THE TALE OF
TWO KINGDOMS
STEWARDSHIP OF LIFE
CLAYTON CHURCH OF CHRIST
Bible 101
For God so loved the world…
What is God’s expectation
for us till He returns?
THE KINGDOM
God’s Expectations
• God created the heavens and the
earth and all it contains
• (Gen 1)
• He created man in His own image to
cultivate and keep the earth
• (Gen 2:15)
THE KINGDOM
1. God
2. Others
3. Self
4. Creation
4 relationships to steward LOVINGLY
1. RELATIONSHIP TO GOD
1.
2.
3.
4.
Communication
No Blockages
Accurate understanding
Promote closer relationship
Love the Lord your God with all your
heart, soul, mind and strength
2. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHERS
1. Love, doing the best for
someone else unselfishly
2. Introduce them to God
3. Ambition for one another
4. Apology and Forgiveness
And (love) your neighbour
3. RELATIONSHIP TO SELF
1. Steward:
• The four areas of relationship
• Identity in God/Christ
• Skills, talents and giftings
• Health
•
•
•
•
Spiritual
Mental
Physical
Emotional
As (you love) yourself
4. RELATIONSHIP TO CREATION
1. God’s direction to cultivate and keep
the garden
2. Leave things better than when you
found them
3. Creative activity
4. Bless God and bless others
5. No Idols
Gen 2:15
TWO KINGDOMS
Man offered the choice to be like God
They chose to own their own kingdoms
KINGDOM OF SELF
1. I am god
2. God: Threat
3. Others: Rivals
4. World: Mine
Man relates as owner SELFISHLY
PROBLEMS OF AN OWNER
1. If we think of ourselves as owners, we
will be building on a wrong foundation
2. Our lives will become dysfunctional in all
four relationships
3. We no longer steward these relationships
we use them to gain control
4. We end up becoming obsessed with
growing our own kingdoms
1. RELATIONSHIP TO SELF
You are:
1. The god of your own kingdom
2. Competing with other kingdoms
You have:
3. No hope of fulfilment outside of
self
4. A distorted view of self
2. RELATIONSHIP TO GOD
1. God is a threat, or
2. God is irrelevant/inferior, or
3. God is a means to an end, or
4. God is too powerful or a bully
3. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHERS
Others are:
1. Competitors
2. Means to an end
3. Unimportant or irrelevant
4. RELATIONSHIP TO CREATION
Things are:
1. Owned
2. More important than others
3. Regarded as a worthwhile life
purpose
4. (Idols, Mammon, Materialism)
STEWARDS
• Managers
• God Serving
• Loving
• Freedom
• Relaxed
• Generous
• Relate
OWNERS
• King/Boss
• Self serving
• Fearful
• Bondage
• Worried
• Greedy
• Compete
OWNER IN SUFFERING
• Owner
• I’m in charge
• There’s no
purpose, my
suffering is unfair
• I’m losing
(competition)
• I’ll get vengeance
• In the event of
suffering, asks:
–Why me?
–Who is to blame?
–How do I get out
of this?
• Escape, incl
suicide
STEWARD IN SUFFERING
• Steward
• God is in charge
• There must be a
purpose and
greater good
• I’m in God’s
hands
• I’m able to forgive
• In the event of
suffering, asks:
–Is this my doing?
–Is God teaching
me?
–Is this the
enemy’s attack?
THREE AREAS TO ADMINISTER
Time
Talent
Treasure
ATTITUDE TO: TIME
• Steward
• All time is God’s
• God’s priorities take place
• Putting to death time for self
• Owner
• All time is my own
• My priorities take place
• Respond in anger to others ‘taking’ my time
ATTITUDE TO: TALENT
• Steward
• God has given me skills, relationships
• I manage them to glorify God
• I glory in God who entrusted them to me
• Owner
• My skills and relationships are mine
• I use them to further my priorities
• I exult in my skills and capacities
ATTITUDE TO: MONEY
• Owner
• My money
• Do what I want with my money
• Fulfil my own pleasures
• Transactional operating system
(increase own kingdom)
ATTITUDE TO: MONEY
• Steward
• God’s money
• Seek His will regarding how to use His
money
• Fulfil His pleasures
• Being rich towards God (increase God’s
kingdom)
STRUGGLES OF AN OWNER
COST OF BEING AN OWNER
JOY OF THE
STEWARD
THE KINGDOM
1. God
2. Others
3. Self
4. Creation
Being in loving, right
relationship brings life
THE TWO KINGDOMS
NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO
MASTERS …MT 6:24 - 5
Come out of the kingdom
of darkness
AND DO THE GOOD WORKS GOD
HAS PREPARED FOR YOU
GOD’S PRIORITY
Time
Talent
Treasure
GODLY EXPECTATIONS
• God’s priorities and our priorities are often different and at times in conflict (Isaiah
55:8)
•
•
This may lead to questioning and doubting God
•
Why me? What about me?
•
A better question for God is, ‘What’s next?’
More important are God’s questions to us
•
God’s first question to Adam