Skyland Conference 1980-02 Christian Stewardship — Stan Ford

God loves you when you burn, no matter what you look like, no matter what you be. God loves you, He really loves you. God loves you, the Bible says so. God loves believing. God loves you.

I've got a nice choir on the front row. Thank you for volunteering. Just on your own. And the actions as well, please. The actions as well. Are you ready? Away we go. If you're black or if you're white or if you're pants or...

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Pants or knees. God loves you. If you're short or if you're tall or if you're in between. God... Are you ready? Away we go. Thank you. If you're black or if you're white or if you're pants or knees.

God loves you. If you're short or if you're tall or if you're in between.

God loves you. He loves you when you... He loves you when you... He loves you when you... He loves you when you... No matter what you... No matter what you...

You must believe him. First note. Yes, yes, yes. Don't you know the tune? That's it. There's the tune right there. Are you ready? Thank you. Who can move the mountains that are hindering you today? Who can take the mob like devils, clear them from the way?

Who can prove his power when a Christian needs to pray? It is Jesus. He's the one. Jesus holds the power in his mighty hand divine. He's the one who helps the sick turn water into wine. He makes all things possible and he's a friend of mine.

For that's Jesus. He's the one. Amen. Wasn't that good? Wasn't that good? God and Father, very simply, we want to say again tonight thank you for giving us the chance of smiling together and enjoying company one with another.

We realize that thy word tells every one of us that as we see that day approaching then we must not forsake the ascending of ourselves together. We need one another. The youngest need the oldest and the oldest need the youngest.

We ask thee that thou would make this conference a time of such fellowship that when we return to our respective spheres of service we will return better men and women not only to what we've learned from the platform but to what we've learned fellowshiping one with another.

Now speak to our hearts, Lord. Make thy word a living word to our hearts and ours. For Jesus' sake. Amen. You will remember that we started a consideration of Christian stewardship and I made one or two suggestions to you.

The Scope of Christian Stewardship

I suggested that we would consider together in the course of the days that lie ahead the steward as to the Christian faith. As we were called to be stewards of the faith. I said we would consider together the fact that we would be stewards not only of the faith but of the fellowship of the spirit.

That we would be stewards together of the finished work of the fleeting life that he's given us. We would consider being stewards indeed of finance. But tonight again I want us to look very carefully at what it means to be a steward.

I have on my heart that I would share with you this evening first of all the scriptural meaning of a steward. Now that's most important. I know it's very simple but it's most important. What is the scriptural meaning of a steward?

And then I want us to consider not only the scriptural meaning of a steward but the spiritual marks of a steward. That men and women will look at us and say I know who that man, I know who that woman is.

They're stewards of the Lord. They bear the marks of those stewards. Let's not only consider the scriptural meaning of a steward and the spiritual marks of a steward. I want us to think a little of the stately manner of a steward.

I want us to remind our heart that there is a dignity about knowing and serving Jesus Christ. I want us to remind ourselves that we need to walk with that step. We need to be standing tall for Jesus Christ for there's a dignity about Christian stewards.

But if we would consider together the spiritual meaning of a steward and we would consider together the spiritual marks of a steward and we would consider the stately manner of a steward I want to take you into the last chapter of Matthew and remind you of the solemn mandate of a steward.

And we'll even go further if the Lord will help us as we will not forget that there is a satanic menacing of stewards as well. We'll remind our heart that God has left nothing out of the scripture that's necessary for us.

We will remind our heart that it's a warfare and as stewards we have to face the satanic menacing of stewards. But hallelujah, we'll think together of the supreme master of a steward. For greater is he that is for us than he that is against us.

As we will consider lastly the solemn motive of a steward. Now I expect some of you are going to say, oh in thirty-five minutes? Yes, you see my friend Mr. Depwell is there and he keeps his eye on me.

Oh he does, oh he does. But nevertheless, let's think together of what God has to say and will you turn with me please into Peter's epistle. Peter's epistle and I would like to read just a verse or two in chapter four.

The End of All Things and the Steward's Conduct

We will commence reading for the sake of time in verse seven. But the end of all things is at hand. Be therefore sober and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.

If any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth. That God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. A tremendous, tremendous portion of God's word is this.

It seems to me that Peter is hitting as it were the highlights as he introduces Christian stewardship. He reminds us that as Christian stewards we should share our goods. For verse nine tells us we should be those who are use hospitality one to another.

Now I want to emphasize this because I went away the other evening after ministering to you all, I went away a little disappointed. I felt that I had not conveyed the right impression. I had gone away conveying the impression that the only people who were stewards were men who say that stewardship is for every one of us.

Peter emphasizes surely the fact as he reminds those for whom he is writing that stewardship is something that affects our goods, it affects our home, it affects our... And I want to say very simply that as I look back over my own Christian experience, as I look back over many years of preaching the word of God in this and many other countries, that there is still a place in real vital evangelism, teaching and church building in the home.

There's such a... Oh that you and I brethren, and you young men and women, would you please take it upon me as from an old uncle, would you please, when you set up your home, be given love, be given love.

Using Spiritual Gifts to Serve Others

Would you notice that not only are we exalted as stewards to consider our goods, but we are exalted to consider our gifts. For Peter goes on and he dares to say As every man has received the gift, even so minister.

Do you ever sit down and say to yourself, now what sort of gift has God given me? I'm not very good at ministering the word. Anyway I'm a sister and so they wouldn't allow me to? Likely so. But nevertheless, nevertheless, I wonder what gift God has given me.

Now shall I tell you something? Maybe it's not very much. 38 years of service and I feel ashamed of it. But I've seen the commencement of 13 new ascents. When we shifted in with a tent and started a work where there was nothing before.

Now I go back there and the gathering of God's people functioning as a local church. Maybe that's not very much for 38 years of service and I feel somewhat ashamed of it. But I want to say this, that I have never seen a church of God built up in a mighty way when it consists of just one or two brilliant individuals.

Assembly life does not consist of one or two brilliant individuals. It consists of brethren and sisters whose heart is right with Jesus Christ and have a longing and deep desire to follow the pattern of his word.

And I have seen more things built up outside of what we would normally term the preaching and ministry of the word. Let me use an illustration. I was in Australia. I went to a place just outside of the city of Sydney.

When I arrived the first evening, the chapel was full. On the Sunday evening, it was full and the brethren sent up here who'd never been in before. I thought, why that's bad. How did you get to me? This is the loveliest story I heard.

The loveliest story I heard. There was in, or there is in the fellowship, a dear sister who lost her husband at the age of 35. She had two children. A mortgage. And I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Brother Dick, but her insurance wasn't enough to pay the mortgage up.

She had to go to work to keep her children and try and make ends meet and it was very difficult. And the house was needing painting. And there were jobs done to be done and she had no money and she had to work anyway so she couldn't get them done.

Now in that gospel, there were about 30 or 35 teenage youngsters and one of the elders had gathered them together in a track band and every Saturday, they would catch a train or a bus and go to a village outside of Sydney, give out tracks, stand on the street corner and preach and sing.

And in all the years they'd been doing it, no one had come into the gospel. But this day, one of the young men said, you know what I think we ought to do? I think we ought to help our sister. I think we ought to go down to her home and see if there's a job we can do.

So away they went, spoke to one of the elders of the meeting, said, would you do something? Would you take out our sister and the children on Saturday? She doesn't work in the afternoon. Would you take them out for the whole day?

And this elder went round with his wife and said, would you come with us? We're going to take you for a trip. And away the elder went with his wife and this good sister and their two children. And the sister thought, oh, isn't that elder a wonderful person?

Take us out for a trip like this. And as soon as they left the house, 30 or 35 youngsters invaded that house. And what did it matter? Never a sun got on the glass. They dug the garden. They cut the door.

Do you know, 35 youngsters working on a house, you know what happened, don't you? In two minutes, the next door neighbor was out to see what was going on. In about three minutes, the whole world was out.

And it wasn't long before the neighbors were bringing them round tea. Real tea, not this tea bag tea, you know. Real tea. They were bringing them around. And do you know that they said to them, well, we just wanted to try and help.

By the way, we're starting some special meetings at the gospel hall. Would you come? In all the years of tract distribution, in all the years of open air meetings, they never got a soul in. But I started meetings with a chapel that was crowded because young folks said, maybe we haven't got the gifts to stand up and minister, but we've got the gift to be a help to people.

And they started something that's never stopped. That meeting and that district has been blessed by it. Peter says, as God has given. What sort of gift do you got, brother? A gift for a paintbrush? Oh, I wish I lived near you.

I could find you a job. I only know this. I only know that Christianity is not just sitting in a hall to eat. Assembly life goes right through the district. And we must be known in the district as those who use our gifts.

Not only have we to use our goods and use our gifts, but all praise God. He thinks about our gospel. He says, let him that speak, speak of the oracles of God. Oracles of God. Oh, how important. Thus saith the scripture.

But then we go further. And as we realize that a steward is a person who will use his gifts and his goods and his gospel for the blessing of others, then we go and we see some of the things to which I've made reference.

The Biblical Meaning of a Steward

First of all, what is the spiritual meaning of a steward? I suggest that if we were together in a Bible reading, we would read the 14th and the 15th chapters of Genesis. We would think of the steward of Abraham.

I would suggest that we would read what I referred to the last occasion, the 16th of Luke. And as I have read and prayed about every mention of stewardship in the Bible, I think without in any way exaggerating, I can tell you what it means.

And a steward in the Bible is simply a person who is instructed with the management of someone else's property, house or estate. And that's what a steward is. As simple as that. Someone who has been instructed in the management of someone else's property, house or estate.

Are you a steward of the Lord? Then whose estate are you watching over? Not yours. The Lord you're looking after. Not yours. The Lord. Whose property are you looking after? Not yours. The Lord. What a dignity is ours.

Do you know if Her Majesty the Queen was to say to me, Lord, I'd like you to come and look after Windsor Castle, I'd be unpayable. You'd have a job to live with me ever after. Oh, the Queen gave me the charge of it.

The job has given me the charge of something more important than that. Oh, the spiritual meaning of a steward is someone who looks after, manages someone else's property. I say, what are the spiritual marks of a steward?

Representing the Master Through Christlike Character

Again, the Word of God leads us in no doubt. The first mark of a steward is that he represents his master. That men and women see beyond him, they see his master. To me it was not the truth you taught.

To you so clear, to me so dim, that when you pay it brought a sense of him, of him. As he is, the Scripture says, as he is, so are we in this world. We must be those who represent the master in every way and hold and show the marks of the master.

The more I read my Bible, the more I realize that the marks of the Lord Jesus can be seen and read by everyone. What would you say are the marks of the Lord Jesus? Would I be right in saying this? That the first thing that marks the Lord Jesus was his complete abandonment to the will of the Father.

When I open my Bible and I ponder John 4 and 34, and I hear the Lord say to those disciples, I have meat that ye know not of, my meat is to do the will of my Father. All this marks out the Lord Jesus in every aspect.

We will be seeing something of this in the coming afternoons in the Bible readings. And we'll be thrilled as we see this was the mark of Jesus, that he was abandoned to the will of the Father. I say, do we bear the mark of our master?

Are we abandoned to his will? Do we start each day in saying, Lord, I want to know what you would have me do? Not only was the Lord Jesus abandoned to the will of his Father, but I think every one of you will grant me this, that if there was one thing that marked the Lord above another, it was his love for men and women who were sinners.

Isn't that grand? I think I told you, didn't I? I was away in Portland, you know, over in whatever state it's in. But we were in Portland. And they introduced me, or interviewed me is the word, on the local wireless.

And the man said to me, now Mr. Ford, this isn't a religious program. This is a topical interest program. We're not really interested in what you've come to preach, we're interested in you. But at the end of the program, I'll give you a minute and you can tell us what you've come to preach.

Now you all have a job to believe this, but I'd rather like a little bit more than a minute. But there it was. And he interviewed me. Oh, I did enjoy it. It was wonderful. You know, I could tell all those people over the air just what I thought of you Americans.

I was grand. Oh, dear, dear. And all I did was answer questions, you know, everything was polite. And after a while, he said to me, now Mr. Ford, we know that you are preaching. What have you come to tell the people?

And with an eye on the clock and a prayer up to heaven, I said, sir, I've come to tell them that everything Jesus did was for sinners. He was born for sinners. And they shall call his name Jesus, for he came to save his people from their sins.

He lived for sinners, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. He died for sinners, for God proved his love towards us. And that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

He was raised again for sinners, for he was raised again for our justification. I say, he lived in the glory for sinners, because he ever lived to make intercession for us. And hallelujah, he's coming back again for sinners.

Sinner saves the great. He lived. He's born. He lived. He died. He rose again. He lived in the glory. And he's coming back again. And it was all for sinners. How long did that take, Brother Baker? Fifty-five.

Look at that. I saw him checking me. Oh, I say. That's it. Listen. That's the gospel. Jesus loved sinners. And, brethren, sisters, if you forget that, then your family will never be what God wanted. Oh, that we might rescue the perishing, care for the dying, and snatch them of pity, for sin of the grave.

Weep for the erring one. Lift up the poor. Tell them of Jesus. Mark to the steward. Jesus loved sinners. You loved sinners. I say, not only did the Lord love sinners, not only did the Lord abandon himself to the will of his Father, but oh, how he loved the church.

Did you hear that, John? Could I repeat that again to you? He loved the church. Isn't that lovely? The Bible says it. Never forget it. The Bible never tells us that Christ loved the world. The Bible doesn't say Christ loved the world.

God loved the world. But Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Young men, young women, you've grown to love the assembling of yourselves in heaven. You've grown to love the gathering of God's people.

Stand amongst those who bear the mark. But not only the marks of a steward, and not only the spiritual meaning of a steward, but oh, the stately manner of a steward. I like that. The stately manner of a steward.

The Stately Manner of a Steward

Let this mind be in you, says Paul to the church at Philippi. I say, walk in the Spirit, says Paul to the church at Galatia. I say, he goes even further. Rather, the Word of God goes further and says, because you are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, that you might cry.

That's it. Did you notice? Oh, first of all, our mind. And then our feet, our walk, and then our heart. That's how it affects us. And when, as stewards, we are found as those whose mind, whose walk, and whose heart is right with God, then we will walk in this sea.

The mind. How about our mind? I haven't time to take you right through it. And let me remind you, it was Paul to the church at Philippi. Let this mind be in you. And he dared to remind us that we've got to have a steadfast mind.

Chapter 1 and verse 27 of this. A steadfast mind. Stand fast in one spirit and one mind. In your mind, the truth of the Word of God and stand fast. We've got to have a steadfast mind. I say, we have to have a loving mind.

He said, having the same love, one to another. Chapter 2, verse 2. A loving mind. Have we got a loving mind? Do we love one another? Not just talk about it, but do we do it? I say, he speaks not only of a steadfast mind and a loving mind, he speaks of a humble mind.

Let this mind be in you. The mind of the one who thought it not a thing to be held on to. Who brought that to be equal with God. All those seven steps down. Hallelujah, God took him seven steps up, didn't he?

But oh, what a mind. And he goes further and he speaks of an unselfish mind. Oh, he dares to tell us less. That there's no man like-minded, but we should be like-minded. Oh, that we might have an unselfish mind.

Oh, well, I don't know further. This will have to take you right through the book. Sufficient to say this. If you want to know what the mind of Christ is, you go back to your room and read again Paul's letter to the church at Synod.

And you'll know what a godly mind it is. It's the mind of a steward. But not only the mind of a steward, but the walk of a steward. Why? Because, he says, we should walk in the Spirit. Isn't that lovely?

Walk in the Spirit. Isn't it grand that when Christ saved us, He gave to us His Spirit? If you have not the Spirit of Christ, you're none of His. Oh, that I might know something day by day of being filled with the Spirit.

That I might know something day by day of saying, Lord, I want to be filled. You know, the biggest problem today is not that the Spirit doesn't indwell us. But the biggest problem is that we have so much in our lives that takes its place.

If I had a glass of water here, and I was to fill that glass with pebbles, and then pour water on top, it wouldn't need very much to fill the glass. I could say, look at that. That glass is filled with water.

If I was to take the pebbles out and fill that glass with water, I have much more water. There are so many of us, you know, we say, I'm filled with the Spirit. Aye, we'd be better off if we were to kick some of the pebbles out.

If we were to say, Lord, you can move the mountain, just take that mountain out, let a little more Spirit come in. Oh, brethren and sisters, that we might be filled. But how big is our capacity? That's the question.

How big is our capacity? Or walk. I say, He goes further. Let this mind walk in the Spirit. And ah ha, in such a condition that we can say, another. Have you ever been in a Jewish home? Ever heard a little tacker in a Jewish home say to his dad, please, I don't know how it can be expressed really.

Not in our English language anyway. My dear dad. My dear dad. How would you express it, Brother Tom? You're the Hebrew student here, sir. Scholar, I beg your pardon. Daddy. Daddy. Isn't that lovely? Daddy.

That's America. We say pop. Bah, that's it. Something. You know, we got a little youngster. Well, of course, they grow up, don't they? They grow up. Rebecca, just a little tacker. And she'd always heard Mary call me Stan, you see.

So she started off by calling me Stan. You know, Stan. But, of course, she couldn't get the S's out, so it was Tan. Do you remember that advert on the paper with the dog pulling the youngsters? You know.

There we are. But there it was. And one day. One day. I got home and my little granddaughter was sitting on the stairs making an unearthly noise.

An unearthly noise.

And Mary said to him, Decker, what's that noise? Oh, she said, that Tan singing. Oh, I did it. Now, that doesn't explain it. But the joy I had in my heart when I heard my little granddaughter. Then she was about three years of age.

Say that. Or there was a link. That's what Abba's all about. It means I'm linked with the party. He's not his father. No. Oh, brethren, sisters. What a stately manner we should have when we realize that we're linked with him.

Watchfulness in Spiritual Warfare

But not only the stately manner of a steward, but the satanic menacing of a steward. Oh, never let us forget, please, the 29th verse of the 20th chapter of Acts. We are informed that the Holy Spirit has made certain men overseers.

But there on that 29th verse of the 20th chapter of Acts, he reminds those overseers that grievous wound entering to you, not sparing the flock. Never let us forget this, that as stewards we must ever be watchful.

Three things we should be. We should rise. We should be refreshed. And hallelujah, we should remember. We should rise. Take heed unto yourself and to all the flock. Go to sleep as a steward. Take heed.

The church of God. The church of God. Brethren, you elder brethren here today. You know, I want to just say this in my name about the afternoon reading. I think most of us felt that somehow this afternoon the Lord had been with us.

But please remember this as we gather in the afternoon. We're wanting to hear from you. You elders, you brethren that have had years of caring for the flock. We want to hear what you have. We want your contribution.

We want to learn from you. Feed the flock. And when you gather in the afternoon, gather as stewards of the flock. I say, remember. Remember that He has purchased you with His own blood. Give your power as a steward to walk in this scene saying, I've been purchased by the blood of Christ.

Oh, the wonder of it. The wonder of it. Let me home you to a clove. The supreme master of a steward. Lord, says the apostle. He wasn't then an apostle. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? I'm quoting, of course, from Acts 6 and 9 and 6.

Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? It always seems to me, doesn't it seem to you? It always seems to me there are three things about Paul's meeting the Lord. First of all, Paul was overpowered. And then Paul was overshadowed.

Hallelujah! Paul was overtaken. Not that one. He was overpowered. He was on his way to do a desperate deed. Suddenly he was stricken to the ground. I say, he was overshadowed. He could see, but now it's all darkness and blind.

He's overtaken. Oh, God send Ananias to him. Without a doubt, that's the persecutor of the church. Ah, but just a moment. The holy prayer. He prayed. What a gift. The Lord overtook Paul and praised God commissioned him and spanked him forth to serve him.

Christ's Commission and the Steward's Motive

The supply motive of the series. For the 25th chapter and the wonderful 21st verse of the Gospel of Matthew. Well done thou good people. Brethren, shouldn't it be our motive so to live out our lives that when we see the Lord Jesus.

I missed out part of it, didn't I? I said that I was going to speak a little about the tremendous mandate, the solemn mandate. But my time is up. Would you take a minute? This is the mandate that that one who owns the property gives.

Go into all the world. In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things. I have commanded you. And know I am with thee always. His confidence. His confidence. Go ye. A master has confidence in a student.

He's got confidence in you, the Christ of God. He says go. His commission. Preach the Gospel. You've heard me say this many a time, haven't you? Make disciples. Disciples. I want to get that now. Let me say it again.

There it is, look. No, it's the wrong one. Wrong one. I got one somewhere. You know I often say to you that I got one with a little s in the corner. I expect my son stole it. Thank you. There it is. But never you forget this.

That little monogram in that handkerchief doesn't make that handkerchief mine, does it? What made that handkerchief mine was the sixpence we paid for it at Woolworth's. That's what made it mine. The price that was paid.

That's what makes it mine. But that monogram marks it is mine. Baptism doesn't make it his. It marks you as his. That's it. Make disciples. Mark disciples. Come on John, what's the last one? An M. Teaching them to observe all things.

Your name's not John. Large. Welcome. You can see how he wants me to shut up. There we are. Make disciples. Mark disciples. Teaching them to observe all things. Mold disciples. That's the commission. Confidence.

Go in. His commission. Preach. Make disciples having baptized them. Then he says. This is his companionship. Lo, I am with thee always. Even unto the end of the age. What happened? O, that I might know his companionship.

For his name's sake. Amen. I don't think I'll ever be invited back again. Shall we pray? O God and Father, we've smiled again and enjoyed just being able to consider thy work. But O Lord, make it real to us.

It's thy work. It's a living work. We want to go from this place as stewards. Managing. Clearing. Watching over. Your property. Help us to do it. And do it for your glory. For Jesus' sake.