Where is our treasure?

City Harbor Church – Hampden, Baltimore, MD

Matthew 6:19-24 – Generous Stewardship
19 “Don’t store treasures for yourselves here on earth where moths and rust will destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. 20 But store your treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. 21 Your heart will be where your treasure is.

22 “The eye is a light for the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. And if the only light you have is really darkness, then you have the worst darkness.

24 “No one can serve two masters. The person will hate one master and love the other or will follow one master and refuse to follow the other. You cannot serve both God and worldly riches.” – Matthew 6:19-24 NCV

Treasure – that which is of exceptional value and kept safe

“(Seek first) Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” – Matthew 6:33 NLT Jesus seems to be asking, “What do you value most?” Jesus is teaching the value of the eternal above the temporary.

3 Responses to the value system of Jesus:

1. Stewardship

Stewardship – the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care

Healthy Stewardship – choosing to manage our resources in a way that is sustainable and based on God’s value system

Jesus is teaching the value of the eternal above the temporary. We should value everything based on God’s priorities.

Using the value system that Jesus taught, asking the following questions to aid your stewardship decisions.

What are my roles?
Within each role, what are my goals?
Within each goal, how should I steward and serve?
Mine for example: 1. Jesus Follower 2. Husband 3. Father 4. Vocation 5. Neighbor 6. Citizen

Evaluate February after fasting. Re-evaluate May, August, November

2. Generosity
Generosity – liberal in giving, openhanded, marked by abundance or ample proportions, characterized by a noble or kindly spirit

Courageous Generosity – choosing to live on less of our own time, energy, and money so that we can consistently share our resources with others

In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells a parable of a Good Samaritan as an example of how we should respond to God’s directive, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” The Good Samaritan shows the necessity of good stewardship by sharing his: courage, creativity, compassion, cash and credit.

3. Purpose Jesus often spoke of God’s purpose and Kingdom. Jesus lived in such a way as to help us understand how to live by this.

We could describe the global response to this as the “Jesus Movement”…local churches and all believers across the world sharing the Good News of Jesus and participating in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus Movement – those who have believed in and received Jesus as Savior, sharing His love, life, and teaching with others here and now and abroad

What do we learn?

1. Jesus taught a value system for how we live.

2. We can all respond to God’s love by choosing generous stewardship based on God’s value system and purpose.

What should we do?

1. Pray, asking God to help us understand this teaching of Jesus and how we should respond.

2. Think about this. Write down questions and answers.

3. Consider how God would have us respond.

4. Respond by making one change for generous stewardship.

An example of this is seen in the financial stewardship of our church:

“We give because we love. We give so that we can share the love of Jesus, through our church, with our neighbors in Hampden, Waverly, and the surrounding neighborhoods of Baltimore City.”

For 7 years, we provided a Christian 12 step program for people who were incarcerated. We also helped with their transition to healthy independent living when released.
During the worst 18 months of financial impact from covid, we distributed more than 1.4 million pounds of groceries. By coordinating more than 12 non-profits and churches we ensured that 90% of it was delivered.
Healthy Stewardship (eldership and financial stewardship committee partnership, check/balances, reporting)
Priority on our participation in the Jesus Movement here and now (Church largest expenditures).
Courageous Generosity GIVE: 9% of our giving goes to directly meeting local needs, and abroad in Haiti and Guatemala.
To help our growing understanding of these ideas here is an expanded look at the topics, with Bible references.

Verses on Stewardship Perspective:

(Please read the verses listed, think about them and consider the thoughts below.)

1. We should understand that every good resource we have comes from God. With thanksgiving we generously give to God what’s already His. 1 Chronicles 29:12-14

2. We should trust God and not be anxious about our needs or finances. Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6-7

3. We should learn about the value system Jesus taught. Matthew 6:19-24, 33, 7:7-12, Mark 7:9-13, Luke 14:28-30

4. We should pay our debts and taxes. Matthew 22-15-22, Romans 13:6-7

5. We may give money willingly, cheerfully and generously, so that the church may directly meet specific needs including for the purpose of the Jesus Movement abroad. 2 Corinthians 9:1-15

6. We should consistently give resources, including money, to meet the practical needs of those in difficult times. Luke 6:30, 12:33, 14:13-14, Matthew 6:2-4, 10:8, 19:21-26

7. We should share our resources. Luke 3:11

8. We should be on guard against greed and selfishness with possessions. Luke 12:13-15

9. We should be faithful, including in the stewardship of small amounts. God will give opportunities. We cannot serve both God and money. Luke 16:9-13

10. We should learn about the stewardship of our resources and abilities, from Jesus’ “Parable of the Talents”. Matthew 25:14-30

11. We should be faithful stewards of God’s grace (in various forms) and use it to serve others. 1 Peter 4:10

12. We should trust God and honor the Lord with our financial resources. It is God who brings blessings. Proverbs 3:5-6, 9-10, Matthew 23:23-24

City Harbor Church…helping people take next steps in following Jesus.

We are responding to Jesus Christ. This informs every aspect of what it means for us to be a local church. It brings definition to our collective sense of identity, value, and purpose.
Jesus made clear the focus of God’s “big picture” purpose: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
This is what Peter, and the witnesses of Jesus were focused on communicating, constantly, everywhere: “Everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.” – Acts 10:43
This is the message that the early believers and Paul focused on giving to others: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Here is the truth that this early church, at large, was focused on: “Through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God – something the law of Moses could never do.” – Acts 13:38-39
We choose to respond as they did: confessing and forsaking our sins, believing in and receiving Jesus Christ as Savior, making our faith public in water baptism, and receiving the Holy Spirit as our guide. – Acts 2:22-42
We now live by faith in Jesus. Any good things we do spring from a thankful love motivation, and not an attempt to earn God’s love. “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” – Ephesians 2:8
This leads us to a culture of grace, and not shame. “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1
Through this miracle of salvation, we have begun new spiritual lives together. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 Realizing our new spiritual life, as God’s gift to us through Jesus Christ, comes before we bring any value from our personal identity characteristics in culture, gender, ethnicity, or otherwise.
Now we experience spiritual freedom from any darkness. “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” – Colossians 1:13-14 We are now free to live in new ways (Ephesians 2:1-10), receiving the guidance of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13) and allowing the Holy Spirit to shape new ways of thinking and feeling (Ephesians 4:23).
Now the love of Jesus gives us spiritual strength (Ephesians 3:16-20). As we give the best of our energy to receive this love of Jesus and respond to it, we will be positively changed for the rest of our lives.
The message that Jesus wanted communicated, first and foremost: “There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.” – Luke 24:47 Jesus gave his followers purpose. We are to communicate this message.
We believe that God has shown us love through Jesus Christ our Savior, seen in Romans 5:8-11
We respond with our wholehearted love for God and a sacrificial love for our neighbors, as Jesus taught in Matthew 22:37-39. Also seen in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Philippians 2:1-11; 1 John 4:7-11
Together we follow the teaching of Jesus and the example of his first followers, by inviting people to receive this saving grace through Jesus, and by committing to the lifestyle of grateful devotion, as seen in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 2:38-47; 4:29-35; 5:42.
We come together, building relationships with each other as a church family where each person has value, identity, and purpose, as seen in 1 Timothy 3:15, 5:1-2 1 Corinthians 12:16-17.
Motivated by the compassion of Jesus, we choose a lifestyle of courageous generosity and work together, meeting the needs of others, as seen in Acts 4:29-35; 11:19-30; 2 Corinthians 8-9.
Our church family is served by a team of leaders (including deacons) and elders who meet the qualifications seen in 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9.
We will follow the example of the early church in their high value on loving respect seen in mutual submission to each other, motivated by a constant awareness of Jesus (Ephesians 5:21). This is informed by our growing understanding of who Jesus is, what Jesus values, what Jesus has taught, and what Jesus desires.
We find guidelines for our healthy relationships within the organization in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Hebrews 13:17; Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5; Galatians 6:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; 1 Timothy 5:19-20; Titus 3:10-11.
We are following the example of the Christian church in Antioch who became a cohesive healthy spiritual family of Jesus followers, as seen in Acts 11:19-30. They did not allow unique characteristics of race, ethnicity, culture, economy, or education to keep them from being a unified group. They took action to help others across such lines.
We will help people take next steps in following Jesus, in ways that are as simple and as effective as possible, as seen in Acts 15:7-19.
We believe that God wants us to make this new way of living available to more people each year, as seen in Acts 16:5; 18:9-10.