Latest revision as of 14:37, 25 September 2024

Theological Proposition/Focus: God, as creator and sustainer of creation, has exclusive right to determine how creation functions.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: God created man to be the steward of His creation, and as such, everything man does should reflect the will of God as owner and operator of creation.

Introduction

Subject: Stewardship

Image: Why write Genesis? (Preparing for the inheritance that will still belong to God - See Lev 25:23)

Have you ever thought about the circumstances or reasons why God led Moses to write Genesis? I don't know about you, but when I study the New Testament, I tend to think about the circumstances that resulted in the writing of a passage, but in the Old Testament, I tend to be less likely to consider the circumstances. We talk about Dr. Luke writing for his Gentile audience or Paul writing to the church in Corinth. So this morning, as we open up Genesis, I want us to consider the circumstances. In Genesis, Moses is writing for an audience of Israelites leaving Egypt to enter a new land and take responsibility for that land. The Bible uses the phrase "inheritance" to describe the land. I often just read quickly over the word inheritance, but I think it is significant. When we talk about an inheritance, it might be better to think about a family heirloom instead of a monetary inheritance. When you inherit a family heirloom, you only kind of become the owner; there is an expectation that the family owns the object, and you are entrusted with the care of the object. Something similar is in view when we talk about the inheritance of the land. The Land of Israel always remained the property of God (see Lev. 25:23). The Israelites were simply the managers of the land, those who took possession of it. So as we read Genesis, we need to understand exactly what God was communicating. We could think of the first five books of the Bible as a sort of employee handbook, and the first book, Genesis, is going to give us the background we need to understand how the company works.

Need: God is the owner-operator. We need to understand what it means to manage under God.

I have been using the word "manager," but there is a more theological word we often use to describe management; that word is stewardship. Over the next several weeks, we are going to be studying the concept of stewardship and trying to understand what it means for us. Today we will introduce the notion of stewardship, and in the coming weeks, we will look at some specific ways in which the Bible calls on us to be stewards. We have a job to do, and we are going to look at that job today.

Have you ever spent much time looking at job postings? Most job postings have information that at a minimum includes who the employer is, what the job responsibilities are, and how individuals are to be evaluated.

Preview: Within the text of Genesis 1, we are going to work with exactly this structure: Employer, Responsibilities, Evaluation

As we look at this structure, I want you to look out for the theological truths about who God is, what God created man to be, and how we today should live in light of those truths.

Text: Gen. 1:1, 26-31

Body

Employer: God owns and operates it all because God made it all.

Owner: God created it all (1:1)

Genesis 1:1 is one of those verses that I always said pretty early in VBS just to earn a point for memorizing a verse—it is easy, right? "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." However, this simple verse is vitally important for a variety of reasons. A lot of people have made a big deal of the transition from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 1:2. Some people see a huge gulf of time, others some mythological construction, but it is very simple. Genesis 1:1 is the heading under which the rest of the Bible falls. Genesis 1:1 provides the vital piece of information you need to be able to understand everything else. Specifically, Genesis 1:1 tells us that God owns it all because He created it all. God is our owner, no matter how high someone is in the company, God is the final authority. God alone reserves the right to make all final decisions.

Create (ברא) - Only used of God

Make (עשׁה) - Used of man

In fact, the word that is used of God's creative act, ברא, is only used of God's act of creation. Humans only make (עשׁה), God alone creates. Therefore, God alone has the right of ownership.

In historical context, other peoples all had their own stories of creation. These creation stories talked about the genealogy of their so-called gods. People not only had their cosmogony (generation of the cosmos), but they even had theories of theogony (generation of gods). It is upon this backdrop that Moses writes one of the most profound phrases, "In the beginning God." The God of Israel, our God, is uncreated, self-existent, without beginning and end. This is the God who created the universe. This is the God who owns it all, who reigns sovereignly above all.

Operator: God sustains it all (Col. 1:17)

In Col. 1:15-20, the Apostle Paul wrote what some call a Christ Hymn in which he argues for the supremacy of Christ. Paul argues that Christ, as God, is the sustainer of creation. We learn in Col. 1:17 that not only did God create the universe, but God also sustains the universe. In this sense, we see that God is not just the owner, but the operator. There are those who believe in a god who created and then left his creation to its own devices—a god who is transcendent but not imminent. Colossians 1:17 clearly teaches this is not the case. God created and continues to operate within His creation.

Image: Working for an Owner/Operator

I know that a few of you own your own business and manage that business. From what I have experienced, there is a big difference between a business owner and a business owner/operator. To pay for college, I worked at a car maintenance shop in Colorado. When I first started working for the company, it was owned by an older woman who had inherited the business from her husband when he passed away. For the most part, she stayed away and let the manager do her own thing. I was the low man on the totem pole, and I remember seeing the manager just sitting in the office reading a magazine while we worked a little. Our manager didn't work hard, and no one else in the company worked all that hard.

That all changed when the company was sold, and an owner/operator took over. The owner regularly came into the shop to see how things were going. The owner regularly asked us questions and asked us to perform various tasks. The owner was more than just someone far off; the owner was present and active in the shop. Eventually, I worked my way up to management, but sitting in the office reading a book was no longer an option. You see, the owner would come by and check on us. If we were slow, he would ask when the floor had last been mopped or inventory had last been taken. He had a vested interest in making sure things were managed well.

God is not just the owner of the universe, He is the operator. God has a vested interest in how the business of His creation is conducted.

MTR: Take stock and recognize that everything belongs to God.

The first major theological truth we have encountered is the truth that God owns and operates it all because God made it all. This brings us to a natural question: Do you recognize that everything belongs to God? At this point, I am not asking you if you live like it all belongs to God. No, I am asking a simpler question: Do you recognize that it all belongs to God? Take a second, look down at your feet. Who owns those shoes? Who owns the piece of metal sitting out in the parking lot? What about the house you call home? Again, this is a question of recognition, not application. Do you recognize that God owns it?

I remember when I would talk to a customer when I managed the shop in Colorado. I would say something like, "I have a couple of different options I can give you. Do you want me to put in my synthetic oil or my house oil, etc.?" Did you catch that? I claimed it was mine! I knew it wasn't, but I talked like it was. I am fine with you talking as if you own the car out in the parking lot or those shoes on your feet. It is okay, but only as long as you recognize that it is, in reality, all God's.

Responsibilities: Mankind was created to manage everything God created.

We could take all day to look at God's act of creating individual pieces of His creation—the sun, moon, stars, and so on—but I want to keep moving forward. The second point that I see in our text is that man was created to manage everything God created.

Purpose: God’s purpose in creating man in His image is stewardship (1:26).

Image (צֶלֶם) - the word for a statue and can even be used to describe an idol.

Likeness (דְּמוּת) - the word used for model or shape.

God created us to be image bearers

Look at Genesis 1:26. In verse 26, we see that God created man in His image, in His likeness. The Hebrew word for image (צֶלֶם) used here is the word for a statue and can even be used to describe an idol. The word for likeness (דְּמוּת) can mean model or shape. Scholars have written extensively on what exactly it means to be made in the image and likeness of God, but instead of getting caught in the nuances of the exact meaning, I want you to instead focus on the purpose of God's creation of man in His image and likeness.

God's purpose in creating man in His image was so that man could rule over the Earth as His representative. Did you catch that? This is possibly the most important verse on stewardship. God created us in His image to be His stewards. In fact, just in case you missed it, Genesis 1:27 reminds us that we are created in God's image! We are tasked with representing God to His creation. God is the owner/operator, but we are His managers.

If someone were to ask you, "Why did God create me?" you might answer, "To bring Him glory," and you wouldn't be wrong, but you also would have only scratched the surface. God certainly created to bring glory to Himself, but He created in specific ways for specific purposes. God created each of us in His image that we might represent Him to creation by stewarding His creation.

Description: God’s description of man’s role in His creation is one of dominion. (1:28)

Subdue (כבשׁ) and Rule (רדה) - carry the idea of both power and responsibility (not adversarial but under control)

In verse 28, we see the command to subdue the earth. This is the notion of dominion. The idea of dominion is not adversarial; that is, man is not called to become hard taskmasters over the earth but rather one of bringing it under control. The idea here is that man should harness the potential and use the resources at his disposal for God's glory. This is again an explicit reference to stewardship. Man is called to manage on behalf of God, the owner-operator.

Extent: All means all (1:29-30)

In verses 29-30, we see the extent of man's dominion: all. There is an element of responsibility present here. As God's managers, we answer to Him for how we steward what is His. This has some broad applications. Don't hear things I am not saying, but do realize that we do have a responsibility to be ecologically wise. We have a responsibility to study and understand biology. We have a responsibility to employ the resources God has given us to preserve life, whether that be through medicine or veterinary science. We should seek to find ways to best utilize the minerals God has left in the ground for us. Again, don't hear things I am not saying, but do understand that there is a place for us as Christians to steward what God has entrusted to us.

When we use our time, resources, and intellect wisely, we are acting as God intended us to act.

MTR: Accept the responsibility of bearing God's image.

It may be cliché, but I cannot count the number of times someone has asked me, "What is my purpose in being here?" The answer is right here in Genesis 1. God created man to be His representative to His creation. The question that we need to ask ourselves is, "Do I accept that God’s purpose in creating man in His image is stewardship?" This is a hard question for most of us because we have ideas about our purpose. Maybe your purpose in life is to have as much fun as you can, maybe it is to be the coolest mom, or the most adventurous dad. Maybe your purpose is to acquire as much stuff as you possibly can or to retire comfortably. I am sorry, but that is not what God's purpose is for you. God's purpose is for you to steward what is His.

Evaluation: God expects us to steward well.

Fast forward to the New Testament, and in Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus spoke about the value God places on good management. We don't have time today to go through the entire parable, but I want you to notice a couple of key truths in this parable.

Good management brings opportunity (Matthew 25:19-23)

A certain man entrusted his assets to several stewards. When the man returned, he found two of his stewards had taken his assets and used them to double his wealth. These stewards were given the privilege of sharing in their master's happiness. They were rewarded for being good stewards.

Poor management brings loss (Matthew 25:24-30)

However, one of his stewards took his master's assets and chose not to do anything with them. When the master returned, he threw him out.

MTR: Dig deep and look for areas where you might steward better.

God owns it all, but He created us to manage it for Him. Moreover, He expects us to manage it well. So, my question is a hard one: Are you managing God's property well? It is hard because the answer might be "no," and none of us likes such an answer. We like to be able to say "yes," but I want you to be real with yourself. Could you do a better job? Could you better invest your time, resources, money, intellect? Do you properly care for what God has given you?

Conclusion:

Image: Being a good manager

Image: Even a family heirloom is just in the care of the owner.

Do you have any family heirlooms? Even a family heirloom is just in the care of the owner. You see, the expectation of a family heirloom is that it will be in as good, if not better, shape for the next generation. All that we have is actually God's; it is just in our care. We are to steward it. How are you doing with your stewardship?

In this sermon series, we are jumping into the realm of stewardship, and this is just the beginning. But already, I hope you see an application. One of the items that we have been entrusted with is this building. We are stewarding the building for God, and as we think about the Capital Campaign, I want you to think about the idea of inheritance and heirloom.

The heirloom has begun to get dirty, but as we dust it off, we notice there are a few cracks and chips. We notice that it is more than just dirt that is marring our property, and it needs some repair. Then, we start thinking: as we pass this on to the next generation, we want them to see that this is important to us. After all, once we are gone, they are going to have a yard sale. Yes, there are a lot of things they might get rid of when we are gone, but this matters, and we hope they never get rid of it. So, what do we do? We set aside some time and resources and clean up the heirloom. We spend some money to get it repaired, but we don't just repair it; we also make it look good. We might buy a nice cabinet for it to sit in—after all, we want people to realize that this is something valuable, something worth preserving.

So, will you join me in stewarding in a way that shows that God and our church are of the highest value?