1 Tim 6:20+21  O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge" — which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.  
	We are at the end of the first letter of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, his protégée overseeing the development of the churches in the area of Ephesus. This letter has been filled with many aspects of encouragement in the Lord. The Apostle Paul has, as well, expressed concerns for the manner in which the church and all its members will develop in relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. There have been numerous admonitions and challenges and practical applications for the young minister in his responsibility to shepherd and to guard the flock. There have also been laid upon Timothy, and each of us, those charges to guard and to maintain the faith. As fellow Christians, we are not to allow ourselves to be lackadaisical in the manner in which we deal with the various members and concerns within the body of believers. 
As this first letter draws to a close, the Apostle Paul feels it vitally necessary to give expression to one, last overriding charge that transcends his relationship with Timothy. It cuts to the very heart of all ministry in Christ, whether by a pastor, a deacon, a parent, a teacher, a layperson, or any other member of the church as a living testimony of Jesus Christ. That charge is to be a valued and responsible steward of the gift of God, given in the person of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. It is to be a trustworthy steward of the Good News of God’s salvation and redemption through the death and resurrection of His Only Begotten Son.
Initially, consider the fact that we are stewards, and not owners of the Gospel. Stewardship means that we have a responsibility placed upon us to look out for the interests of someone else’s property. In this case, it is the priceless treasure of the testimony and the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our Lord left us this charge in His parable concerning the ruler who left his country for a time and gave stewardship over to his ten slaves. They were given the responsibility to care for their Master’s Money and to invest it in a prudent manner in order to honor their Lord. Luke 19:13 "And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business with this until I come back.' 
There are several aspects of stewardship that are inherent in this parable. The first is that there is a trust put upon those slaves to honor the master with the prudent use of that over which they were given stewardship. The Master expected them to use wise judgment and responsible actions with what he had entrusted to them. They were to persevere in the task until his return and to not be lazy or lax with the funds. They were to invest and to reap a profit for the sake of the master. Note that they were to treat the money as their own, in a sensible and wise manner, but with no expectation of any reward for themselves. It was not their money and any profit was solely for the master’s sake, not their own. 
This is the case concerning the Good News. We have been entrusted with it for the Lord’s sake, even as we hold the gospel and treat it as our own. It is the most deeply, personal message of hope and joy and salvation given to us, yet it does not belong to us, but to Him. We realize that it is to be invested wisely in those, whom He brings into our lives. We are to be very prudent and mindful in our delivery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, seeking as much gain as possible for His sake. That especially includes the entire manner in which we present the living testimony of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the lives that we live. After all, even our lives are no longer ours, but His to guide and to direct as best profits Him. We do not look to gain anything for ourselves as we live forth Christ. We look for no personal profit, no adoration from the people, and no acclamation of our good work. We share because that is what we are instructed to do, and we do so with all our hearts set upon pleasing Our Lord, and Him, Alone. We share the heart of the Apostle Paul expressed as he opened his letter to Titus. Titus 1:1-3 Paul, a bond-servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior; 
	The second aspect of the parable of the master leaving his possessions in the stewardship of his slaves is that they were not given equal portions to work with. Some were given more and some were given less, yet the overall responsibility was the same upon all of them. Matt 25:14+15 "For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them. "And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Please take this to heart and understand that we are given a diversity of gifts with regard to the distribution and the testimony of the Good News of Our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord knows each one of us intimately. He has given us diverse manners of living forth His praise in our lives. Some are from the pulpit, some are in the classroom, some are in songs, some are in prayer, and all are in service. These are not mutually exclusive by any measure, and they most certainly are not with regard to making distinctions or cliques, as we have previously forcefully considered. He distributes and uses the gifts as He deems necessary in order to cause His name to be ever more fully and accurately glorified. 
As the Apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:10+11, As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
We are not cookie cutter Christians, stamped out in a robotic manner. We are individually created and chosen and blessed by Our Lord for His purposes in manifesting His testimony within the world. As such, we should set aside all jealousy and all envy, and rather cast ourselves wholeheartedly with one another into His call of service. We need to realize that we are not in competition with one another, to save the most souls per se. We are to simply live the life that we have in Christ Jesus, and live it with dignity and honor to Him, being a servant to all. We each share the very same responsibility of the care and nurturing of one another in the Gospel. The gifts and the means are different, but the same accountability and dependability is upon all of us. We are united together in the singleness of heart to honor and to glorify God with our entire beings.
	In line with this, we need to understand that the stewardship that is placed upon us needs to be dealt with in a most responsible manner. It must be implicit that the lives we lead on this earth must be above reproach and suspicion. We are to seek after the Lord to create within our hearts the desire to be trustworthy stewards as His ambassadors of the Gospel to this world. 1 Cor 4:1+2 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. 
Please understand that the stewardship of the gospel is the single most important aspect of our lives. We are proclaiming the Good News of the divine love of God in the manner in which we live. We can say a lot. We can argue and explain and justify with words, but what is seen in our lives is what declares the truth of our relationship with Christ. If we live unto the Lord, His Grace and His Love and His Mercy and His Forgiveness will be evident to all. It will also be very evident when all we present are words and theory without the life of Christ to back it up. If we preach Christ, yet live by the mores and the means of this realm, we do mortal harm to our testimony of the Gospel. 
	1 Cor 9:16+17 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. The reason that this is so vital is that we are dealing with the eternal life of those with whom we share the gospel. It must become very more deeply impressed into us that we are addressing the eternal issues of life and death. We declare the glory of the Lord in Christ’s death and resurrection for our sins. He is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life. As such, our very behavior and attitude and demeanor and character of being must be of such utter reliance on Christ, that others are drawn to know why we live the way that we do. They should be seeing in us a complete difference in terms of how we handle adversity and dilemma, crises and trouble. Rather than follow the ways of this world, we display our complete trust and reliance upon God to get us through each situation. We count on Him and put our hope in Him and give Him every preference in the manner in which we live on this earth. That is the living testimony of Jesus Christ that we live before man. 
	We should show forth the reality that life in Christ is precious and crucial and the most imperative aspect of to Whom we belong. 1 Cor 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. It is because we have been purchased at the immeasurable cost of the lifeblood of Jesus Christ, that we live in complete and humble service unto Him and not unto ourselves. Eph 6:7 With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men…
Because the cost of our redemption, of the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ, is so inestimable, it is to be considered as the dearest gift of life that God has ever and will ever give. Too many Christians consider it simply in terms of something that they have received and no longer need to worry about. As the Apostle Paul so forcefully emphasizes, while we are eternally secure in our salvation, our spiritual gift of life in Jesus Christ must be carefully guarded and cherished within our hearts and and minds and lives. It needs to be considered as much more exceedingly valuable than any earthly gold or wealth. It transcends everything and anything else in value and in esteem and in appreciation. As is rigorously underscored in our morning’s text, …guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge" — It is such a sacred treasure and requires such profoundly dutiful conscientiousness and dependability, that the Apostle again reemphasizes, to Timothy and to us, the vital guardianship required in 2 Tim 1:14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. 
	As Christians, as fellow partakers of all the riches and glory of Christ Jesus, as the ministering stewards of the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we must never, under any circumstances or with any excuse, allow our hearts to take this precious life for granted. We must look upon it as worthy of our entire focus of being. We are urged to commit ourselves to an unerring path of righteousness and perfection. We must be characterized in full regard for the sacredness and the holiness and the honor that the gospel of Jesus Christ deserves and requires. 
Now, please do not think that we can deal with it in such a perfect and unblemished manner by ourselves. It is only as we obey and cherish the guidance of God’s Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit that we can absolutely be those chosen stewards that will please God. 1 Thess 2:3+4 For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts. 
We, in ourselves, will make mistakes. We will have those lapses and errors of judgment as we traverse the span of our walk on this earth. But the key is where our heart’s desire is set. If we are set upon doing only that which will serve the complete interest of God and focus the course of our walk on all that which will please Him, He will faithfully guide and overrule in our lives. Yes, we will make mistakes, but those mistakes will more often be in terms of erring on the side of doing that which we thought would please Him and not ourselves. We will err on the side of love, our love for Him. We are not perfect, but we can perfectly try to please God in all that we say and do and think. Then, as the Lord shows those things in our lives which need to be brought into greater conformity to that which truly pleases Him, we will eagerly and freely respond to that guidance and live more and more in line with that which does please Him. Col 1:25-27 Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 
Once again, in echoing the value of the life that we have in Christ, in urging one another to not take the gospel for granted, in requiring that we each submit to the will and purpose of God in the responsibility of the stewardship that has been lovingly and irrevocably put upon us by Our Lord and Master, …guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge" — which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.  

This morning’s benediction Isa 52:6-15 "Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore in that day I am the one who is speaking, 'Here I am.'" How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, They shout joyfully together; For they will see with their own eyes When the Lord restores Zion. Break forth, shout joyfully together, You waste places of Jerusalem; For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, That all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God. Depart, depart, go out from there, Touch nothing unclean; Go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, You who carry the vessels of the Lord. But you will not go out in haste, Nor will you go as fugitives; For the Lord will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand. Amen.