Be Prepared

Be Prepared

Series: The Gospel Truth

Text: Luke 16:1-17

Introduction: (What?)

Things happen. Just when you think that everything is going smoothly, something unexpected pops up. Just this week I was on my way to do a graveside service when I had a blow out on Us 27. Having been a member of AAA for almost 20 years, I called them. My graveside service was at 10 a.m. The confirmation they sent regarding. AAA service showed that they would arrive by 10:04. I thought surely that was a typo. I waited over an hour. Finally, God sent an angel who changed my tire and I was on my way. Still no AAA. In this parable Jesus addressed the issue of being prepared for the unexpected.

Examination: (Why?)

1. I didn’t see that coming.

Luke 16:1–4 “Now he said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who received an accusation that his manager was squandering his possessions. So he called the manager in and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be my manager.’ “Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do since my master is taking the management away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg. I know what I’ll do so that when I’m removed from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’”

In this story the rich man is God and the manager or steward refers to the disciples. This particular manager was in charge of all the rich man owned. He was to provide food for the other servants and to manage the part of the bank account set aside for maintaining the house hold. However he had gained a reputation as a “screw-up”. His reputation finally reached the ears of the rich man who promptly called him in demanding an account. Even before he set foot in the rich man’s house, he was fired. His parting assignment was to present an accounting for how he had managed the house hold. His response was “I didn’t see that coming. I’m not prepared to be unemployed, and I don’t want to wind up as a beggar on the streets.” BTW in the Jewish culture it was considered better to die than to beg.

Just as the manager was caught off guard, so many in the church will be caught off-guard when Jesus comes again. Given the situation in our world today it behooves each of us to have things in order. Jesus said in Matthew 24:44 “This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Paul warned in Romans 14:12 “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” When Jesus shows up it will be too late to come up with a plan for meeting Him. Even though we are saved, we still will be asked to give an account for how we have lived our lives. One commentator said, “This refers to an assessment of what each saved, heaven bound Christian has done ‘in the body’ since coming to faith in Christ.” In Matthew 12:36–37 “I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.””

Randy Alcorn, speaker, blogger and author said, “This means that every idle word, text and Facebook or Twitter post will come under God’s scrutiny. There is a line in a children’s song that goes “O be careful little tongue what you speak”. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 141:3 “Lord, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.”

There will be a day of reckoning, and no one knows when it is coming. In v 4, the manager said, “I’ve got a plan.” Do you?

2. Questionable solution.

Luke 16:5–8 ““So he summoned each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first one. “ ‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he said. “ ‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘sit down quickly, and write fifty.’ “Next he asked another, ‘How much do you owe?’ “ ‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he said. “ ‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘and write eighty.’ “The master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the children of this age are more shrewd than the children of light in dealing with their own people.”

The plan of the manager was to give all those in debt to the Master a steep discount. In the CSB Study Bible it says that he 1. Dropped the price enough to ingratiate himself with the debtors, or 2. He removed the interest charges on the debt, or 3. he removed his commission on the transactions or 4. he reduced the debt back to what it should have been in the first place, after having overcharged them previously. I personally think it was #4 based on the reputation he had built.

Vs 8 is interesting. The master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly. That takes some unpacking. First we must notice that the debtors were complicit with the manager. Not one of them refused his generous offer although they THOUGHT that they were getting a once in a lifetime deal. The second thing we notice is that the owner realized two things. 1. his manager had been overcharging people and pocketing the profit, and 2. he was now calling in his markers. The owner was still getting what was legally owed while the manager was building good will for himself. That is what the owner praised.

Then Jesus stepped out of the parable to give an interpretation. He said that the “people of this age” (unsaved) are more shrewd than the “children of light” (saved) in dealing with their “own people” (those who were like them).

Children of light should take a page out of the pagan’s book and build favor with people. How do they do this? Luke 12:33 “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”

3. The “take-away”

Luke 16:9–17 “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of worldly wealth so that when it fails, they may welcome you into eternal dwellings. Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will trust you with what is genuine? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? No servant can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and scoffing at him. And he told them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God’s sight. “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urgently invited to enter it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out.”

Use your money (wealth) to make eternal friends who may welcome you into eternal dwellings. They should use their financial resources to win people to the LORD. These people will become their friends forever (eternally). This reminds me of the song “Thank You for Giving to the Lord”. The chorus goes; “Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed. Thank you for giving to the Lord. I’m so glad you gave.”

You have a choice. You can be faithful with the little you have, in which case you’ll be given more. (see the faithful manager parable) or you can be stingy and unfaithful and at the very least your heavenly reward will shrink.

If you try to straddle the fence and play both sides, you’ll find yourself miserable here (earthly life) and short-changed there (eternal life). You can’t have it both ways (serve two masters). (illus. the Sunday School Secretary who cheated)

Application: (How should I prepare for eternity?)

God’s word is not going to change. Notice that Jesus said, “it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out.” The OT laws regarding the tithe are still in effect, although the NT teaches that it is the least someone should do.

When you surrender your life to Christ, that should include your money, talents and time. Are you “giving to the Lord”?

Don’t be deceived. God is good at keeping books. You can settle up with Him now and be restored or wait until later and suffer loss. 1 Corinthians 3:15 “If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved—but only as through fire.” 2 John 8: “Watch yourselves so that you don’t lose what we have worked for, but that you may receive a full reward.”