SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 11 October 2026
Sermon Text: Ephesians 3:1-13
Main Points:
Introduction
I. Everything we have is entrusted by God
II. What God entrusts to us is to be used faithfully for others
III. Everything we do as stewards is ultimately for God’s glory
Conclusion
Let me give you the definition of an English word, and see if you can guess what it is. It refers to someone who manages another person’s property, finances, or other affairs. It can also refer to someone responsible for the running of a household, an estate, a club, or a hotel. What is this word? Yes, a ‘steward.’
The related word ‘stewardship’ is also used in the Bible, but its biblical meaning goes far beyond simply managing someone else’s property. It carries a much greater significance in the life of God’s people. We catch a glimpse of this in the passage we’ve just read. In Eph. 3:2, Paul writes: “assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you.” The stewardship of God’s grace! What a wonderful expression!
Biblical ‘stewardship’ concerns everything God has entrusted to us – our possessions, our time, our abilities, our opportunities, our relationships, our knowledge, our spiritual gifts, and even the gospel itself. So, the right question for Christians is not simply, ‘How much do I own?’ but rather, ‘What has God entrusted to me, and how am I using it for Him?’ Everything we have has been entrusted to us by God, and we’re accountable to Him for how we use it.
Today, I want us to consider this – biblical stewardship. More specifically, ‘the stewardship of God’s grace.’
I. Everything We Have Is Entrusted by God
Let us begin with a biblical truth: God is the owner and we are the stewards. This goes right back to creation. In Gen. 1, God created Adam and gave humanity dominion over His creation. Gen. 1:28 speaks of ruling over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the livestock, and the whole earth. Please take note of the order. God creates; and therefore He owns. God entrusts; and humanity is given responsibility to manage what God has made. About this, Ps. 8:6 says: “You have given him [that is, humanity] dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.” The point is clear: the world does not belong to us absolutely; it belongs to God.
And what is true of creation in general is also true of everything we personally possess. Our money belongs to God. Our houses belong to God. Our children and our careers belong to God. The same is true of things we cannot touch or see – our time, intelligence, abilities, and opportunities. Even our Christian faith and our knowledge of the gospel are gifts of God’s grace. We have nothing that has not ultimately been entrusted to us by God.
This is one reason the opening chapters of Genesis are so important to our Christian faith. They teach us who God is, who we are, and how we are to understand our place in God’s world. We’re creatures made by God, living in His world, under His authority. Biblical stewardship begins with this understanding and extends to everything we do with what God has given us. We’re responsible for managing God’s gifts according to His purposes.
Now, in Eph. 3, Paul describes his particular ministry as “the stewardship of God’s grace.” God had entrusted something to him, and he was responsible for administering it. That is why Paul could say in 1 Cor. 9:16, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” Paul understood that the gospel was not his private possession. God had entrusted it to him so that he might manage it – and in his case, it was to proclaim it to others.
And, that changes the way we think about our whole life. We often say, ‘This is my money, my house, my time, my abilities.’ We hear people say, ‘This is my life; I can do what I want with it.’ But the Christian sees things differently, and says, ‘These things have been entrusted to me by God, and I must use them in a way that pleases Him.’
This does not mean that Christians cannot own property or possess things legitimately. Scripture recognises such things. Rather, it means that our ownership is never absolute. We remain accountable to God for what He has placed in our hands.
And that leads us to our second point, ‘What God entrusts to us is to be used faithfully for others.’
II. What God Entrusts to Us Is to Be Used Faithfully for Others
If stewardship means managing what God has entrusted to us, the next question is this: How should we manage it?
The Bible gives us two important principles. First: what God gives us is to flow towards others.
God does not bless us simply so that His blessings can stop with us. He entrusts things to us so that they may be used for the good of others in His church and for the unbelieving world.
Think about the gospel. Paul received the gospel, but he did not keep it to himself. He received the gospel so that he could proclaim it. He received grace so that he could minister to others. He received the mystery of Christ so that he could make it known. That is stewardship.
In other words, what God puts into our hands is meant to become a blessing through our hands. This principle applies far beyond the gospel. Perhaps God has given you more financial resources than someone else. You can use those resources to help others in need. Perhaps God has given you more time. You can use that time to encourage someone who is lonely. Perhaps God has given you spiritual maturity. You can use them to guide someone who is in need of spiritual growth or less experienced. Perhaps God has given you the ability to teach. Then, teach. Perhaps God has given you the gift of hospitality. Then, open your home. Perhaps God has given you practical skills. Then, use them to serve others. The question is not merely what we’ve received, but what we’re doing with it for the good of others.
This is why the picture of the early church in Acts 2 and Acts 4 is so helpful. The believers shared what they had. Those with possessions used them to meet the needs of others. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. Their resources did not simply circulate around their own private lives. What God had given them flowed towards the needs of their brothers and sisters.
And notice the result. The church was strengthened. The believers were united. Those in need were cared for. At the end of Acts 2, we read that the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. This is why we at St Columba’s have adopted Acts 2:42-47 as the motto for the church. By God’s grace, we want to see the same devotion to God’s Word, worship, fellowship, prayer, and mutual care among us.
Christian generosity, then, is not merely about being nice or polite. It is an expression of biblical stewardship. God gives; we receive; and then we share. That is the first principle.
The second principle is this: God gives to each of us according to our different abilities. This is where the parable of the talents in Mt. 25 becomes especially important. Jesus tells us that the servants received different amounts – five, two, and one. The master entrusted the talents to them “according to his ability.” This matters because we live in a culture that constantly encourages comparison. We compare everything – houses, incomes, careers, achievements, intelligence. Even in the church, we can compare our gifts and our usefulness. ‘Why can’t I do what they do?’ ‘Why don’t I have that gift?’ ‘Why does God seem to use them more than me?’
But Jesus does not tell the servants to compare themselves with one another. The question is what each servant does with what his master has entrusted to him. The servant with five talents did not need to become the servant with two. Nor did the servant with two need to become the servant with five. Each was responsible for being faithful with what he had received.
Please notice something else. The master gives the same commendation to the first two servants: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” He didn’t say, ‘Well done, you most successful servant,’ or, ‘Well done, you most impressive servant.’ He commends them for their faithfulness. That is enormously liberating for us, isn’t it? Your calling is not to be somebody else. Your responsibility is to be faithful with what God has entrusted to you.
Paul makes a similar point in 1 Cor. 3:6-9. One plants, another waters, but God gives the growth. Each person has a different task, yet they serve the same Lord and work towards the same purpose. And in 1 Cor. 4:2, the Apostle Paul gives us a wonderfully simple principle, saying this: “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” That is the heart of Christian stewardship – faithfulness, not comparison.
That’s why we must resist both envy and pride. If God has given someone else more than He has given you, thank God for His grace to that person. If God has given you a gift that another person does not have, do not despise it. And if you’ve been given little in the eyes of the world, do not assume that your service is insignificant. A cup of water given in Christ’s name matters. A prayer matters. A word of encouragement matters. Teaching a child matters. Visiting someone who is sick matters. Welcoming a newcomer matters. Giving generously matters. Serving quietly when nobody notices matters. Why? Because the value of Christian service is not measured by its visibility or apparent success, but by faithfulness to the Lord who entrusted it to us.
So, these two principles belong together: What God has given us is to flow towards others, and we are to do this faithfully according to what God has entrusted to each of us.
This raises a more fundamental question – that is, ‘Why?’ Why has God entrusted all these things to us? What is the ultimate goal of our stewardship?
III. Everything We Do As Stewards Is Ultimately for God’s Glory
Let us return to Eph. 3, because the answer is right there. Speaking about the administration of the mystery of God’s grace, the Apostle Paul explains God’s purpose in vs. 10-11: “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that He has realised in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
That is an extraordinary statement. God has an eternal purpose. That purpose has been realised in Christ. And now, God is making His manifold wisdom known through the church.
Think about what that means for Christian stewardship. Our stewardship is not ultimately about becoming better managers of our possession. It is not merely about living an orderly life. Nor is it simply about helping other people. Those things matter. But, there is something greater behind all these things. Our stewardship is part of God’s great purpose of displaying His glory through Christ and His church.
Let me explain what I mean by that. When we use what God has given us faithfully, something of God’s character becomes visible. When Christians give generously, God’s generosity is displayed. When Christians serve sacrificially, God’s grace is demonstrated. When Christians use their gifts for the good of others, the unity of Christ’s body becomes visible. When Christians care for the weak, welcome the stranger, teach the truth, and proclaim the gospel, the wisdom of God is made known. This is why Christian stewardship is ultimately an act of worship.
We are saying: ‘Lord, this is Yours; You have entrusted it to me; help me use it for Your purposes.’ That is the ultimate goal of Christian stewardship. Not our reputation; not our comfort, or our success. Nor is our own usefulness the final goal. The ultimate goal is the glory of God.
And here, we must keep Christ at the centre. We are not stewards trying to earn God’s favour. Rather, we’re stewards who have already received grace in Christ.
Paul begins Eph. 3 by describing himself as a prisoner “for the sake of you Gentiles.” His ministry flows from the grace he has received. And the greatest treasure entrusted to the church is not money, property, or human ability. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ died for His church, and rose again. Through Him, we’ve been brought into God’s family, and given every spiritual blessing. And now, He calls us to live as His servants in His world.
So, Christian stewardship is not about saying, ‘I must give God something so that He will bless me.’ It is about saying, ‘God has already shown me His grace in Christ. How, then, can I faithfully use what He has entrusted to me for His glory?’ That is a completely different motivation.
Conclusion
So, what is Christian stewardship? Let us bring the message together. First, everything we have is entrusted by God. God is the owner. We are His stewards.
Second, what God entrusts to us is to be used faithfully for others. His blessings are not meant simply to stop with us. They are to flow through us for the good of His people and the advancement of His kingdom. And we’re to use them faithfully according to what He has entrusted to each of us.
So, let us not envy another person’s gifts, nor despise our own. Let us not measure our faithfulness by somebody else’s calling. Instead, let each of us ask: ‘Lord, what have You put into my hands, and how can I use it faithfully for You and for the good of others?’
And, finally, everything we do as stewards is ultimately for God’s glory. This is the great purpose Paul speaks about in Eph. 3 – that is, God’s eternal purpose is being displayed through Christ and His church.
So, whether you’re preaching a sermon, teaching a child, caring for your family, doing your work, welcoming someone into your home, giving financially, visiting someone who is lonely, praying for the church, serving behind the scenes, or simply encouraging another Christian – you are serving within God’s great purpose!
The question is not whether your contribution looks impressive. The question is whether you are faithful. One day the Master will return. And what will matter then? Not how much we accumulated. Not how successful we appeared. Not how we compared with other Christians. What will matter is whether we were faithful with what He entrusted to us.
May the Lord make us faithful stewards of His grace. May what He has entrusted to us flow through us for the good of His people. And may our lives, our service, our generosity, and our whole stewardship proclaim the wisdom and glory of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ***
