Revision as of 01:19, 23 February 2022

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:

Image: The One Minute Manager

In 1982 Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson made waves in the world of Business with their book The One Minute Manager. The book quickly became a New York Times bestseller and has sold over 15 million copies. Within the book, a few key ideas stand out. One of the most prominent ideas is that a good manager teaches others to be good managers. A good manager uses his resources: time, money, people, wisely. A good manager provides an opportunity for those under his management to bring praise to the good manager.

In Ecclesiastes 1:9 Solomon tells us that there is nothing new under the sun and this case is no exception. You see God is the Owner/Operator/CEO/Chief Manager of the universe and he is training each of us to be good managers as we manage well we bring praise to the ultimate Good Manager - God.

Need: We need to understand what it means to manage under the Good Manager.

I have been using the word manager a lot but I want to switch terms. You see 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.

Subject: Stewardship

Preview: Within the text of Genesis 1 we are going to work with three major themes: God, Man, Us

As we look at these themes 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.

Setting the Stage:

Have you ever thought about the circumstances or reasons why God led Moses to write Genesis? This is something we do all the time when we talk about the New Testament. Think about it, we talk about Dr. Luke writing for his Gentile audience or Paul writing to the church in Corinth. 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 but a careful to understand something important. 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.

Body

God: 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, it is easy, right? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. However, this simple verse is vitally important. You see 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 really 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.

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, God also sustains the universe. In this sense, we see that God is not just the owner, but the operator.

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. In order 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 really no one else in the company worked all that hard.

That all changed when the company was sold and an owner/operator took over. 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: Do I 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. Really, 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 really is okay but only as long as you recognize that it is in reality all God's.

Man: Man was created to manage everything God created.

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

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

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

Ecology

Physical Health

Intellectual Health

MTR: Do I accept God’s purpose in creating man in his image is stewardship?

Us: God values good management (Matthew 25:14-30).

Good management brings opportunity

Poor management brings loss

MTR: Am I managing God’s property well?

Conclusion:

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