith professed only with the mouth, he says, “A bare profession may gain the good opinion of pious people; and it may procure, in some cases, worldly good things; but what profit will it be, for any to gain the whole world, and to lose their souls?  Can this faith save him?” 

                Now, we have to be very careful of the other side of the coin too.  We have to be careful to not look upon someone who displays great works and who has high moral character and think without a doubt that their faith and life is to be emulated.  I have known many good, honest people who live their lives seeking nothing but the good of others, yet the gospel has not impacted them in any way.  Some folks are just good people, but have not come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Now, there are some out there who will say about these folks something along the lines of, “Well, as long as you’re a good person, I think that’s all that counts.”  While I do agree that being a good person (whatever that looks like) is desirable, I want to shedding tears almost every time I hear this statement.  Back when we were walking through John’s gospel, we came across John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.”  Now, how are we to take this statement made by Jesus in John’s gospel and apply it to the person who thinks that doing what’s right is really all that matters.  Well the answer is simple, faith is what matters.  Faith is the means by which we are saved and faith alone. 

                James’ words here are not an argument for good works being an alternate route to salvation, but showing that a right faith and an understanding of that faith produces good works.  He’s not saying that faith is nothing apart from works, but that if our faith doesn’t stir us to action, then is it really a saving faith or is it a dead faith.  If the good news of our salvation is something that we can hear about or think about and it not affect us in any way or cause us to want to respond with doing good things for God’s kingdom, then I’m afraid that the message hasn’t been received. 

                As we’ve taken time over the past month to look at our responsibilities as faithful stewards of all that God has given us, we’ve seen many different things.  And I want to try and sum up all of these past four Sundays into this one concept or idea.  A right faith and love for God is a truly great gift.  However, it is a gift that comes with a fairly weighty burden, but who said that a burden always has to be a bad thing.  I have a burden to provide for my family because I love them.  I have a burden to care for the needs of my congregation because I love you.  And each of you have similar burdens in your lives for your friends and family.  We all have a burden to see the kingdom of God spread across this earth because we love not only God, but we love all of his children as well.  Friends, our being faith stewards of God’s graces is not about a vast biblical knowledge, it’s not about adhering to strict laws in order to gain favor, it’s about our responding to the wonderful news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ by going out into the world and seek the lost and serving in any way we can.  I know that there are great things on the horizon for God’s kingdom in the coming year and I know that there are great things ahead for this particular church as well.  Let me challenge each of you begin today seeking ways in which you can serve God more.  Let this be a red letter day in the life of First Presbyterian Church, and a red letter day in your life as well.  Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Matthew 23:23-24 "Proper Focus"

                Since we’re jumping right into the middle of Matthew’s gospel today as we continue our look at being faithful stewards with what we have to offer, I want to take a second and give some clarity to where we are in the sequence of events.  Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He has already entered the city on the back of a donkey and been greeted by the multitudes that lined the street.  He has already cleansed the temple and driven out those who are conducting themselves corruptly within its walls.  He has taught for quite some time about the kingdom of heaven and how we are to conduct ourselves as God’s children.  He has already had some disagreements with the temple personnel and the religious leaders of Jerusalem.  That being the case, the Pharisees have already been working to try and find some reason that Jesus should be discredited, or even found to be a heretic, so that he may be arrested.  Now, in the midst of somewhat of a strife between Jesus and the religious leaders of Jerusalem, Jesus goes into a long discourse about what he sees currently in Jerusalem and what is to come.  In the midst of that is where we find our text for today, Jesus’ warning against and condemnation of the religious leaders, the scribes and the Pharisees.

                Now, we’re not going to spend time talking about each of the issues that Jesus raises against the Pharisees here, commonly known as the “Seven Woes.”  Beginning in verse 13, Jesus condemns the Pharisees for seven things that they had been doing corruptly or incorrectly.  He condemns them for focusing upon their laws and not the will of God, for caring more about earthly things than those of the divine, for worrying more about tradition than worship or obeying God, for neglecting the things that really matter, for only focusing on outward appearances, and covering sins with the appearance of being spiritual.  In essence, Jesus condemns these leaders for being more concerned with themselves and the world that they are in than with God’s kingdom.  Now, like I said, I’m not going to deal with each of these offenses this morning, but each one of them would take quite some time to adequately flush out.  No, what I am going to do today, as we continue our stewardship series, is to focus upon the “woe” that we find in verses 23 and 24.  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocites!  For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faithfulness.  These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.  You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.”

                I think that these verses so precisely sum up the thought that underlines our stewardship series this year.  You see, Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees about the fact that it’s not exactly about perfect adherence to the law; that is the Pharisaic law.  He was telling them that it’s great that they gave their tithe and that they expected that from everyone else, but that’s not the full extent of it.  The goal of Christian leader ought not to stop at proper giving.  Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be more proud of this church as her pastor for the way in which we responded to our look at biblical stewardship since last year.  I mean, erasing a nearly $20,000 budgetary deficit in only twelve month is remarkable, but like I said last Sunday, that’s not the extent of it.  It’s not about whether or not we reach certain financial goals or whether or not we’re adhering to a strict principle of dedicating 10% to the Lord, but it’s about our being faith biblical stewards with what we have been given.  What good is it for us to strictly keep the principle of a tithe, yet ignore other commands that we are given in Scripture?  What good is adherence to some and disobeying others?  How could we say that it’s important for us to meet these financial commands while failing to even give the slightest bit of attention to others; things such as compassion, mercy, and faithfulness?  Have we really done the work of God by meeting our financial responsibilities and ignoring the hungry, the hurting, the homeless, the lost, and all the other groups that are in need.  The commands to care for those in need are just as important as the commands to tithe and to gather regularly for corporate worship.  The commands for ministries of compassion and caring are just as real and important as the commands to seek the destruction of sinful behavior.  They’re just as important as the commands of Scripture that call us to baptize our children and others in the name of the Lord.  We would never think of ignoring these commands, so why would we even think of ignoring those commands that find us in the service of those in need?  Well, my theory is that because it makes us feel uncomfortable.  It causes us to be confronted with our own sinful desires of self-preservation when we find those that are less fortunate.  Are we really doing the work of Christ when we go and serve at a soup kitchen and the whole time we have one hand on our back pockets making sure our wallets haven’t been lifted in the last 20 seconds?  Notice that I’m not saying that tithing is as important as ministries of mercy, compassion, and justice, but simply that the commands for each are just as plain and present as one another.

                One of the sad facts of the matter is that many Christians in our world today, and I mean honest, hardworking, and good people, are what I like to call Sunday Morning Christians.  These folks are regular church attendees.  Why, if attendance was taken, they might even be the most regular attendants in their church.  They always give and they give generously, never giving less than their tithe.  They always volunteer for events that are held around the time of worship.  Some of them are even seen as pillars of their local churches.  However, don’t expect to find the same Monday through Saturday.  These people have become so concerned with the function of the church as an institution that they have missed the bigger picture.  Their behavior outside of the church setting is completely different from their attitudes Sunday morning.  It’s almost as if their faith has become reduced to one day a week where they show up and pay their money and go about their day.  Now, this may come across a little harsh, and I’m not wanting to offend anyone, but sometimes that’s my job.  And obviously I’m using a large brush here and painting in general strokes, but I think I’m probably more truthful here than any of us would like to admit.  How many times have we seen leaders in local churches, both clergy and laypeople, caught in some type of secret sinful life?  You see, we can’t become so concerned with keeping up what we want to and ignoring what we don’t want to think about.  The Pharisees had become such hypocrites in their actions.  They were calling everyone else to live their lives in devotion to God, but they were really concerned with their own interests.  Their lives, which seemed very pious on the outside, were done primarily so that people would perceive them to be this holier than holy group of leaders.

                Being a pastor is one of the greatest honors of my life, but it does come with some things that aren’t such a blessing.  First, there’s the pain and suffering that you have to help others through.  No one likes to see people hurting, either physically or emotionally, but that’s part of the calling.  There’s also the fact that the pastor’s family never gets a full weekend.  It’s just not really feasible for all of my family to go somewhere for a weekend, because we can’t leave until Friday afternoon and we have to be back Saturday evening.  There have been many times where my family goes on a trip and I stay home because of my responsibilities on Sunday morning.  Finally, there’s the issue of people hiding things from you.  This is one that I’ve never understood, but for some reason people feel like they have to act differently around us pastors and that they ought to be on their best behavior.  It’s ironic because I don’t feel that way at all when I’m around other pastors.  However, I do notice a difference in the people who knew me pre-ministry and those who didn’t.  Also, I see a world of difference in the way that some act in a worship setting versus how they act outside of a church.  If our faith is genuine, shouldn’t it be something that permeated throughout our entire lives, and not just when we’re at church or around “church folks?”

                Friends, the bottom line of it all is this, our faith is not a checklist.  It’s not a series of items that we must complete in order to cross off our list.  Our faith cannot be a matter of completing tasks:  tithing, attendance, committees, a certain amount of outreach and mission trips, etc.  Our faith has to be something that is spontaneous and stirs us to action.  Our faith has to be something that causes us to have this burden of love upon our hearts that seeks for the love of Christ to be spread.  Our faith must cause us to go forth into the world and take the good news of the gospel with us.  And the greatest testimony or witness that we can give is by living as a Christian.  We glorify God’s kingdom when we conduct ourselves as Christians in the world at all times, and not just on Sunday mornings.  Don’t be a Christian who worries about showing up every Sunday, never running late, with a perfectly dressed family, and bringing your own Bible as if having your own raises your commitment a notch.  Be a Christian who seeks to serve.  Be a disciple of Christ who truly is a disciple and wants nothing more than to work for Christ’s kingdom in any way he/she can.  Be a person who hears all of God’s commands and not just the ones that are easy or that you like.  It’s very possible, and common, for us to miss the forest because we’re only focused on a small group of trees.  Don’t get caught upon in every little detail, but let you faith flow from every part of you.  And I promise you this, God will do some mighty things through you and you won’t even realize what’s happening.  Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  

2 Timothy 4:9-15 "Christian Retirement?"

If we ever want to look to Scripture to find an example of someone who has lived a tough life there are numerous choices. We could look at the book of Job and find a man who had everything taken away from him so that God could prove to Satan that suffering doesn’t necessarily separate us from God. We could look to any number of martyrs that we find throughout Scripture. Some of the beatings and tribulations of Godly men and women in the Bible are so severe that it leaves us thanking God every day that we are not faced with the same circumstances. Perhaps no person fits the term “rough life” better than the Apostle Paul. After Paul’s conversion to Christianity, his life seemed to be filled with one hardship after another; all while working to establish and foster churches here on earth.

Having a very brief history of the Apostle beginning with his conversion will help us to see just how much Paul suffered for the sake of the gospel. Shortly after his conversion, which took place somewhere between 33 and 36 AD, he was nearly killed in Damascus. Only three years after becoming a Christian Paul traveled to Jerusalem in order to spread the gospel. From 46-48 Paul embarked on his 1st missionary journey. He went from Antioch to Cyprus to Southern Asia Minor and back to Antioch. From 49-52 he undertook his 2nd missionary journey. During this 2nd journey, Paul was imprisoned at Philippi with Silas. He escaped this situation when an earthquake hit and allowed one of the prison walls to collapse. This is the story of the Philippian jailer, who upon witnessing these events, immediately devoted his life to following the teachings of Jesus. Paul’s 3rd and final missionary journey began only one year after returning from his 2nd journey. In 60 AD he made a trip to Rome. On this trip to Rome is where Paul was imprisoned once again, and it was there that Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy that we are looking at today. In all, Paul’s travels after his conversion total up to be an estimated 14,000 miles. Remind you that this is on foot. This would be the equivalent of me walking out the door in the back of the sanctuary, and walking to my childhood home in Meridian, MS and back around 27 times.

Now add in the fact that Paul’s travels often took him to some less than desirable locations. Very few times when Paul arrived at places where a church was already established did he find it peaceful and a time of relaxation. Usually there was some conflict within the church that Paul himself had to address. There is also the “thorn in the flesh” mentioned in 2 Cor. 12, which is most likely a physical disability Paul gained during his ministry. Add to that the continuous persecutions, beatings, and aforementioned imprisonments along the way and you start to get the picture. Paul managed to squeeze all of this into about a 30 year period. This letter to Timothy was written only a few years prior to his death in Rome.

We can tell from the previous words in this letter that Paul had a feeling that his life was soon to come to an end. Earlier, in 4:6-7 we find, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Paul’s acknowledgement of the nearing end makes what we find in our text today an even more impressive message than what we might find simply by a surface reading. After requesting that Timothy come and visit Paul (no doubt so that he may continue to teach and train him for the continuation of his ministry) Paul moved on to reminisce of some of his fellow workers of the past who had worked honorably and dishonorably.

The first name that Paul gives to Timothy is the name Demas. Now this isn’t a name that I expect everyone to be able to recall off the top of their head, but it is someone that Paul has referred to at other points during his letters. In Philemon, Demas is listed in a group of men that Paul calls his “fellow laborers.” In Colossians 4 his name is simply listed without any other qualifying information. Here, we find that the name Demas carries with it a negative connotation. “Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” We can take this as Paul warning against loving worldly values more than the spread of the gospel.
The next two names, Crescens and Titus, are of two others who Paul had sent out. When it comes to Crescens there is nothing else known about him other than this passage of him being sent to Galatia. Now Titus, we know from Paul’s letter to him and brief mentions in other letters, was a close friend and associate of Paul’s. Regardless, both of these men have left Paul’s side at this present time.

Whether this desertion was meant as a negative or simply just Paul’s telling Timothy where the others had gone, there is now a shift from those who have left Paul to the one who was still with him. Luke alone was with Paul. It’s funny, despite the fact that Luke wrote his gospel and the book of Acts, little is known about Luke the person. We know from inference that he was with Paul on his last journey to Rome. It is also mostly likely that Luke even willingly accompanied Paul to prison in Rome (this no doubt shows why Paul speaks so lovingly of him). As far as definitive references to Luke go in Scripture we have similar evidence as we do for Demas. In Colossians 4 Luke is described as the beloved physician is also listed as a fellow laborer in Philemon 24. It has been suggested that Luke’s skills as a physician allowed Paul to carry out his journeys despite his physical ailments. The best quote that I have found for summing up Luke is as follows, “The Church is full of talkers and of people who are there more for what they can get than for what they can give; Luke was one of these priceless people—the workers of the Church.”

The next person we come to is a person who has redeemed himself in the eyes of Paul. Paul says that Mark will be useful for him in ministry. Now the Greek word used here for ministry carries with it a wider sense of service. In other words, Paul is saying that having Mark with him was beneficial at this time. This is unexpected in light of what happened during Paul’s first missionary journey. Mark had been picked by Paul and Barnabas to join them on the mission and to become a contemporary of theirs. We are told, however, in Acts 13 that Mark left them and went home. Paul took this defection so hard that when Mark wanted to go with Paul and Barnabas on Paul’s second missionary journey, Paul refused to have such a quitter accompany them. Paul and Barnabas argued over this issue so much that they actually parted ways because Paul would have nothing to do with Mark. We don’t know exactly what happened to mend the relationship between the two, but Paul is now asking for Mark’s presence.

The next name, Tychicus, is someone who Paul had sent out to visit the church that he had established in Ephesus. He was the one who delivered the letters to the churches in Colossae and Ephesus. Then, the final name mentioned is Alexander the coppersmith. It is unknown what exactly Alexander had done, but we can determine from the text that he had worked to disrupt the spread of the gospel and caused Paul personal harm.

Now sandwiched between these last two names is what I want all of us to focus on this morning. Listen to the personal requests made by Paul to Timothy, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.” Despite Paul’s seemingly dire situation, this language seems to indicate that he still had work to do. Paul wanted his books, or in the Greek, his biblia, which literally means papyrus rolls, and it is most likely that these rolls contained the earliest forms of the gospels. He wanted the parchments. Perhaps these were legal documents such as his proof of Roman citizenship. However, it is most likely his copy of the Hebrew Scriptures, or as we would say, the Old Testament. Paul was acting like a man who still had work that needed to be done. Even though Paul had been through so much and was certain that the end was near, he continued to work for the sake of the gospel.

One of the ways in which you know that you have fully entered into adulthood is when you start thinking about retirement. Now, obviously Amy and I aren’t thinking about retirement any time soon, but it’s something that we began planning for several years ago. We don’t know what it will look like. I imagine a cantankerous old Presbyterian preacher sitting on the porch with his eternally beautiful bride somewhere, but you never know. After all, what does a preacher retiring even look like. Most preachers I know who have retired have gone right back to work doing something else in ministry. After all, my calling is that of making disciples, and you can’t really retire from that can you? You know we say that we have two jobs in life; we are a doctor, teacher, lawyer, etc., but we are also Christians. It is my opinion, as it is most likely yours, that the later job is a calling that is much more than a profession. As such, it is something that last for a lifetime and never really has a retirement. You can’t retire from Christian service.

If there was ever a person who had a right to say that they were retiring from Christian service it was the Apostle Paul. After penning 13 New Testament epistles (along with numerous other letters that are not in our Bibles) and some 25 years of missionary travels, he could have said he was done and no one could have second guessed him. The truth of the matter is that he didn’t. Despite all of the physical pain, prison stints, the loss of co-workers, the regrets of his lifestyle prior to his conversion, he continued onward. I mean, the man was sitting in prison talking about the fact that he had work to be done. He didn’t know for certain whether or not he would even make it out of prison. Paul knew that one never retires from Christ. You don’t stop being a Christian. When a teacher retires, they no longer go to the school every day. When a lawyer retires, he doesn’t go in every morning to the practice. Retired doctors don’t keep the same schedule as they did before retiring. Christians never retire. They never quit being Christians if they are faithful to the Word of God.

Friends, as we continue during this season of stewardship of self, we are at a crossroads. We have made great progress in suring up the operations of our own church family, but is that the goal? We have worked hard to get ourselves to a stable position in how we operate, but is that the ultimate goal? Well, I don’t think I even need to answer that for you. The goal isn’t about us, but about proclaiming God’s Word and reaching all those around us who are in need of it. We have to continue to be active in our efforts to establish God’s kingdom here on earth. We have to continue to work in the area missions and outreach and evangelism. We have to continue to support and take part in the Christian education of this church. We have to continue to fan the flame of Christ that burns within each of us. Friends, I know that it doesn’t take long of completely devoting ourselves to something before the feeling of being burned out sets in. I know that people in churches many times feel like they need a break and that it’s time for someone else to worry about it. I want to encourage you, just as I have to encourage myself constantly, to keep the mindset of the Apostle Paul. There is still work to be done. Christ has commanded us to continue in our efforts, for He is with us “to the end of this age.” There is never a time, as long as we have air in our lungs, in which our service to Christ is done. We should work each and every day, in some manner or way, at growing Christ’s kingdom upon this earth. There is no such thing as retirement from being a Christian. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

1 Peter 4:1-11 "Using Your Gifts"

You may be sitting there asking yourself why I would choose to read these verses to begin a series on stewardship. Well, it is my hope that over the course of the next few minutes that that will be abundantly clear, but I will at least give you that this text isn’t often thought of in terms of stewardship. However, we have to remember that stewardship is much more than a financial responsibility. I think that it is very apt stewardship text when we look at it in terms of how we use the gifts that God has given us. Remember, our stewardship series won’t be focused on how we are to be faithful stewards with our finances, but how we are faithful stewards with our gifts, time, and talents. The proper use of these things is just as important for the sake of the growth of God’s kingdom as our financial responsibilities are, many even more so.

Most of the time, when we look at the first half of 1 Peter 4, much of the attention is given to the third verse: “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, and drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.” I happen to like the way that the NIV translates the beginning of this verse, “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what the pagans choose to do.” Now, most of the time when we see this verse, it’s in the context of someone telling us that we shouldn’t do something. Someone doesn’t want another person, for instance, to consume alcohol and so they point to this verse as proof of that. Well, hold on just a minute, we have to be real careful how far we go, we can’t make the text say something that it doesn’t. When we look at the list that’s given to us here in verse 3, we see that they are all abuses of good things that have been given to us by God. Debauchery, lust, and orgies are all abuses of love, something that God gave as a gift to man and woman, to Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden before the Fall ever happened. Drunkenness and carousing are abuses of fellowship and merriment that God has given to mankind. The Rabbis of the Jesus’ day devoted songs to the wine that was shared at times of fellowship. They would say that without wine, there is no joy. Remember when we looked at Jesus’ saying that he was the good wine, the true wine. We said that Jesus was true joy. The first part of this text isn’t a condemnation on a bunch of different behavior exactly, but a condemnation on abusing and misusing wonderful things that have been given to us by God. It is a condemnation and rebuking of us not being faithful stewards of what God has given us.

You see, the central message of this passage is not a condemnation of certain behaviors, but a call to use what we have in a proper manner. Beginning in verse 8, we find, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” And here it is, I really want you to pay attention to verse 10, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” In other words, God has given each and every person a gift. He’s given each and every one of His children some type of ability or talent or characteristic or trait that not everyone has. The question then becomes how are we going to us it? How are we going to use those special talents and gifts that we have? Are we going to use them for good or bad? Are we going to use them to construct or to destruct? Are we going to use them to promote kingdom growth or to inhibit kingdom growth? You see, it’s not about the abilities, but about how you use them. What good is having a gift if you never use it?

Now, I could point to numerous examples of folks who were living lives that didn’t reflect Christ in any way and changed. I could point to stories of how people with immense talent that lived immoral lives turned from their ways to a new way of life. I could talk about how many of these folks came to be my colleagues in ministry, but I think that that sometimes gives the wrong idea. Many times, we think that only pastors are those who have been given gifts that can be used in service of God’s kingdom. I don’t know if that’s because we pastors are so often talking about it, or because it makes it easier to deny the fact that many of us don’t use our gifts as we ought to. After all, everyone has been given some type of gift from God. Your gift may not be that of preaching, or teaching, or public praying or anything that usually goes noticed within the church, but don’t think that your gifts are not useful in the service of God’s kingdom. I can promise you thing, that an individual church’s strength is not found in her pulpit, but in her pews.

My job, my calling, is often misunderstood by many people. Many think that the responsibility of the pastor is to tend to the business of the church. He’s to tend to the teaching and preaching of the church. He’s to tend to the various programs and ministry of the church, and he’s to function in many regards as the CEO of his particular church. And while all of those things do describe to a certain extent the responsibilities of a pastor, I prefer to think of my calling as being similar to a pair of glasses. Now, I don’t wear glasses, but most of my family does and in particular my wife. I learned many years ago that without the use of contacts or glasses, she can hardly see a thing. She’s also a very intelligent woman. She has a tremendous ability when it comes to solving problems, in particular problems dealing with numbers. I used to look at her notes from when she would figure out mortgages for people when she was a mortgage lender and the face that I made was similar to that of a monkey looking at a road map. Now, I say all of this to point out the fact that without her glasses to help her focus, her ability with numbers would be completely wasted. The role of the pastor, along with the church and her members, is to help each and every one of us focus our abilities upon serving God. It’s to point us all in the right direction so that we may use our gifts to the glory of God, “so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power for ever and ever.”

So let me ask you a few simple questions? First, what is your gift? Some of you may know it off the top of your head, while others struggle in determining what ability they have. Some people really struggle with figuring out what they bring to the table or what they have to offer. I often find it helpful to seek the advice of those around me when wanting to know about me because many times they notice things that I don’t. Secondly, after determining what your gift is, how are you using that gift? Are you using it in the positive manner that we’re called to, building up God’s kingdom and serving Christ and his church? Or are you abusing it? Are you using it in that the way that Peter condemned earlier in this text? Are you using the gifts that God has given you in a selfish manner? Are you withholding from God what is rightfully his? Are you being a faithful steward of God’s grace? As we spend some time over the next few weeks looking at stewardship as it pertains to our properly using what God has given us, I want you to think of some ways that your gifts, your abilities, can be used in the service of God’s kingdom. And I want each of you to know that there is no such thing as a useless gift or talent, just one that has not found its proper direction. God uses all talents and all abilities in the service of His kingdom. How is God calling you to use the gifts that He has given to you this day? Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.