Sermon Title .

The Stewardship of Faith

Sermon Text.. Deut 6:1-15
Invocation Scripture. . Rom 10:17
Main Idea :

Faith is a gift from God and we are

responsible to be good stewards of
this faith just as we are of any other
resouce that God grants to us.

Objective : To challenge members to share their faith

with their children, their extended
family, their friends and neighbors and
do so year by year
The Stewardship of Faith
Deut 6:4 - 15
Point I : Embrace Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deut 6:5-7
1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Cor 10:3-5, Eph 6:10-18
Believers r Israel.Gal 3:7-9, 29, Rom 2:28-29,
Rom 9:6-8, Phil 3:3,
Point II : Teach Faith .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deut 6:7a
Jesus taught, Matt 11:1, Mark 1:21, 6:2, Luke
10:21, John 7:14, John 8:21 Tim. 4:11
need to be taught! Heb5:12
Point III: Live Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deut 6:7b-9
Rom 1:17, gal 2:20, Gal 3: 11,
Point IV: Share Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deut 6:13
Matt 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Acts 5:32, 10:39

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The Stewardship of Faith

Deut 6:4 - 15
Slide 1 Blank screen
We come back today to continue in our Series,
Stewardship: Foundation for Christian Living. We are
in the midst of our 2nd key Stewardship topic, having
completed the Stewardship of Family, we are
considering now, the Stewardship of Faith.
Now last week, we considered the first of three
points in this message, that we must Embrace Faith!
We laid the foundational understanding based upon
many scriptures that Faith was, IN FACT, a Gift from
God, something we would never pursue and thus never
have unless God Himself draws us. Given this truth,
we realized that Faith then too was a mater for which
we are responsible as a Steward.
We considered the truth that these verses were
written to Israel, but came to understand that those of us
who believe the God is and that He is the creator of all
things, and that He would send a Messiah to redeem
mankind from his fallen sinful state are the TRUE
circumcision, the TRUE Israel, because Abraham,
believed God and God counted that to him as
righteousness, thus, it is by faith before Christ and by
faith after Christ coming that all who are Gods children

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come to God! Remember also, Hebrews 11:6

Slide 2 But without faith it is impossible to please him:
for he that cometh to God must believe that he
is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him.
I asked the question last week beloved, if we had ever
really embraced with passion our faith, or sought God
with an unrelenting fervor?... I gave you three,
personal examples from my own life and how God
worked in and through those...
I wonder... Did you ponder that last Sunday after
church?... Did the vs for that point impact you? Make
you think...
Slide 3 Deu 6:4-9 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our
God, the LORD is one! (5) "You shall love the
LORD your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your might.
Did you meditate on it and let it work in you Sunday
afternoon? Did you think of it throughout the week?
We realized that the day and time we are living in
and the attack on true Biblical Christianity was felt
keenly even in the day and time of the Apostles, for we
read in the book of Jude, the one who is the half brother
of Jesus Christ Jude 1:3
Slide 4
Beloved, while I was making every effort to write
you about our common salvation, I felt the
necessity to write to you appealing that you
contend earnestly for the faith which was once for

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all handed down to the saints.

This brought us to some pointed and difficult
questions and the conclusion of our message...
Slide 5 (auto moves to next slide after 20 seconds)
I asked you... What do you Embrace with
Passion?.. What is the focus of your life? Where do
we invest the bulk of our Time, Energy and Effort?
I made the statement that if our focus wasnt on
God and Faith, then we were WASTING OUR TIME,
OUR ENERGY AND OUR EFFORT, for there is one
and only one thing in this life that is worthy of the
investment of the TOTALITY of who we are, and that
is the one true living God!
It is a strong, (and some might feel), scathing
statement, but I made it because I fear that for most in
our world today, and perhaps many in the churches of
America, the focus is not on God... not on our families,
(the first of our messages on Stewardship), but rather,
our focus has become ourselves.... we have become a
very selfish and self-centered people.... And beloved...
there is only one way to change that... And the answer
was begun last week in the call to love God with all that
we are, and TODAY, we will discover that there is only
one way to propigate this, and that is through a clear
understanding of our 2nd point today...
Teach the Faith! So turn back with me to
Slide 6 (auto moves to next slide after 20 seconds)
< < < Read: Deut 6:4-11 > > >
Slide 7

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Point II : Teach Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deut 6:7

Slide 8 (auto moves to next slide after 20 seconds)
Deut 6:7 "You shall teach them diligently to your sons
teach - shanan
1) to sharpen or whet
We teach in two ways beloved....
We teach with our Words and We teach with
our actions, our deeds.
Now, I know that we have come to believe in our
world today that it is the school that does the teaching
of our children. I am hear to say to you that for the vast
majority of the history of the world, the primary
teaching of the next generation has been done by the
parents in the home. Even as far back as a few hundred
years ago, it was only the privileged who had the
financial means to obtain a higher education.
And yet, individuals from other countries were
amazed when visiting America of the literacy of the
general public, and that was due to the fact that
Americans had come here for freedom, they understood
that it was critical to be able to read and to write and to
cipher. They knew it was critical to know history and
the great writings of the world. For the only way that
tyranny and oppression can survive is to have masses of
uneducated people who have been convinced that they
can not survive without the elite who lord it over them
and try to control them.
I am confident that we would be much better off if

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our children were raised in the comfort and safety of

their homes and taught the basics of life, relationship,
and the basics of learning in that context, rather than in
a public context where it seems that so much
ungodliness and false teaching now reside. Expeically
in the upper academic levels, where the political
correctness of liberal ideology dominate and oppress in
ways you can not hardly believe!
In addition, we have given away our children to the
internet and social media so that they dont spend the
bulk of their time listening to adults, engaging adults,
being motivated to move to adult thinking... no... we
have abandoned our youth to themselves and given
them the tools to ignore their parents, in fact, they dont
even have to choose whether to reject their parents
ideology, lifestyle and faith anymore, they dont even
have to listen to it, because they can get all of their
answers from each other and from these other
incredibly seductive, deceptive and manipulative
sources.
Listen beloved... We can choose the worlds ways,
the political correctness, the feminist agenda, the
godless liberal ideology and Isaiah reminds us what the
result of those choices are.... We read in Isa 3:11-13
(13) Woe to the wicked--it will go badly for them,
for what they have done will be done to them. (12)
Youths oppress My people, and women rule over
them. My people, your leaders mislead you; they
confuse the direction of your paths. (13) The

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LORD rises to argue the case and stands to judge

the people.
You say, well pastor Ken, do you think women
shouldnt have any rights and that children should be
oppressed.. You sound like a Muslim!
No... No... No.... First of all, there is no one whose
ideas, thoughts, feelings and perceptions on this earth
whom I trust more than Penny. She is my first and best
resource in terms of this human context of our world. I
trust her and listen to her and more often than not, find
her wisdom, superior to mine! She is in no way inferior
to me, but God has called me to be the Leader and
Lover of my family and so she is under my leadership
and that for only one reason, God set the roles up, and
she and I have chosen to believe God is right and He
knows best. So we commit to His leadership first then
strive to live those truths out with the full understanding
of Gal_3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond
nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ
Jesus.

As to children.... Children need to be allowed to be

children, to play, to grow to think and to learn, but that
playing, growing, thinking and learning must be
supervised by loving parents who understand the
dynamic of their call from God, and in the
understanding that they are but stewards of these lives
that God has granted them the capacity to join with Him
in creating and then given to them to raise.
In fact, I fear that because of radio, television,

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computers, the internet, video games and social media,

our children REALLY dont get much time to really
think, to ponder the wonder of Gods creation, to lie on
their back in the yard and imagine what clouds are
shaping into, of gazing into a star lit night with awe at
the vastness of the universe! Of lying on the ground
with chin in hand on elbows, watching ants work or a
caterpillar inch along, or a wondering what the slimy
squiggly lines on the sidewalk are in the morning dew,
following them to the grace, only to discover a snail in
a perfectly coiled shell....
These are the things that should be going on... but
Children learning from each other... children
communicating with each other more than with
adults.... getting their ideas and understandings from
each other... This can be VERY dangerous.... It can be
like the blind leading them blind!
And what did Jesus say about that?
Luk 6:39 He also told them a parable: "Can the blind guide
the blind? Won't they both fall into a pit?

The answer to that one is a resounding YES!!!!

Listen beloved... from Moses, to King David, to
Solomon, to Joseph teaching Jesus, we see that our
children are best served by Godly, caring and loving
parents, who are willing to teach them what they need
to know about family, about life, about Biblical
integrity, about doing a good job, the Bible is clear
about that! We read in
Eph 6:5-8 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters

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according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity

of your heart, as to Christ; (6) not by way of eyeservice, as
men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from
the heart. (7) With good will render service, as to the Lord, and
not to men, (8) knowing that whatever good thing each one
does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or
free.

We read further in
Col 3:23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the
Lord rather than for men,

Listen beloved... Even Moses, a man that the Bible

says spoke face to face with God, as we read in Exodus
33:11 where it says,
Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face,
just as a man speaks to his friend...
Even this man, needed to be taught and His teaching
came from God!
We are to actively and intentionally TEACH the
commands and precepts of God to our families, and
even more, I would contend to all who will listen!
Actually, you can go all the way back to Genesis,
where God taught Adam what to do and what not to do.
Regretfully, Adam didnt do so well, because Eve
was decieved... but as noted a moment ago, even Moses
needed to be taught, We read in Exo 4:12 NASB
Slide 9
"Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your
mouth, and teach you what you are to say."
Ironically, Moses, needed a lot of instruction, in fact,

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Moses father in law actually had to teach Moses...

Slide 10 < < < Read: Exo 18:17-20 > > >
Gods leaders were called to teach the people about god
and His commands and their Faith!
Slide 11
(1 Sam 12:22-24 NASB) "For the LORD will not
abandon His people on account of His great name,
because the LORD has been pleased to make you a
people for Himself. {23} "Moreover, as for me, far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing
to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and
right way. {24} "Only fear the LORD and serve Him in
truth with all your heart; for consider what great things
He has done for you.
Slide 12 (Ezra 7:25 NASB) "And you, Ezra, according
to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand,
appoint magistrates and judges that they may judge
all the people who are in the province beyond the
River, even all those who know the laws of your
God; and you may teach anyone who is ignorant
of them.
Then we come to the Psalms and there are over 30
verses that speak to us directly of training, teaching and
instruction! But Proverbs is laced with scriptures about
training and teaching and instructing our children in the
ways of God, of righteousness, purity and holiness..
From the earliest verses we read...
Slide 13 (Prov 1:8 NASB) Hear, my son, your father's

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instruction, And do not forsake your mother's

teaching;
And that one we all know in
Slide 14 (Prov 22:6 NASB) Train up a child in the
way he should go, Even when he is old he will
not depart from it.
We dont have to read far in the NT to see Jesus
actively and intentionally training and teaching His
disciples and the people!
Slide 15 (Mat 11:1 NASB) And it came about that
when Jesus had finished giving instructions
to His twelve disciples, He departed from
there to teach and preach in their cities.
We discover that Christs teachings were so profound,
and so impacting that we read in (Mark 1:22 NASB)
Slide 16 And they were amazed at His teaching; for
He was teaching them as one having
authority, and not as the scribes.
The Apostles also understood that teaching about who
Christ is and what He did was their lifes mission! So
ardent was Paul about this that He commanded Timothy
in (1 Tim 4:11 NASB)
Prescribe and teach these things.
The things that Timothy was to teach were the
fundamental truths of the Gospel that had been handed
down to Him from His grandmother and his mother!
So we see clearly beloved that there is a teaching by

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our Words that is critical, and we are called by the Lord

Jesus Christ to do this teaching!! Isnt that what we are
commanded to do in Matthew 28:18-20
Slide 17 (Mat 28:18-20 KJV) And Jesus came and
spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me
in heaven and in earth. {19} Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: {20}
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
So we are to teach by our words, but we must not forget
that our actions also are teaching and our actions either
contradict what we teach with our mouth or they
illustrate and confirm what we teach with our mouth!
You see beloved, not only do we teach by Word,
we teach by Deed and not only is their an intentional
teaching... there is an unintentional teaching that
somehow seems to SCREAM Louder and be more
PROFOUND and even more POIGNANT than our
Words!!!
Ralph Waldo Emmerson said, Your actions speak
so loudly that I can not hear word you are saying!
It is our example that most people will remember,
the way we treated them, the way we acted toward
others, this is the lesson they WILL remember!
And I think that we all would agree that this is a
basic axiom of life! I think that we can safely say that

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someones life and character has as much or actually

more to do with who and what they are than their
words! More often than not, our words are only an
expression of what is really inside of us.
Our text today, exhorts us to teach in every action,
every step, every part of our lives... Look back at our
text in Deut 4 and look at the end of vs 7 and vs
Deuteronomy 6:7-9 "...and shall talk of them when you sit in
your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie
down and when you rise up. (8) "You shall bind them as a sign
on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. (9)
"You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on
your gates.

Every aspect of our life should reflect the truth of what

we say we believe! The truths of Gods Holy Word
should be that which we strive to allow to permeate our
life!!! We should strive to make Gods Truths, His
Commands and His Precepts a natural part of our life,
so that they flow from us in every thought, every choice
and every decision, such that they reshape us and
conform us to the image of Christ!
Jesus had a great deal to say concerning this whole
issue of our actions, and tragically the very ones whose
lives should have reflected the reality of God, were the
very ones who did the most harm to His Kingdoms
work and purpose... Turn to Matthew 23:1-14
Slide 18 < < < Read: Matthew 23:1-14 > > >
Wow... Listen friends... It doesnt matter what
venue or arena you are in, the propensity for man to

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seek his own glory, to be held in esteem above others is

a real temptation. We must be diligent to teach and to
instruct in the ways of God, with our actions, but not
for the sake of Glory, but rather for the sake of the
witness to the power and presence of God in our lives!!
Like the Apostle Paul, we must determine to do
everything for the sake of the gospel, isnt that what he
said in 1 Cor 9:23
Slide 19 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that
I may become a fellow partaker of it.
That is a powerful statement, one I desperately desire to
be able to strive toward as a Christian!! I know that it is
a high a lofty aspiration, a target that is difficult to even
see, much less hope to hit, but yet, it is so vitally
important to have that target before us, as the ultimate
end of our Faith in Christ!!
With the way that the world throws at us, with
all that it tries to push us to do, we desperately need
strong, stable, Godly examples to follow! Paul
recognized this important truth and actually offers
himself as an example.... Look at Php 4:9
The things you have learned and received and
heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the
God of peace will be with you.
WOW!!! How incredible is that!! But there is more,
look at what Paul tells the church at Corinth...
1Co 11:1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of
Christ.

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It is too easy to get hung up in things that dont

matter such that we miss the very things the DO
matter!! Like missing the forest for the trees!! We can
not let our attitudes and our emotions run away with
us!!
We must keep in perspective the over arching truths
and themes of the Message of the Gospel, but we also
need to know enough of the specific doctrines that we
can teach the Faith and Live the Faith effectively for the
glory of Christ our Lord!
Listen my friends, this incredible gift of Faith in Jesus
Christ that God has given us is something that should
permeate every facet of our lives!! We should so live in
the Word, so trust in the promises and walk in the
commands of scripture that it is literally interwoven
into every aspect of our life, into every facet of our life
and in every moment of our life. Like the example of
the quilt we spoke of during Bible study Wednesday
night!
My Momma used to say that we needed to be
steeped in the Word! That is a vivid and classic pictoral
illustration that provides a very graphic and powerful
picture for us.
You see my friends, when you make a pot of tea,
you can make it weak or you can make it strong. If Im
going to drink tea, I want to know that I am drinking
tea! I want the taste to be strong and crisp, not diluted

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and weak!
So hears the deal friends... When you steep tea, the
strength or weakness of it has to do with one thing and
one thing alone... How long you leave the tea bag in the
water. The longer you leave it the stronger, more
robust, more pungent the tea!
But if you dont steep the tea for a long time, the
tea will be weak, watery and tasteless...
Listen friends... The Word of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Holy Bible itself is the tea bag of Faith, if we soak
the tea bag for only a short time, our Faith is weak and
tasteless.
So you see my friends, the strength, the vibrance,
the pungency of the Cup of tea is totally depended on
how long you steep the tea!! Likewise, the strength, the
vibrance, the pungency of the Faith God has given us,
will be either weak or strong based upon how much
time we spend in the Word of God, in Prayer and in
faithful obedience going about doing Good!!
So we are to
1. We teach by word
2. We teach by deed
3. We teach intentionally
4. And we must never forget that we my be
teaching our most powerful and most important
lessons unintentionally!

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That is why it is so CRITICALLY important that we

obey Ephesians 4:1 where we read...
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you
to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with
which you have been called,

Point IV: Share Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deut 6:13

Matt 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Acts 5:32, 10:39