calendar_today April 14, 2024

menu_book 1 Peter ,

location_on Morning Ministry

Stewardship and Lordship (Part 2)

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person Johnson Chua

Sermon Synopsis
This sermon concludes a two-part consideration of stewardship by grounding it firmly in the lordship of Christ. True stewardship flows from owning Christ as Lord—submitting to His commands, serving at His commission, surrendering to His control, becoming conformed to His character, and being willing to sacrifice for His cause. Using the examples of Paul and key New Testament passages, the message challenges believers to examine whether calling Jesus “Lord” is merely verbal or truly practical. Ultimately, since every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, the call is for believers to live now in joyful obedience and faithful stewardship under His rightful authority.

Transcript

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

Stewardship and Lordship (Part Two)

Good morning, brothers and sisters.

Thank you again for your prayers as we come together this morning to look into God’s Word for the second part of our consideration on stewardship and lordship. Let us turn to the Lord in prayer as we go into His Word.

Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You again for this morning. We thank You for every thought and remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ—of His great love for us, of His sacrifice for us upon that cross, of the blessings into which we have been brought: the position of sons and daughters of the living God, heirs and co-heirs with Christ.

And Father, as we now continue to look into Your Word regarding the lordship of Christ—of who He is and how that should impact each one of us—we pray for willing hearts to listen, to obey, and to consider the words You have to speak to us. We pray and ask all these things in our Lord Jesus’ name. Amen.

Recap: The Foundation of Stewardship

Last week, we laid the context for these two Sundays. We are considering stewardship in our assembly for the year 2024. The success of our stewardship—of what God has given to us—depends very much upon how we view the Lord Jesus Christ and the position and priority that we give to Him in our lives.

Therefore, we began by considering the lordship of Christ.

We turned to John chapter 13 and looked at the upper room. There we saw the Lord Jesus Christ as God’s perfect Servant. We challenged ourselves with this question:

Who is Christ to us?
Is He our God, our Saviour, our Lord?
Or is He merely a good teacher, a morally upright person?

Then we moved into Acts chapter 9 and considered the examples of Saul—before he became Paul—and Ananias. Both of them owned the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord. We read how they addressed Him as “Lord,” and how they demonstrated the obedience required of disciples to the Lord’s commands.

Saul reminded us of someone converted—someone who asked, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” Ananias was an example of a disciple who obeyed the Lord despite clear and present danger to himself.

So last week we laid two foundational questions:

Do we own Christ as our Lord and Saviour?
Are we submitting ourselves to Christ’s commands?

Today, we consider four further effects of owning the lordship of Christ.

Service at His Commission

Let us return briefly to Acts chapter 9.

In verses 18 to 31, we saw Saul’s obedience to the Lord’s command leading him to conversion, salvation, and baptism. That obedience naturally led him into a life of service and ministry.

In Acts 9:15, the Lord said of Saul:

“He is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.”

God already had a life of service planned for Saul.

In verse 20, we read:

“Straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.”

Verse 22 tells us that Saul increased in strength and confounded the Jews, proving that this is very Christ. In verse 28, he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. And in verse 31, we read that the churches had rest, were edified, walked in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Ghost, and were multiplied.

Obedience led to service. Salvation led to ministry. And that ministry was at Christ’s commission.

A Lifelong Pattern of Service

Was this merely an enthusiastic beginning? Did Paul start strong and then fade?

Let us turn to Acts chapter 20.

There, speaking to the elders of Ephesus, Paul says:

“Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons.”

There was consistency.

He continues:

“Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations…”

In verse 24, he declares:

“Neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

Notice that phrase: “the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus.”

Paul always remembered:

Who he was serving
Why he was serving
How he was serving

It was not his idea. Not his direction. Not his personal ambition. It was a commission received from the Lord Jesus Christ.

He discharged his duties in dependence upon the Lord. He describes himself elsewhere as a servant—a bondservant, even a slave—of Christ. He used his considerable intellect and abilities, but with humility and reliance upon God. He endured trials, sufferings, bonds, and afflictions in obedience to his Lord.

There is a sense of emotion and passion in Acts 20. Paul had poured out his life in service. He could say he was “pure from the blood of all men,” for he had not shunned to declare all the counsel of God.

Here was a man confident that he had discharged his duties in submission to God.

So we ask ourselves:

Are we willing to be of service to the Lord?
If we are serving, are we serving according to His commission—or our own plans?

It is easy to find reasons not to obey. It is easy to feel tired, discouraged, frustrated.

But Isaiah 40 reminds us:

“The everlasting God… fainteth not, neither is weary…
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…
They shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

As we serve, let us not be discouraged. Let us wait upon the Lord and rely upon His strength.

Surrendered to His Control

Now we turn to Romans 14.

Romans 14 reminds us that whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

“For none of us liveth to himself…
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord…
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

Then in Colossians 3 we read:

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above…
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth…
Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord…”

The lordship of Christ encompasses all aspects of life:

Our thoughts
Our desires
Our priorities
Even the most ordinary activities

Nothing is outside His control.

Romans 14 reminds us that we do not live to ourselves. We will give an account.

So we ask:

How aligned are our affections with Christ?
Are we truly seeking the things above?
Are our desires shaped by His priorities?

III. Conformed to His Character

Romans 8:29 tells us that we are predestined:

“To be conformed to the image of His Son.”

God’s purpose in saving us is that we become more like Christ.

What does that look like?

Galatians 5:22 reminds us of the fruit of the Spirit:

Love
Joy
Peace
Longsuffering
Gentleness
Goodness
Faith
Meekness
Temperance

As we walk in the Spirit, we should increasingly display these characteristics.

So here is a practical check—if you like, a KPI of spiritual growth:

Are we becoming more loving?
More joyful?
More peaceful?
More gentle?
More self-controlled?

At church, at home, at work—do people see Christlikeness?

Or are we still the same proud, harsh, rebellious people we always were?

If we call Him Lord, are we being conformed to His image?

Willing to Sacrifice

Finally, let us turn to Philippians 3.

Paul writes:

“What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ…
I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…
For whom I have suffered the loss of all things…”

Paul counted all things loss in order to gain Christ.

We sometimes think of such men as “super Christians.” But that is not true. We have the same Holy Spirit. The same Word of God. The same Lord.

So we must ask:

What are we unwilling to give up for Christ?
What ambitions, possessions, or priorities do we hold too tightly?
Why do we hold them so dear?

Obedience is not easy. Submitting control is not easy. Sacrifice is not easy.

But our Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself, became obedient unto death—even the death of the cross. He endured the cross, despising the shame, in submission to the Father and out of love for us.

If we call Him Lord, we must expect that discipleship involves sacrifice.

The Coming Day

We close where we ended last week: Philippians chapter 2.

One day, every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Regardless of whether we own Him as Lord today—He is Lord.

The question is not whether He is Lord.

The question is:
What does it mean to us, practically, to call Him Lord?

Are we trusting and obeying?
Are we serving at His commission?
Are we surrendered to His control?
Are we becoming more like Him?
Are we willing to sacrifice for Him?

As we continue our considerations on stewardship, let us remember the foundation: everything we have is given to us, and we will give an account.

May we be good stewards—enabled by His Word and by His Spirit—for His glory.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank Thee again for our time this morning. We thank Thee for the considerations over the past two weeks on the lordship of Christ. We thank Thee for the perfect Servant, the perfect example—the Lord Jesus Christ.

We pray for Thy help as we seek to own His lordship, to submit to His commands, to serve at His commission, to surrender to His control, to be conformed to His character, and to be willing to sacrifice for His cause.

We know these things are not natural to us. We pray for diligence in reading Thy Word, in prayer, and in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, that we may be more and more conformed to the image of Thy dear Son.

Help us to be faithful witnesses and good ambassadors where Thou hast placed us. May all things be done for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and for the edifying of the saints.

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

Messages: 8