Luke #40: How to Live Shrewdly

In the previous chapter, Jesus told us a parable of prodigal son. It was actually a story about the prodigal’s older brother as Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, who were hard hearted towards those who sought out forgiveness. He compared them to how the elder brother reacted when the prodigal came home by pointing out that the older brother lived as though everything was about him.

Don’t you hate it when someone points out your mistakes? It can come in the form of a bible story, a devotion, or seeing your faults lived out by others.

That’s one of the problems with parables. They are stories that are intended to teach, but often they hold up a standard that seems perfect… and most of us struggle with perfection.

Then there are parables like the ones in chapter 16 of Luke. Parables that lift up the bad guy… not so much to say DON’T do that - but rather learn from him. Making someone who we obviously wouldn’t look up to, a sort of strange role model.

Luke 16:1–8 NIV

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? 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.

A strange role model

If you read commentaries about this parable, you will find a deep study taking you in a variety of directions. Granted it’s hard to imagine that Jesus would lift up someone who was a obvious thief from his master as a role model. Perhaps we are missing something more obvious from the text.

I apply Occum’s Razor in this situation. Occums Razor is a theory of reasoning that says the solution - the conclusion, the motivation - that is most obvious, that requires the fewest steps, is usually the correct one

Regardless of the source of the difference… whether the manager made up the difference or if he just wrote it off, knowing his master wouldn’t know the difference, either way he would get credit from the debtors.

Luke 16:9-18

Luke 16:9 NIV

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.

Principles from the Parable: Use worldly wealth to invest in people, not possessions

Shrewd managers make investments in the future. Shrewd disciples make investments in the kingdom in order to prepare for their future life in heaven.

Use your money in ways that pursues Gods interests as his managers in His kingdom.

Everything he has given us is to be used to further the kingdom. Use your resources to further his kingdom and by so doing you prepare for your eternity in heaven. If you build your life and your resources for this life, it will fail you.

It is not IF; it is when.

This is critical because mammon – everything we have here and not just money will let you down. If we live for this life; then we will have a rude awakening come day we stand before God.

I”m not saying that if you aren’t generous, you won’t get into heaven. Your salvation is found in Jesus… not in your generosity.

Not only that… but think about how you invest in the kingdom things vs temporary pursuits. This is a great barometer of our spiritual lives, if it is robust, anemic or existent at all.

Jesus is going to show us an example of this very thing in just a moment, but first a couple other principles.

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Luke 16:10–12 NIV

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?

Principles from the Parable: Faithfulness is vital

Faithfulness is not dependent upon how much you have, size of your income, but on what you do with what you have.

Because it reveals the condition of the heart.

If you are not faithful with little then you will not be faithful in much.

How many of us have seen this to be true in people we have known.

If they talk to you about others it won’t be long before they talk about you to others.

If they tell other’s secrets to you, who are they telling your secrets to?

If your neighbor doesn’t return your shovel, what will you allow him to neglect tomorrow?

When it comes to our resources, how we use them now demonstrates the sort of character that God wants to reward with greater riches in the Kingdom. If you cannot be trusted in this life then you will not be trusted with true riches.

The bible teaches that in heaven there will be a time of judgement, when our deeds on earth will be judged. Faithfulness will be rewarded… so no you won’t be kicked out for a lack of kingdom mindedness… but it does reveal our heart… we will be rewarded for how faithful we are in this life… part of that is what we do with what we have.

Today, None of THIS is ours, it belongs to God to use as he sees fit - which leads us to the next principle -

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Luke 16:13–18 NIV

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.” 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight. 16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. 18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Principles from the Parable: Our mindset has to switch from ownership to management

Here is the issue. If we see ourselves as managers of Gods’ resources and are faithful in using them for Gods purposes then we are serving God. If not we are serving money.

Jesus is speaking to his disciples but verse 14 tells us that the Pharisees were listening in the background and they ridicule him because they are lovers of money.

The Pharisees were very religious people; moralists as we have seen. Yet they loved money and did not love God. What that tells us is that one thing that keeps us from being good managers is the love of money.

How do you serve God or serve money? You are not doing anything for money; you are not adding anything to money or to God. Serving here means what money is doing for you; it is what God is doing for you. It means positioning ourselves before money or God to receive their benefits.

We serve God by trusting Him to provide for us; we serve money by trusting it to provide for us. You serve God by being generous with your time, your talents, our treasures, and trusting that he will provide for you, protect you, and meet your needs.

You serve money by looking to it and using it to meet your needs, to protect you, to provide for you.

If that is you or you are veering down that road, or tempted to turn down that road you will end up devoting yourself to money and yourself and hate God.

That may seem harsh but that is what the text says.

Our possessions, whether our money, our time, our talents, our skills… are meant to be a source of blessing. It is to be used to bless you, your neighbors, the church, and the world.

Those things are ours to manage, to develop them, to care for them. That makes us managers, stewards, of what God has given and how we use them is tells both God and the world whether we treasure God or not.

So in a way, we get to be selfish about our possessions.

I heard a story of a grandfather talking to his grandson. Grandson asked why he gave them this or that… why are you so generous?

I’m not generous, in my heart I’ve always been a very selfish person. But because of all that Jesus has given me, I’ve decided I’m going to be selfish with my generosity.

What do you mean?

I am the most selfish person in the world. I’m so selfish I want to see the smile on people’s faces while I’m living. I can’t enjoy it when I’m dead.

That's a great way to live, but it’s only possible if we are able to see the things we have in the right perspective… let me ask you the question the text is driving us to address today…

Do you own your money, or does it own you?

If you struggle in this area, there are some great resources out there to help you grow in this. This is important.

There are more verses in NT about money than any other subject.

Now, let’s go back for a minute because some of you were wondering...

Luke 16:18 NIV

18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Why Is This Here?

NT speaks to divorce: Matthew 5, Matthew 19, Mark 10, Romans 7, 1 Corinthians 7.

But in context here. After the Pharisees laughed, Jesus is pointing out that they are fanatics of the letter of the law, but missing the big picture.

They allowed divorce for any reason… Deut 24:1 “1 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house...”

But Jesus says, not so fast, they are missing the point. There are some things that can’t be undone and shouldn’t be handled so carelessly.

Matthew 5:31-32, 19:3-9, Mark 10:1-12, Romans 7:2-3, 1 Corinthians 7:10-15.

Relationships, like our possessions are the same in this regard.

We see this in the closing parable:

Luke 16:19–31 NIV

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Stewardship vs Entitlement

This parable is all about stewardship vs Entitlement.

I’ve heard it said that we are living in the entitled generation…

Poor - welfare, rich - tax break, employed - benefits, student loan - forgiveness, special interest - special hearing

But as I read Scripture, parables like this one, I see that this is the condition of the heart… to get what we feel we deserve. In many ways, this was part of the original sin of… Yes God said, eat of any tree but this one… but we deserve this one too...

What do we really deserve? That’s the question. Scripture teaches that we don’t “deserve” anything, but God, out of his love for us, has given good gifts that we might honor Him with our lives.

IF that’s the way you approach your life… and I know many of you here today do… when we think about it that way, we are in a much better position to be a steward.

But that’s not how we find the Rich man. He has been condemned… but know this, he’s not condemned for being rich. The bible is full of stories of people being rich and faithful… but what the Bible makes clear is that having an abundance of stuff - money - brings with it a different set of problems than for those who are poor.

In fact the poor can have the same struggle with entitlement....

But in our story today, the rich man wasn’t in hell for being rich, and while he couldn’t bring his wealth with him… one thing he did bring with him was his casual indifference toward people

During his life on earth he had ignored people in need right in front of him.

I don’t want to be too hard on him here. This is easy to fall in to.

It’s easy to have great compassion for the human race while we ignore somebody next door, down the street, or in the office.

We give to support kids around the world… but how much time and energy do we invest in kids right here in Rock Hall?

I’ve heard more than one person in my life refer to those people as just taking advantage of the church’s generosity.... well rest assured that happens everywhere. But does that stop you from being generous? If so your aren’t being that generous… sounds to me like there are strings attached.

Mr Dickie Porter and I just talked about this… Gift certificates… alcohol… ultimately it’s their responsibility as to what they do with God’s blessings… just like ours.... just like the rich man… just like Lazarus

Arrogance is but one of the curses of wealth

Nothing much changes in the rich man by being in hell though… just as in life… Arrogance often accompanies wealth…

Rich man shows this… calling the poor man to serve him.

Lazarus reveals a faithful heart in that he doesn’t gloat, but accepts from God.

1 Corinthians 1:26–29 NIV

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.

Here again, Jesus is using the simple things of the world to teach the rich… use what you have while you have time lest you spend eternity in regret.

Living Regret Free.

If only… living with no regrets

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Finally, Jesus is talking about a strange paradox. Ultimately unselfishness is true selfishness. The saints that we honor, historically and in the present, are those who are able to share their resources with no sense of sacrifice. St. Francis left millions to become a wandering monk for Jesus. Does anyone feel sorry for St. Francis? Mother Teresa could have lived in a nice, comfortable apartment in Yugoslavia, playing checkers with her grandchildren. We wouldn’t dream of feeling sorry for her—stuck in Calcutta. The great missionary David Livingstone walked all over the continent of Africa, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. He walked through a thousand villages in the years he was there caring for people and loving them. Years later a missionary was talking to a native tribe about Jesus when an old woman interrupted him. “Oh, wait a minute. That man was here. He visited our village some years ago.” To her, David Livingstone was Jesus. Certainly he is an extraordinary example of someone who understood that resources are to be given away. He invested his in treasures that “neither moth nor rust destroys” (Matt. 6:20).

Who will say that about us.

How do we need to reorient our ministry, our lives that people woudl say that about us.