Material/Financial Stewardship

In this part of the sermon: Martin defines 'material things' as anything rightfully possessed or legitimately used that is material in nature, from Bibles and clothes to cars and furniture, setting the scope…

Martin uses his Bible and suit as tangible examples of material things he rightfully possesses, clarifying the definition of 'material things'.

biblical view of the stewardship of material things. Now when I use the word material things, I am using those words to identify anything which we or our children rightfully possess or legitimately use that is material in nature. Anything that we rightfully possess, this is my Bible, it is material in nature, it has bonded leather, cloth and pages and print, duly purchased, it is my possession, it is a material thing. This suit is my possession, a material thing, the jacket of which I am now conveniently shedding as part of the illustration. So anything that I rightfully possess or legitimatel...

2:59 - 4:02 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin defines 'material things' as anything rightfully possessed or legitimately used that is material in nature, from Bibles and clothes to cars and furniture, setting the scope…

He extends the definition of material things to items legitimately used but not owned, like the pulpit and microphone, and items possessed by the audience, like pews and hymn books, to make the concept relatable.

I am using, it is not my personal possession. So when I speak of material things, I referring to anything that we rightfully possess or legitimately use, where I did go down and snatch the jacket from one of the brethren or from Mr. Davies and put it on without his consent, I might be using it, but not legitimately. were I to keep it, that would be called thievery. So when I speak of material things, this is what I'm talking about. Money, clothes, car, toys, furniture for you right now, the pew on which you sit, the hymn book which you just closed and placed in the hymn rack in front of you or...

4:02 - 5:16 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin defines 'material things' as anything rightfully possessed or legitimately used that is material in nature, from Bibles and clothes to cars and furniture, setting the scope…

An example of snatching a jacket without consent illustrates the difference between legitimate use and illegitimate use or thievery, clarifying the boundaries of 'rightfully possess or legitimately use'.

I am using, it is not my personal possession. So when I speak of material things, I referring to anything that we rightfully possess or legitimately use, where I did go down and snatch the jacket from one of the brethren or from Mr. Davies and put it on without his consent, I might be using it, but not legitimately. were I to keep it, that would be called thievery. So when I speak of material things, this is what I'm talking about. Money, clothes, car, toys, furniture for you right now, the pew on which you sit, the hymn book which you just closed and placed in the hymn rack in front of you or...

4:02 - 5:16 Read in full sermon

Driving home: All material things are ultimately and really the property of God himself.

Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 10 about eating meat offered to idols is used to demonstrate that even such meat ultimately belongs to the Lord, reinforcing God's universal ownership.

verse 26, in the midst of Paul's treatment of the subject of whether or not believers have liberty to eat meat that was offered to an idol in an idol's temple without himself partaking in idol worship, a question of Christian liberty and expediency, he says in verse 23, all things are lawful, but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Let no man seek his own good, but each his neighbor's good. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that is, whatever is sold in the bargain meat shack outside the idol temple, meat that had been offered to an idol, meat that h...

8:51 - 10:19 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon... Who will commit to your trust the true riches which are heavenly, eternal, spiritual things?

The story of a banker who might refuse to embezzle $10,000 but is honest with a loose dollar bill on the floor illustrates how true character is revealed in 'little things' when no one else is watching.

A man who works in a bank may refuse to embezzle $10,000 for many, many motives. To save face, to keep out of jail, to save disgracing his family. But if he finds a dollar bill on the floor after everyone's gone and he's honest with that dollar bill, he shows his true character. There there's no one but the eye of God upon him.

23:54 - 24:22 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon... Who will commit to your trust the true riches which are heavenly, eternal, spiritual things?

A quotation from William Hendrickson's commentary on Luke 16:10-12 supports Martin's interpretation that material wealth is 'someone else's property' and our use of it indexes our trustworthiness for 'true heavenly riches'.

Suffice it to quote from only one well-known, often quoted among us here, William Hendrickson. Commenting on this passage, he writes, The parallelism, the unrighteous mammon, equals someone else's property. The true riches equals your own. The meaning then is this.

26:17 - 26:36 Read in full sermon

The point: Impart to your children this biblical view of material things as a stewardship from God, however you come at the four foundational building blocks.

The biblical figures of Nabal (1 Samuel 25) and the rich fool (Luke 12) are cited as negative examples of individuals who failed to recognize God's ownership of their possessions.

It is a trust handed to us to use in such a manner that God can be pleased. Nabal, you remember that churlish man in the Old Testament who said, Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my sharers and give it to this renegade character called David and his men? 1 Samuel 25, 11. He forgot this.

27:16 - 27:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not indulge in impulse spending or blackmail spending, as children observe and learn from this example.

Examples of mothers indulging in impulse spending or giving in to children's 'blackmail spending' illustrate poor stewardship and the negative example it sets for children.

And then He tells them, you've robbed Him and withholding your tithes from Him. When you go to spend at the market, you mothers, your children do not see you indulging in impulse spending and certainly not blackmail spending. Okay, dear. What you're telling them is if they squeal loud enough and embarrass you enough, they can get what they want of certain things.

33:01 - 33:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not indulge in impulse spending or blackmail spending, as children observe and learn from this example.

A father buying unbudgeted car gadgets in front of his son illustrates how parental example can teach irresponsibility and spendthrift habits.

That's a manipulative wife in the making. That's right. Or the father who takes his son and his weaknesses, gadgets for his car. And there's nothing budgeted for gadgets this month.

33:33 - 33:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Treat your car with care (e.g., regular oil changes, waxing) as a stewardship, and teach your children to do the same.

The example of regular oil changes and waxing a car is used to illustrate good stewardship, not only of the car itself but also of money and teaching children practical skills.

The way you treat your car. Do you give it oil changes regularly? And if possible, you buy the oil at a sale price and do it yourself? Not only to be a good steward of the care of your car, but the use of your money and also training your son and maybe your daughter as well, that they can be good stewards in this way.

34:26 - 34:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Treat your car with care (e.g., regular oil changes, waxing) as a stewardship, and teach your children to do the same.

An analogy of keeping one's car ready for the Lord Jesus, as if He were to use it as His chauffeur, highlights the attitude of stewardship towards personal property.

And he's loaned it to you. Do you keep it as though at any time he could come and you would be his chauffeur to drive him somewhere? Would you want to say, Lord, here's your car. Look at it.

35:03 - 35:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Treat your furniture with care, teaching children that it is a stewardship and not to be abused.

Examples of putting feet on the couch with shoes on or allowing children to use furniture as a gymnasium illustrate poor stewardship and disrespect for property.

You can polish it once a week because it's your God and you're going to spend time spending energy. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the kind of care that will keep it in reasonable, optimum value and appearance. What about your furniture?

35:54 - 36:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Be careful with rugs, wiping feet clean, as poor stewardship can lead to significant economic pinch.

The example of tracking mud on rugs and the resulting need for early replacement illustrates how poor stewardship in 'little things' can lead to significant financial 'pinch' and impact other areas like Christian school tuition.

Your rugs, do you come in without wiping your feet clean? Traips over the rugs with muddy feet? What you're saying is just a rug, we can get rid of it when we want to. Ah yeah, but you see the difference between caring for that rug and not caring for that rug may mean instead of replacing it in 10 to 15 years you might have to replace it in five and what you pay for those new rugs could be the difference between having enough money to put a kid in Christian school and not.

36:35 - 37:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Regard your clothes as a loan from God and treat them accordingly (e.g., airing out, pressing, alternating use).

Examples of airing out clothes, pressing them, and alternating use are given to illustrate good stewardship of clothing, extending its life and honoring God's loan.

Do you regard them as a loan from God and treat them accordingly? You men who sweat like I do, do you air them out so that the lining doesn't rot and you get optimum use out of them? Do you have them pressed and alternate their use so you get longer use out of them? You say, Buster, you're serious.

37:13 - 37:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Set an example of returning borrowed property (e.g., a van) in better condition than when received.

The example of borrowing someone's van and returning it cleaner and with more gas illustrates good stewardship and consideration for others' property, setting a positive example for children.

The property of others when borrowed. Are you setting the example that if you borrow someone's van to use it, you bring it back cleaner and more full of gas than it was when you borrowed it? Or do you take it back full of the remnants of your moving job and with the needle halfway down from where it was when you got it? What a terrible message you're sending to your children.

38:18 - 38:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Reflect a keen sense of stewardship of money and things through careful preservation, benevolence, and hospitality.

Martin shares a personal anecdote about furnishing his first home with $25 bargain furniture and teaching his children to treat it with dignity, emphasizing that stewardship is about concept, not monetary worth.

It's J.C. Penney's bargain furniture. We don't treat it any different than when we first furnished our home with $25 for our living room set from, it was like a Salvation Army type outlet in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, just over the railroad tracks in the poor part of town.

39:37 - 39:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Reflect a keen sense of stewardship of money and things through careful preservation, benevolence, and hospitality.

Martin recounts his upbringing during the Depression and WWII, where despite being poor, he was taught to treat even threadbare rugs and couches with dignity as God's loaned property, highlighting the impact of parental example.

I thank God for that. God, I was brought up what would now be considered, not just borderline poor. They'd have been clamoring for my father to get on the food stamps program but he had too much sense of dignity and we never felt poor. We went around with patched clothes and thread bare rugs but I tell you we were taught to treat those thread bare rugs with dignity.

40:49 - 41:14 Read in full sermon

The point: Teach children to save money with a view to specific, legitimate desires, exercising discipline over their finances.

An anecdote about a father who collected a third of his children's earnings, secretly saving it for them, illustrates a creative way to teach saving and the value of money.

Or by collecting papers and selling them back before we had a recycling process... They had to give a third to Dad.

45:26 - 45:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow the abuse of clothing and furniture; teach children to treat them as a commodity loaned from the Lord.

Martin shares that he has heard church members express reluctance to invite certain families over due to their children's habit of touching and taking everything, illustrating the negative impact of failing to teach respect for others' property.

It's woven right into the Ten Commandments. Thou shalt not steal, and no one should have to run around and garner everything from three feet and downward. The Ten Commandments are the right to do that, and it's the right to do that in your own home. And I've heard that said to me by members in this church, and I'm thankful I don't think of any particular kids. I can honestly say if I would make an attempt, I probably could, but I'm deliberately making no effort to, and no one's name is before me. But I've had people here say, Pastor, I'd love to have such and such a family over. But I've seen ...

47:20 - 47:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Enforce proper care of clothing; when not wearing it, it should be folded, hung, or placed in a hamper, not thrown on the floor.

Martin vividly recounts earning half the money for a new pair of shoes as a boy, which instilled in him a deep sense of ownership and care for them, demonstrating the power of personal investment in teaching stewardship.

That's what you're doing. I can remember so vividly, and I've deliberately steered away from a lot of anecdotal things, but this is embedded in my mind. Being reared borderline poor, and having parents who wanted to teach us the principles of economic responsibility before God. I can remember I was somewhere probably 11 years, maybe 12 years old, and I need a new pair of shoes.

49:03 - 49:30 Read in full sermon