A Sunday School Lesson On Stewardship

Here is a Sunday school lesson or Bible study on stewardship.

Faithful in Little

Luke 16:10-11 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?”

One of the main points Jesus made in the Parable of the Dishonest Manager was that “if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own” (Luke 16:12). We are stewards of what God has entrusted to us so if we cannot be faithful with the little we have been given today, how can God trust us with much more in the kingdom? The fact is that He will not entrust us with much of anything in the kingdom if we’re not even faithful with the little that we have today but to those who have been faithful with the little they have, God knows from experience that they will be faithful with much more that comes in the kingdom. Today we are being evaluated by God to see how faithful we will be with what we have, little or much.

What does it mean to be faithful “it very little?”

Why can’t God trust us in the future if we’re not trustworthy today?

What has God entrusted you with?

Entrusted Stewardship

First Corinthians 9:17 “For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.”

God entrusted the Apostle Paul with very much as he was called to be the apostle to the Gentiles but Paul was saying that if he is only doing this of his own will, he’s already got his reward here on earth but if it’s not really Paul’s will that he entrusts to God, God will entrust him with much more in the kingdom. Jesus asks the rhetorical question, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes” (Matt 24:45-46). The Master will return someday and say to some “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt 25:21).

Why does Jesus say the “faithful and wise servant” will be set over His household?

What is the difference between Paul’s own reward and the reward coming from God (1st Cor 9:17)?

Is it harder to be a good steward with the more you have or the less you have?

Stewards of God’s Gifts

First Peter 4:10 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

The Apostle Paul says that he “became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints” (Col 1:25-26) and that “it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1st Cor 4:2) so just as Paul says, “you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly” (Eph 3:2-3) we are stewards of God as well. He has entrusted us with the mystery that was at one time hidden from us so we must be good stewards of what God revealed to us so that He might use us to reveal this mystery to others.

When we reveal the mystery of the gospel to others does it depend on us (Rom 1:16)?

Do you consider yourself a minister of God?

What gift has God given you that you can serve others with?

What are these gifts?

The Body of Christ

Matthew 25:40 “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

Jesus is saying that those who are “the least of these my brothers” and sisters are those who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, sick, and in prison and by ministering to them, Jesu sees it as doing it unto Him. Why? Because as members of the Body of Christ, we are members of His Body, the church, and ministering to them is the same as ministering to Jesus. Tragically, to those who ignored their brothers and sisters in Christ may not actually be part of the body because Jesus declares “I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me” (Matt 25:42-43) and His final, fatal judgment to those who did nothing for the “least of these” is “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41).

Who are the “least of” Jesus’ “brothers?”

Why does society think little of the least of those in the world?

Doesn’t God choose those who are “least in the world” (1st Cor 1:27)?

Would you consider yourself one of the “least of these?”

Conclusion

I urge you in your study to look at all of the Bible verses and read them aloud in the class so that you can get the most out of this lesson on stewardship since we must be ready for His return at any given moment and so Jesus tells us all, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matt 25:13) of His return. Paul reminds us that “each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom 14:12) for what we did and for what we didn’t do; our sins of commission may not be as great as our sins of omission.

Why are we judged for what we do and don’t do?

Would you consider yourself a good steward of God?

What has changed in your understanding about stewardship in this study?

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.