Can God Trust You?

Little things matter in life / Trust is built or lost / one small decision at a time

In our English language / we have coined the phrase “trust is BROKEN / Interesting choice of words / Why do we say it has been broken?

We recognize that trust is delicate / it needs care / attention / Much like a fine piece of pottery / when trust breaks / it either takes a long time to repair / or at times / it’s not possible at all

We have all heard the stories of professors / teachers who have abused their place of power / entered into more than just questionable situations (illegal) broke trust of entire communities

We’ve heard companies who have stolen customers monies / closed shop / Investment management schemes / stealing peoples hard earned money

We know people who have abused children / or simply were not there for them when they needed them most / done things to break trust

The teenager who can’t be trusted / because the many lies

The employee fired for not being trustworthy / show up on time / work honest days work / complete task given

Did you know before you can get a job at a bank / they check your credit / to see if you can be trusted around money?

We’ve all got stories or have heard stories like these / Trust is one of those pillars of life that helps keep the world going ‘round / Trust is such a large piece of our existence

We trust that the sun will come up tomorrow / we trust that there will be enough oxygen, water, and food. / As you were driving here / You trusted that people would obey traffic signs / Trust is a currency that we’re all familiar with / even if it’s not something that we think about very often.

So, with that in mind, when's the last time you thought about trusting God? / Something we talk about regularly / How God can be trusted / Given the chaotic insane world we live in / it’s something we have to rely on more & more / But here’s the real question of the day

Can God trust you?

Our passage today has a lot to do with trust… Where it’s placed, where it’s misplaced, and what can happen when trust is broken

We are going to look at The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

Luke 16:1-13, Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ 3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

With this scripture in mind / I want to consider / Can God Trust You?

I. Little Things Matter

A. This is a difficult topic to get a grip on / Many of us have trust issues

1. You don’t trust others / Don’t look at me like that / there a people in your life you don’t trust! / Some for good reason

a. Several more sitting here / you know better / you don’t even trust yourself / so how could God trust what we don’t?

2. Always amazes me / How God’s plan was / AND continues to be / one where he uses fallible people like you and I to build HIS church / share HIS gospel / be ambassadors of reconciliation to a lost and hurting world

a. He’s been using imperfect people for thousands of years / and as we unpack this / we are going to see / he’s got a few things to say about why trust matters just as much today as it did two thousand years ago

1. Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you?

B. Sounds like this manager is in some trouble… and sounds like He’s got some explaining to do

1. But what is it / specifically that he did?

a. How do you think the rich man came to be so fed up with him? ‘What is this I hear about you?

b. Chances are pretty good that it wasn’t just one thing / but many little things added up together

i. Chances are that the rich man had finally heard one too many bad stories about his manager and it pushed him over the edge.

Sound familiar to anyone here today? / If you’re a parent, it’s possible you have you felt this way about your kid / lied one to many times about their whereabouts / If you’re a business owner, or a manager yourself, I have no doubt you have had this experience / an employee who can’t be trusted

Have you ever been the one in trouble? Ever been the one to push a parent / boss / spouse / your pastor / over the edge?

ii. It’s not usually one thing / but many little things that get people to the “end of their rope.”

2. Listen to words of some famous people / what they even say about trust

“Don’t trust the person who has broken faith once.” – William Shakespeare “Love all, trust a few.”

“Trust is like a mirror, you can fix it if it’s broken, but you can still see the crack in that persons reflection.” – Lady Gaga

“If you have three people in your life that you can trust, you can consider yourself the luckiest person in the whole world.” – Selena Gomez

“It's hard to tell who has your back, from who has it long enough just to stab you in it….” – Nicole Richie

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.” – Albert Einstein

a. And as much as these first couple of verses give us some context / and characters for the parable / they also introduce the main point / Little things matter!

As a mother or father / whether or not your children trust you / not one grand moment in time of being there / It’s many moments week after week / Lose trust by running late picking them up from practice over and over / coming home late every night / putting them second / Many small decisions / telling them you will take them to the park to play catch / then being tired not doing it

3. Little things add up / both positively and negatively

a. Sometimes we find ourselves saying exactly what the shrewd manager did, “What shall I do now?”

II. Relationships

3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

A. Quick Thinking

1. Upon a quick review of his potential employment options the manager makes a hasty decision to do some creative accounting with his bosses debtors

a. He leverages his present network for his own future safety and security

b. His assumption is that if he cuts enough deals and extends enough favors that he will have a backlog of favors that he can call in when the going gets tough

2. Interestingly enough / his cunning shrewdness / somewhat deceptive decisions (which are probably the same things that got him into trouble in the first place) / But at this point, he’s leaning on his abilities / trying to figure a way out / Which, amazingly, he does… and even more amazingly, his wealthy boss commends him for it.

8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

B. What a weird turn of events

1. The dishonest manager cuts potential profits away from his boss / but then he’s praised for it?

a. Ever read things / think Maybe Jesus has gotten his parables mixed up… Maybe He’s tired from all the teaching and traveling and this parable just doesn’t land the same way His others do….

i. This one on quick reading might feel that way

2. OR maybe we’re just missing the point / we need to look a little deeper on this one

One commentator sees it like this; “The steward was praised because he recognized the coming disaster and his guiltiness… He acted swiftly, gambling on the mercy of either, (1) the debtors or (2) the landlord. This reflects sinners who recognize their guilt and coming judgment and quickly respond to Jesus' offer of forgiveness and mercy

a. Maybe / Just maybe / this is a parable about KOG / which would make sense because Jesus talked a lot about that / Maybe it’s a parable about using even your worldly wealth for good things in this life / keeping a future hope in mind

3. Or maybe, it’s something more like this / from words of commentator

“The unjust steward is not set before us as an example in cheating his master, or to justify any dishonesty, but to point out the careful ways of worldly men. It would be well if the children of light would learn wisdom from the men of the world, and would as earnestly pursue their better object.”

a. The shrewd, dishonest manager probably wasn’t someone you’d want your kids looking up to

i. But the parable does reveal to us the power that little things can have in our lives

Found it interesting / Article on how to know if you can trust someone:

They are consistent : what they say / backs how they live / same behaviors in all situations

They show compassion / humility:

They are respectful when it comes to time: They don’t cancel last minute ‘ change to fit own agenda

4, They show gratitude / not materialistic or desperate for money / avoid gossip / are learners / they are there for you…. And others

1. Seemingly small decisions can have a huge impact / Small favors / small kindness / goodwill

2. Things you do for others / can reap huge rewards later in life / Just as Small indiscretions can add up and get you fired

4. It all seems to point back to this / and from all these “little” revelations Jesus is able to pull it all together and give us the greater revelation.

III. Trust Management

A. Jesus brings it all together with these few verses

10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

1. He gives to us an absolutely bedrock principle for life which we’ve probably all experienced at some point or another / If you can’t be trusted with a little, you won’t be trusted with a lot

I remember getting out of the marines / looking for work / not having much luck as not many openings for an anti-tank / demolitions guy / so ended up being a student driver / One sunny afternoon / teaching student how to back up along a curb (part of test at that time) little side mirror or this little Toyota corolla caught large brick mailbox toppled it / Just as homeowner was coming out to get her mail / I can still remember her scream / It was a new job / I wanted to make it right without involving the company / she said to come back later speak with her husband / I did / he was impressed / offered me a new job / in the mailroom of his company / completed what he thought would take a few weeks, in a few days / he was impressed / wanted to keep me on / found a place in the company where I worked next several years / getting promotion after promotion (Stepping stones)

B. Little things matter / Small decisions add up…

1. This is such an important principle to learn early in life / AND it’s not just applicable to your Christian walk / but all of life…

a. Your job / relationships / your thought life / financial management / your goals / dreams …. The list could go on and on and on.

In a bestselling book Atomic Habits author James Clear says, ​​“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger.”

2. Speaking of seeds / in book of Matthew Jesus teaches

Matt 13:31-32 “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

Just like a child / you won’t hand your 5 year old keys to your car / some you still won’t hand the keys over at 16 / why? Question of trust / But once you’ve driven with them / once they have taken course / passed the test / they can get a permit / then after a year of supervised driving.... they get their very own license / proven trustworthy!

a. Trust begins like a small seed / And as it grows / just like a mustard seed

b. you can branch out further and further

c. Your responsibility grows / and soon others see that you’re trustworthy

3. Good thing when pastor / other people / spouse / consider you trustworthy

a. But All of this brings us back to that awkward question I asked at the beginning of this message

1. Can GOD trust you?

C. Are you faithful in the little things of life? Or are you entertaining sin? Are you holding onto things that you don’t want to give over to Jesus? / Are you half way committed / more committed to self than to God

1. He’s calling us to lives of faithfulness

a. He’s calling us to more than just believing in Him / He’s calling us to be faithful to Him

2. He’s calling us to righteousness

a. Being righteous literally means to be right especially in a moral way / one who does not live in counsel of the wicked / but instead / drives himself/herself to do good even when you don’t feel like it

b. Another way of putting it / righteousness is conducting our lives in an upright manner with standards that our relationship with the Lord

1. This Psalm speaks of the righteous / those who can be trusted / it’s powerful!

Psalm 112: Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands. (Speaking of those God can trust) 2 Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. 4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. 5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. 6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. 7 They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. 8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. 9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor.

1. He’s calling us to devotion / In big things, small things, and everything in between.

a. Here’s a secret to being devoted / just show up / be where you are supposed to be / day in / day out

1. I think we can all admit that there are areas in our lives that we still need to hand over to God

2. For whatever reason, we’ve been holding onto them / only half way devoted to God / as we are trying to manage so many other things

b. But, as Jesus so beautifully says at the very end of our opening text / you really cannot serve God and other things

Luke 16:13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

2. Another way to say this is to say that we need to be willing to go “all-in” for Jesus in our lives daily

a. We need to be adamant about the continual / daily / removal of sin from our lives

1. We’ve got to stop entertaining little discrepancies in our character

D. In the Song of Solomon the author refers to the little foxes that ruin the vine…

Song of Solomon 2:15 Catch for us the foxes, the LITTLE foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.

1. He’s referring to the little things that matter / It’s the little foxes that destroy the good things in life that should be blooming / fruit we should be enjoying /

a. Things we will miss out on if we are divided in our devotion / we cannot serve God and ourselves / or God and money / or God and our careers

2. He’s calling us to lives of faithfulness / righteousness / devotion / it’s when we live this way / God can trust us

a. It’s in big things / small things / everything in between

b. If this resonates / I want to invite you to commit yourselves to the little things this coming week / Evict those little foxes from your lives / Be intentional about your decision making

1. Trust is a currency that we’re all familiar with / And God calls us to be trustworthy as we follow Him!

2. If we are.... there’s nothing He will withhold from our lives

i. 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,