Stewardship and Lordship (Part 1)

Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.

The Lordship of Christ and Our Stewardship

Good morning, brothers and sisters.

Thank you for your prayers as I prepared for this morning and for next Sunday as well. It is also good to have a new elder—and I am not the youngest one anymore!

This morning, I propose that we take a step back as we consider the topic of stewardship and the lordship of Christ, and how that relates to stewardship as we understand it. But before we turn to Scripture, let us open with a word of prayer.

Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You again for another morning of remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank You for Your goodness to us through the past week. We thank You for the time we can spend remembering the love that was shown toward us, the grace and mercy that were bestowed upon us.

Father, we thank You for the privilege we have even to call You our God and the Lord Jesus Christ our Lord and our Saviour. We pray that as we open Your Word, You would speak to us—both speaker and listener alike. Prepare our hearts to receive from Your Word, and cause us to reflect and to think about what impacts or changes will be needed in our own lives as we seek to obey You.

We pray and ask all these things in the Lord Jesus’ name. Amen.

1. Stewardship in Context

We have already considered, and we have had it on the screen, that our assembly theme for this year is stewardship. Through our CPS, our Sunday School, and our various ministries, we have been considering what it means to be good stewards—good stewards of what God has given to us as individuals, and what God has given to us as an assembly in terms of outreach and ministry.

For example, our Assembly Bible Camp theme is “Gifted to Give.” That reminds us that each one of us has a responsibility to be good stewards of the spiritual gifts that God has given to us. Every believer has spiritual gifts. It is upon us to identify, develop, and utilize these gifts for the glory of God, for the edifying and building up of the saints, for the salvation of the lost, and ultimately for the building up of the church.

But we must pause and ask ourselves—because nearly a quarter of the year has already gone by. We have blinked, and it is April.

So, what is a steward?

A steward in the ancient world was someone given responsibility and authority to rule over the affairs of a household. We may think of a person like Joseph. Christian stewardship refers to the responsibility believers have in maintaining and using the gifts that God has bestowed upon each one of us.

In both definitions, we see something important:
A steward is someone who is under authority.
A steward is accountable for how he or she exercises the stewardship entrusted to them.
A steward answers to a higher authority—to a lord.

2. Why Consider the Lordship of Christ?

It is in that context that I propose, over the next two Sundays, that we take a step back to reflect on the lordship of Christ.

As believers and as an assembly, we are pushing ahead to understand stewardship. But perhaps, for lack of a better term, we have “lost the woods for the trees.” We are so focused on doing and improving that we may have lost sight of why we need to be good stewards—and to whom we are accountable.

So we will consider the lordship of Christ and the effect it should have on our lives—particularly on the stewardship of our time, talents, gifts, material possessions, families, and abilities.

Let us begin in John 13.

3. The Perfect Example — John 13

In John 13, we are brought into the upper room. There we see two key things:

1. The perfect example of Christ as the perfect servant.
2. His commandment to His disciples—and to us.

We read that the Lord Jesus knew His hour had come, that He should depart out of this world unto the Father. He knew the Father had given all things into His hands. He knew He came from God and was returning to God.

And yet, what did He do?

He rose from supper, laid aside His garments, took a towel, and washed His disciples’ feet.

3.1 The Divine Servant

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. Yet He allowed Himself to be subject to the Father. He came in the form of a servant, in the likeness of men. He went to the cross in obedience.

In John 8, He says:

“I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things… For I do always those things that please him.”

He is the perfect servant of God.

He laid aside personal glory. He subjected Himself to the Father’s will in perfect obedience. We think of Gethsemane:
“Not my will, but Thine be done.”

Brothers and sisters, as we think about stewardship, let us take our reference point from the perfect Servant—One who always sought to please the Father.

3.2 Master and Lord

In John 13:13–14, the Lord says:

“Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.”

Notice the two titles: Master (Teacher) and Lord.

A teacher instructs. A lord is supreme in authority. A lord is someone we submit to, someone to whom we subject ourselves.

So we must ask ourselves:
Who is the Lord Jesus to us?

Is He merely a good teacher whose moral instruction we appreciate?
Is He simply our Saviour—someone who has secured heaven for us?
Or is He truly our Lord?

If He is Lord, then He is supreme in authority over our lives. Our wills, priorities, ambitions, and possessions are subject to Him.

How we view Christ determines how we serve Him. If He is only a teacher or a Saviour for the future, then our stewardship will reflect that. But if He is our Lord, our stewardship will be radically different.

He says:

“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”

Happiness and contentment are found in obedience to our Lord.

4. Obedience to Christ — Acts 9

Let us now turn to Acts 9.

If we acknowledge someone as Lord, the first and most important response is obedience.

Here we see two individuals: Saul (later Paul) and Ananias. Both acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Both demonstrate obedience.

4.1 Ananias — Immediate Obedience

Ananias was a disciple—a follower of Christ. The Lord instructed him to go to Saul, a man known for persecuting Christians.

Ananias raised a concern: this man has authority to bind believers. In effect, “Lord, You are asking me to put myself in danger.”

Yet what do we read?

“And Ananias went his way.”

He obeyed.

Because Ananias obeyed, Saul received his sight, was baptized, joined the disciples, and went on to do great things for the Lord.

Ananias obeyed despite possible consequences—imprisonment or death. He obeyed immediately.

We are reminded in 1 Samuel 15:22:

“To obey is better than sacrifice.”

Let us learn to obey the commandments of the Lord. Let us submit to Christ’s commands.

Is there sin to confess?
A brother or sister to encourage?
An unsaved friend to speak to?
A service to undertake—big or small?

If the Lord has instructed us through His Word and through His dealings in our lives, let us obey. Let us not look for excuses.

If we own Him as Lord, let us treat Him as Lord.

4.2 Saul — The First Act of Obedience

Saul was not yet saved. He was persecuting Christians. But when confronted by the risen Christ, he said:

“Who art thou, Lord?”
“Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

There we see the beginning of obedience.

He was told to go into the city and wait—and he did.

For those who are not saved, the first and most important act of obedience is repentance and faith.

Acts 17:30 tells us that God commands all men everywhere to repent.

If you are here this morning and do not know Christ as Saviour, the first step is to turn to Him—to own Him as your Lord and Saviour. Only then can you truly live for Him and serve Him.

5. Concluding Reflection — Philippians 2

Let us end where we will begin next week: Philippians 2:1–11.

There we see:

• Christ in the form of God
• Taking the form of a servant
• Humbling Himself
• Becoming obedient unto death—even the death of the cross

And then:

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him…
That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Christ is Lord by right.
The question is: Do we confess Him as Lord in practice?

Do we obey His Word?
Are our priorities subject to Him?
Is He truly on the throne of our lives—or do we merely say the words?

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for our time this morning and for the reading of Your precious Word. We thank You for the consideration of Your beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—Your perfect Servant, who came willingly and subjected Himself to Your will, who went to the cross, who laid down His life and took it up again.

We thank You for such an example recorded for us in Scripture, that we might compare ourselves against Him as we strive to be conformed to Christ.

Father, help us to view Him not merely as Saviour, but truly as Lord—to subject ourselves to Him, to live for Him, to enthrone Him in our lives.

If there is anyone here who does not yet know Him as Saviour, we pray that Your Word and Spirit would speak, that they might repent and come in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We commit each one into Your hands, and the activities to follow, in the Lord Jesus’ name. Amen.