Place Your Trust in Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever thought about what you would do if you only had one year to live? What would you do to finish up your life? Would you spend it making lots of money? Would you spend reaching out to family members that you have never met? Would you spend it going places you’ve never been before? These are some questions that we need to ask ourselves. Because if we aren’t doing them now, we probably wouldn’t do them if we only had a year left to live either. What you do today or what you are preparing for today will determine how you will live in the future. Where are you placing your trust? Do you put your faith in money? Do you put your faith in your abilities? Do you put your faith in Jesus?
If you have your bibles go with me to the book of Luke. Today we are in chapter 16. I want to begin reading at verse 1.
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.
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.
During the time of Jesus, a rich man would often employ what was called oikonomos. It sounds kind of like the word we use, economics. It meant manager or administrator. This person would handle all the business affairs of his estate. The charge that this manager had squandered the rich man’s goods is an indication of either neglectful management or criminal misconduct. Think about it. In this story the manager offers no defense when he is questioned. The landowner wanted him to show him how he was handling everything.
This manager knows that he is going to get fired and so he tries to find a way that he can support himself. He knows he is not physically able to do manual labor. He says, “I’m ashamed to be.” In other words, “I’m to proud to beg.” So he comes up with an idea.
He calls in each of the people that owed his boss money and he lowers their debts. These debts were very significant.A hundred liquid measures of olive oil, or nine-hundred gallons, are equivalent to three years of a worker’s wages. A hundred measures of wheat have an even higher value, equivalent to over a thousand bushels or seven and a half years of wages. These debtors are not poor peasants but business associates or tenant farmers. To any debtor, the reduction of a loan by fifty, or even twenty percent, is substantial.
And, these debtors have no reason to doubt the authority of the manager, so they are eager to do as told, rewrite the loan voucher, and sign it. It is a win-win situation for both manager and debtor. No one raises the uncomfortable question as to why the paperwork is being doctored, and the rich man will be none the wiser when the manager hands over the books.
Look at verse 8 again.
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.
Now please understand this. Jesus does not give approval of the manager’s dishonesty. He was trying to make a point here. He says, “the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.”
Think about it. If we pursued the Kingdom of God with the same vigor and zeal that the children of this world pursue profits and pleasure, we would live in an entirely different world. It could be said that it is to the shame of the church that Coca-cola is more widely distributed than the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The world never stops pushing their agenda and the harder people push back, the harder they try. We as believers, don’t even push. When was the last time you talked to someone about your faith? When was the last time you offered to pray for someone that was hurting? When was the last time you offered to buy someone’s meal? When was the last time you offered to help someone in need?
That is what Jesus is saying here. The world is more shrewd in their business dealings that Christians are in spreading their message of hope and forgiveness.
And if you really want to make a difference, verse 9 needs to be put into play.
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.
Jesus is pointing out to His disciples that they need to use the resources that God gives them to truly help those in need, so we must use those resources to reach them for Christ.
It’s okay to have wealth. It is even better in how we use that wealth.
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.”
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.
You cannot put your security in money. Any kind of earthly currency fluctuates. Bank accounts, bonds, stocks, real estate, or gold have fluctuating worth.
If you have ever read stories about the great depression you would understand that the market fluctuates. It is said that after World War One, in Germany, people traded wheelbarrows full of money for a loaf of bread.
Money is meant to be a source of blessing. It is to be used to bless you, your neighbors, and the world.
Each of us wants a steady and adequate income. This is a great plus to us in life. However, it is not the prime thing.
Money is foreign currency to the person whose citizenship is in heaven. - Anonymous
Money is foreign currency to the person whose citizenship is in heaven. - Anonymous
The true question is, do you own your money or does it own you? Is your trust in Jesus or is your trust in your bank account?
Then Jesus continues teaching.
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.
If you remember, when we first began this series and I mentioned John the Baptist, I told you that John was the last of the Old Testament Prophets. Verse 16 is the verse that shows us this.
The point Jesus is making with these three verses here is letting us know that He had come to fulfill the law. The people that understood who He is is trying to become a part of it. Verse 18, He is assuring the people that the law is still valid.
During this time, divorce was a hot topic of debate. Jesus wanted them to know that marriage is a lifetime commitment. He also wanted them to know that a divorce dissolves a divinely formed union. He made sure that they understood that marriage after divorce is adultery. The only exception that Jesus gives us is in Matthew 19:9
9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
God created marriage to be a sacred, permanent union and partnership between husband and wife. Anyone who takes this lightly forgets God’s law and His plan for marriage from the very beginning.
Through this statement about divorce, Jesus was showing the unbelieving religious leaders that his words do not violate the law. He also wanted to point out to them their hypocrisy in attempting to keep the letter of the law while failing to fulfill its moral obligations.
They were fulfilling the law but were finding loopholes on getting out of a marriage they did not want to be a part of anymore.
Jesus finishes up chapter 16 with a very interesting parable called the rich man and Lazarus.
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.
So, we know that these two men lived completely separate lives. One was wealthy and the other was a beggar.
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.’
Both men die. The rich man goes to hell and Lazarus goes to Abraham’s side or a place of honor as it is interpreted.
The rich man Asks Abraham for some relief from the torment that he is in.
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.’
Jesus is painting us a picture of what hell is like. Once you go there, there is no crossing back over. You cannot come back from hell. It is an eternal resting place where there is no rest. There is only torment. Jesus shows us there are only two choices for us in the afterlife. This one is not a place you would want to go.
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.’ ”
So, the rich man begs Abraham to send someone to his family to tell them about the torment. Abraham says let the prophets go to them. The rich man says they still won’t listen.
It is so important for us to understand verse 31.
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.’ ”
Do you notice the irony in Jesus’ statement? He is making His way to Jerusalem to die for the sins of the world. Jesus knew that when He rose from the dead most of the religious leaders would still not accept Him. They were set in their ways, and neither Scripture nor God’s Son Himself would shake them loose.
Don’t be like the religious leaders, that you are so stubborn that you won’t accept Jesus as your Savior.
Jesus died for you. Where do you place your trust? Do you place it in the mammon of the world? Do you place it in your abilities? Do you place your trust in other people?
This week I learned of a pastor that had an affair early on in his ministry. The affair happened with a 12 year old girl while he was a 20 something year old man. There was no intercourse, however there was some inappropriate touching that took place. People in his circle swept it under the rug. They had him sit out of ministry for two years and go through a restoration process. All that is fine and good except, his behavior was with a minor, not an adult, but a minor. He was never prosecuted. He went on to have a successful large church with a large following. The girl grew up and tried to say something multiple times, but each time people would just ignore her. Now, the crime is past the time that he can be prosecuted. This was someone that all of you may know. His name is Robert Morris. He has written books that I have read and I have attended Pastor’s conferences that his church hosted. I enjoy his teaching. Some of you probably do too.
I said all of this to say this. You can not put your trust in any man. Not me, not a television evangelist, not your parents, friends, or neighbors. The only person that you can put your trust in is Jesus.
Jesus went to the cross to die for your sins. You can trust Jesus. Will you make Him your Savior today? Will you trust Jesus with your life?