The Funding of the Search Party

Big Idea / Sticky Statement: A disciple shrewdly leverages their temporary resources to fund the eternal mission of reaching the lost.

1. ENGAGE: The Setup * (Bridge from last week) “Last week, Jesus completely redefined the VIP list. He showed us that the only way into His kingdom is with the humble, empty-handed dependence of a child. When we realize our only status is that of a dependent, beloved child, it completely changes our relationship with resources. And that raises a crucial question that we’ll tackle today: How does a dependent child handle their Father’s resources?”

* (New Illustration) “Imagine a high-level executive who gets called into the CEO’s office on a Friday afternoon. The CEO says, ‘We’re letting you go. Your access to the company credit card, your email, and your authority will be revoked at 5 PM today. You have two hours to clear out your desk.’ * “The executive walks back to his office in a daze. He’s about to be unemployed, with no prospects. But then, a shrewd, desperate idea hits him. He still has access to the company expense account and his corporate phone for two more hours. He gets on the phone and starts calling up all his most important clients and contacts. He says, ‘Let me take you out for the most lavish lunch you’ve ever had, my treat,’ and he pre-pays for a dozen expensive meals. He uses the company’s money and his final moments of authority to buy goodwill and secure his own future network before his access is cut off for good. * “Now, what he did was unethical. But you can’t deny, it was incredibly shrewd. He understood his time was short, his resources were temporary, and he acted with urgent, creative wisdom to secure his future.”

Transition: That feeling—that urgent, creative, all-in focus—is a powerful motivator. But the tension for us is that when it comes to our finances and the things that matter for eternity, we often live as if we have all the time in the world.

2. TENSION: The Problem * We live like we’re permanent owners, not temporary managers of our resources. * We get anxious about giving. We see it not as an investment in a greater mission, but as “our” money that we’re losing. * The result is a stalled mission. We are comfortable, but the search party for the lost is underfunded. We are meticulous about our retirement accounts but casual about the eternal destiny of our neighbors and the unreached people around the world.

* (Lean in) A Christian who is not a generous giver is a Christian who has not been properly discipled in the urgency of the Great Commission. We’ve accepted Jesus as Lord of our lives, but we’ve kept Him as a consultant for our finances.

Transition: This is a massive disconnect. And it’s a problem that Jesus addresses with a shocking and brilliant story that praises a scoundrel in order to expose our lack of missional urgency.

3. TRUTH: The Biblical Solution (Luke 16:1-13) Alright, church, grab your Bibles. Turn to Luke chapter 16.

* A. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (vv. 1-8a): (Read Luke 16:1-8a) * A manager is about to be fired. He’s in a crisis. He uses his final moments of authority to secure his future.

* B. The Shocking Punchline (v. 8b): (Read Luke 16:8b) * Jesus says, "For the sons of this world are more shrewd… than the sons of light."

* (Address the “dishonesty” question): Let’s be crystal clear: Jesus is NOT praising the manager’s dishonesty. He’s praising one, and only one, quality: his shrewdness. * What does ‘shrewd’ mean? To be shrewd means to act with sharp, practical, and urgent wisdom based on the reality of your situation. The manager understood the reality—his time was short and his resources were temporary—so he acted with clever urgency. * Jesus is saying, “Look at this corrupt manager! He understood his reality and acted with urgent wisdom for his earthly future. Why don’t my followers, the ‘sons of light,’ act with that same kind of urgent wisdom to leverage their temporary, earthly resources for a future that actually lasts for eternity?”

* C. The Principles of Shrewd Stewardship (vv. 9-13): (Read Luke 16:9-13) * 1. The Principle of Eternal Investment (v. 9): “Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves...” This is the “why” behind generosity. When you give to the mission of the church, you are converting temporary cash into eternal relationships. You are funding the search party so that more people will be in heaven to welcome you home.

* 2. The Principle of the First Test (vv. 10-12): “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” This is the principle of the tithe. The tithe, which literally means a ‘tenth,’ is the biblical starting point for giving, where we return the first 10% of our income to God. It’s the most basic test of our management.

* 3. The Principle of Lordship (v. 13): “You cannot serve both God and money.” Tithing isn’t about money; it’s about mastery. Every time you give, you break the power of money in your life and declare that God and His mission are your Lord.

Transition: This is a challenging, counter-cultural teaching. So what does it look like to actually live as a shrewd manager for God’s mission?

4. APPLICATION: The Choice * 1. Acknowledge the Owner and His Mission. The first step is recognizing that none of it is yours. It all belongs to God, and His primary mission is to seek and save the lost. * 2. Fuel the Mission: The Tithe. The tithe is the foundational act of a disciple’s financial life. It’s the primary way we fuel the engine of our church’s mission to our community and to the ends of the earth. * 3. Accelerate the Mission: Generosity. For those who are already tithing, the call is to become shrewd investors. Look for opportunities to be radically generous, to leverage your resources for the maximum impact on reaching the lost.

Transition: When a church is filled with people who understand this, it stops being a holding tank for comfortable consumers and starts being a launchpad for the Great Commission.

5. INSPIRATION: The Vision * Imagine a church so filled with shrewd, generous managers that we never have to talk about budget shortfalls, only about mission opportunities to reach more lost people. * Imagine a community that isn’t enslaved by the pursuit of more, but is joyfully and urgently investing in the only portfolio that lasts forever: the souls of men and women. * Imagine a church that is so radically generous that our community can’t help but take notice of the King we serve and the people He is rescuing. Transition: That’s the vision. But it starts with a personal decision to check your own books and choose your master.

6. ACTION: Your Assignment for This Week * This week, I want you to do a “portfolio audit” of both your heart and your finances.

* 1. Pray for Your “One”: Before you even think about money, remember the mission. Just like in our first week, identify the “one” person in your life who is far from God and pray for them by name. This is the “why” behind our giving.

* 2. Pray About Your Master: Now, ask God to show you who you are truly serving with your finances. Is it Him and His mission, or is it the false security of money?

* 3. Take a Step of Faith: Based on your prayer, what is one step of shrewd stewardship you need to take this week? For some, that might mean taking the 90-Day Tithe Challenge. For others who are already tithing, it might mean making one specific, radical, and generous gift for the sake of the mission.