The Gospel in terms of stewardship (Not finished)

Sorry I am still editing this.  This may look like a series of sound bites until it is done.

When discussing the Gospel, it is sometimes hard to describe sin.  Ray Comfort makes the point that we are sinners by taking the person he is talking with through the ten commandments.  However this ultimately results in the conclusion that a person is damned for having stolen a pencil in third grade, and some other frivolous transgressions that ought to never result in a penalty as severe as eternal hell.

Your good works are not going to get you to heaven.  When you are in line to meet St. Peter at the pearly gates, you should stand in the line designated for sinners.  You will not achieve perfection on earth.
At the same time, repentance has to mean something.  As a believer, you should be following on the path that Jesus laid out, even if you stumble from time to time.

Eight questions to see if you are following Jesus:

1) Are most people are on a path to God?

wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
--Matt 7:13

2) Are there many ways to God?

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
--John 14:6

Many people feel secure by because they are doing what everyone else is doing.  But Jesus says that many are on the wrong path.

3) Are you saved because you said the "sinners' prayer"?

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
--Matt 7:21

4) Do you like being with other believers and like helping them when they are in need?

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.
--1 John 3:14

[A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another
--John 13:24]

5) Are you quick to forgive others?

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
--Matt 6:15

6) Are you are zealous about Jesus?
 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
--Revelation 3:16,19

7) Does your belief result in action?

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
--Matt 7:19-20


5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
--John 15:5-6

8)  Do you have the attitude that everything you have belongs to God, and you just manage what you have been given?

Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
--Luke 14:33


What sparked the Protestant reformation?  People from the province where Martin Luther lived would travel to where Johann Tetzel, who was selling indulgences, pay their money, and return with a piece of paper saying their sins were absolved.  Yet Luther knew these people to be unrepentant scoundrels before and after their purchase of salvation.  So he wrote his 95 theses to start an academic discussion with his peers.  A half millennium later, we have back to the same spot we were back then, except now we have the "sinners' prayer", and it is free.
Salvation needs to come with repentance and submission to God's rule in his kingdom.

The first words of Jesus in Mark's gospel are about the kingdom of God:

Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
--Mark 1:14

Most of what Jesus taught is about the kingdom of God, but it may not always be labeled as such.

I think that sin is best explained as living for yourself and rejecting kingdom of God.  They see God as an intrusion on their lives.  Today we see so many people doing this that we think it is normal.
In the kingdom of God, people see themselves as stewards of what they have been given by God, rather than people who live for themselves.  Adam and Eve rejected God's rule over them.  It was not through any necessity or coercion.  It was simply a declaration of rebellion.

This is alluded to in a seemingly unrelated sentence in Luke's version of the parable of the talents:

But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
--Luke 19:14

They come to a bad ending:

But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
--Luke 19:27

It is not wise to be an enemy of God.

We see so many people around us living for themselves and not for the Kingdom that we can think it is normal if we are not careful.  But it is not normal, but a temporary anomaly in the broader scheme of things.
God ruled for ages before man's fall into sin, and after God judges sin, there will be an eternity of God's rule again.  Where will you be then?

This sort of rebellion reaches its peak with the "the man of lawlessness" (2 Thes 2:3, NASB)

Outside the Kingdom of God, you think of everything as belonging to humanity.
You say things like "my body", "my life", "my retirement",  "I can do what I want".  You see God as an intrusion on your life.

If you are part of the Kingdom of God, you see everything as belonging to God, and you are a steward of whatever has been assigned to you.

Jesus' teaching was all about the kingdom of God.
God is the king.
He created and owns everything.
We are just stewards of whatever we have.
Misuse of what has been entrusted to us is sin.

There are many parables about stewardship:

Prodigal son, squanders what was given to him.

Farmer who has big crop and builds bigger barn, and retires

Unjust steward

Parable of the vineyard worker

Parable of the talents


----starting over:

It was the first thing that Jesus talks about in Mark's gospel, starting in verse 14:



Sin is like what the Prodigal son did: he took the father's stuff and wasted it.  To be in the kingdom, you need to repent and not live for yourself, but rather view yourself as a steward of whatever God has given you. 

One point of view is that everything in the whole universe belongs to us, and as long as everything is "consensual", you can do whatever you want because you are not harming anyone. 

This is the wrong view and it is typical of the human condition.

As mentioned, the view in the Kingdom is that everything you have, including yourself, belongs to God and you are a steward over it.
I am thinking of the parable of the bigger barns (Luke 12:16-21).  Here the farmer did not do anything bad, but failed to do good and just lived for himself.
Also the parable of the "talents" (Matthew 25:14-30).  The person with the few talents did nothing with them, not even the bare minimum.
Also the parable of the vineyard owner's son (12:1–12).  The workers kept the harvest and killed the people sent by the owner.
There is also a parable of an unjust steward in Luke 16.  God regards us as stewards.

The wrong view is a form of lawlessness, where we reject God's rule over us.  When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, they were saying to God that they would not follow his laws.
In the parable in Luke 19:11, the people sent a delegation after the ruler with a message, saying: sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.



----

Justification by Faith

...that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
--John 3:16

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
--Rom 5:1

And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
--Rom 11:6

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ
--Gal 2:16

More verses

Verses for Evangelism, conveniently in one place for memorization

Are people basically "good"?
There is none righteous, no, not one
--Romans 3:10

All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God
--Rom 3:23

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
--Matt 5:20

whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
--Matt 5:28

How did this happen?
As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.
--Rom 5:12

What are the consequences of sin?
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
--Rom 6:23

How what is God's remedy for sin?
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us
--Rom 5:8

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
--John 3:16-19

Why can't we earn our salvation through works?
By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified
--Gal 2:16

Shouldn't we try to earn our salvation?
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
--Romans 4:4-5

I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
--Gal 5:2-5

 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
--Eph 2:8-9

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
--Gal 2:21

What is the purpose of the law?
I had not known sin, but by the law:
--Rom 7:7

How then are we saved?
 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
--Acts 16:30

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
--Romans 5:1

This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
--John 6:29

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me
--John 14:6

 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law
--Rom 3:28

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
--Rom 10:9

not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
--Phil 3:9

But of him [God] are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
--1 Cor 1:30

Why are you Evangelizing?
 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 
--Mark 1:17

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
--Matt 28:19

The cost and reward of following Jesus

There is a cost to following Jesus.  You should not treat your decision to follow Jesus lightly.

Jesus said:

If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
--Mark 8:24

The message of Jesus results in shameful treatment and Jesus expects you to follow him on that path.  But there is also a reward:


Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
--Romans 5:1

Do you think you will go to heaven because you are living a good life?

I have heard that Christianity is different from all other religions in that you don't have to work your way to God, but where God did the work to bring you to him.

If you could be saved by "being a good person", then what is the meaning of the cross?

If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain
--Gal 2:21

There are basically two ways to be in right-standing with God.  One is to lead an absolutely pure and sinless life, and the other is to accept God's gift of salvation.  In your case, we should probably explore option "2".

The Bible says:

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
--Romans 4:4-5

So you must be clear on what basis you expect your salvation.  If you expect it on the basis of what you have earned, like a paycheck that is owed to you at the end of the week, then you will get what the Bible says,

The wages of sin is death;
--Romans 6:23

But if you accept salvation as a free gift for those who repent and accept it by faith, then you will get that.

Jesus and Politics

So many people think it is their mission to support some political candidate or cause.
They no doubt have good intentions, but we don't see in the Bible any mandate for us to bring about change through the political process.


Jesus said,

 My kingdom is not of this world
--John 18:36

But instead,

 I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
--Matt 16:18

Also,

When Jesus ...perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed ... alone.
--John 6:15

Instead, he told his disciples

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations ... to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.
--Matt 28:19-20

You may or may not have a calling to be part of the political process, but you always have a mandate to help build the church.

If you try to help out people through the state, you are actually competing with the Church and helping to make it irrelevant.
The church can do things more efficiently than the state because it can be directed by pastors and elders and use people's spare time and resources, rather than a rigid process that relies on redistributing wealth.  Also there is no love in the state, and it does not bring people to God.

In fact, it may be a sign of rebellion against God to be overly focused on politics.  You are even though you appear to want to help people, you are doing it in a way that leaves God out.

You can't take it with you

The person who has the nice car or boat--it is easy to look at that and see that as wealth.  But it is actually very temporary, almost an illusion.

Jesus said,

 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven ...
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
--Matt 6:19-21