What to do with your money

Luke 16:1-13

And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 3Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. 9And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

13No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

{Can I get in your business? I want to get a little bit into your business; I want to talk about}

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR MONEY

You know, it’s strange, but there’s a saying that we usually say when we talk about money in the church; we say, “It kills the spirit.” But this must be the only place it kills it! Because all of us, if we’re honest; all of us, like money! And especially if we’re honest; if we don’t have any, we’re trying to get hold to some. And that’s what makes this passage so wonderful, it talks about something that all of us are acquainted with.

Honestly, Jesus talked more about money and possessions than he did about heaven and hell put together. In Matt. 19:16-26, the rich young ruler who missed heaven, had come to Jesus talking about salvation and eternal life. And when Jesus mentioned money, he went away sorrowful. And Jesus himself said something in Matt. 6:21 and it gives me some insight. He answers the question for me as to why there are not many committed people in the church. He said, “that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” So if there’s no treasure here, don’t look for your heart to be here. And then we find in Acts chapter 5, that the first time God actually killed somebody in church (He killed Ananias and Sapphira), was because they withheld some money. {Talk to me somebody!} And as marvelous as the first church was on the Day of Pentecost, the first time it experienced trouble was when they accused the apostles of mismanagement of funds. What I’m trying to say, is that money has always been the source of something in the lives of people. So this is a marvelous little parable, because it talks about money.

Then there’s another little thing about this parable, this parable talks about job security. And all of us are interested in job security (if you have a job, you want to keep your job). But this passage tells us that even though you have a job, you could lose it (this fellow lost his good job). This passage talks about the future. And that’s another good thing about this parable, because Mrs. Cleo is making a lot of money {yes she is}, telling us whose going with whom, and there’s another man coming in your life soon yea! Talks about our future!

But now, the interesting thing about this parable, this morning, is that it is addressed to disciples, it’s not addressed to everybody, but to disciples. The Greek word for disciples is mathetes (math-ay-tes), which means “learners.” You do know; there are some folk who feel that they’ve been in church a long time and you really can’t teach them anything. But isn’t it wonderful that He address this parable to learners and not graduates.

Now there are several words that I have to clear up before I get into the story. The first word that I’ve got to clear up is the word “steward.” The word “steward” is the Greek word oikonomos (oy-kon-om'-os); it’s a compound word “oikos” meaning house, and “nomos” meaning administrator or law. So, a “steward” is one who has the law or the administration of the house in his hands. Yea! He ran the masters house; he ran the masters estate; it was his job to take care of his master’s business. Now, he didn’t own anything, but he took care of his master’s business. He could set interest rates. He could administrate. It was his job to take care of the children. It was his job to take care of all the business ventures. He was the financial planner of his master. Now, I want to say it again, he didn’t own anything. He simply took care of his master’s house, much like you and I; because, we honestly don’t own anything. The Bible tells us in:

·        Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”

·        Psalm 50:10, “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.”

·        Haggai 2:8, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Now that says to me that you and I, honestly, don’t own anything. I just manage. I’ve got the law of the house in my hand. I other words, I drive God’s car, I wear God’s clothes, I live in God’s house, I use God’s mind, I use His hands—his fingers. I’m simply a steward; a manger over what He has given me! I manage this body; that is I manage the time He gives me... I manage the gospel that He has given me to share with others. And like every steward, you and I will have to give an account to the owner, as to what we have done with what he has given us. Make no mistakes about it, you own nothing.

   Now, the second word that I have to clear up here, is the word “accused;” Greek word diaballo (dee-ab-al'-lo). Greek words are like people, the company they keep, usually, determines their meaning. And this word diaballo runs with another Greek word diabolos (dee-ab'-ol-os), which means devil. {Stay with me!} The devil’s accusations are always false. And so the word “diaballo,” should really be translated falsely accused. Notice he was not found guilty, but the text says, he was accused. Now the funny thing about this text; it simply says to me, no matter how secure you may think your job is; one false accusation… I don’t care how high you’re up the corporate ladder; one false accusation and you are out of there. And then of course, the term “mammon of unrighteous,” simply means money. So this text (this is a good text) talks about jobs, and it talks about money. Well, let’s get into the story.

Text says he was accused of mismanagement of money. And when he was accused, he said, to himself, “You know I’m going to lose my job.” And he said, “I’m just too old for manual labor, I can’t dig.” And then he says, “You know, I’m too ashamed to stand on the corner holding a sign saying “will work for food.” I can’t do that! And he’s pondering! And the grammar here in the Greek is the dramatic aorist, which means he suddenly has a burst of energy, a burst of light and he says “I know what I’ll do… got it… I’ve worked it out. He goes to the first debtor and says, “You know, I’ve always liked you, you are a marvelous business man.” And he says, “How much do you owe my master?” The man answers, “An hundred measures of oil.” The steward says, “You know, I’ve got my interest already worked in there and so I tell you what, I’m going to slash my interest. I’m not going to take my interest.” I’m the steward, and because I’ve always admired you, I tell you what, you owe fifty. Fifty that’s all you owe. And I tell you what, if ever you need somebody to work for you, remember old Joe here!

He goes to the next fellow. He goes to the next and says, “Look! Look! How much do you owe? He says, “You owe wheat; now you know there’s not much mark up on wheat.” But, I tell you what, I like you, and I always said, “If I ever leave this job, what I was going to come and work for you.” So I tell you what, you owe eighty. Eighty, that’s all you owe, and if ever you need somebody to come to work for you, remember old Joe. {Are you still with me?}

And the Bible says, when the owner came, He said, “Wow!” He commended him! Watch the text now; He commended him because the Bible says, “he had done wisely.” What had he done? He could not erase the past, but he could prepare for his future. {Can I say something here? A lot of people waste time living in the past; you can’t do anything about the past, but you can prepare for the future.} Jesus interrupts the story and says, “…the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” {Watch this!} The people who have no concept of heaven or hell; the people who are sinners; he says they are wiser… Did you get that? He says, they are not thinking about heaven or hell, but they prepare for their future. {Talk to me! Talk to me!} He says they sacrifice now, so they can live latter. Watch something! They’ll eat grits now; so they can eat lobster latter. Wait a minute! They’ll sacrifice driving something little now; so they can drive something bigger latter. He says, now look, they don’t have a concept of heaven or hell, they’re talking about for here. He says, but you and I, we know something; “That when this life is over, we will have to give an account to God. When this life is over, we will stand before God, and He will pass out rewards based on what we’ve done as disciples.

What did this fellow do? What did he do? He used his money to forgive debt; to secure his future. I’m going to pass that by you one more time! He used his money to forgive debt, in order to secure his future that he would have a place when it was all over; when he was fired.

Now here is the first lesson. Listen, Jesus is teaching His disciples. He is teaching every disciple here this morning. Notice what He says: He says (v. 9), “I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness (that’s money); that, when ye fail (when you die, when it all over)…” And that word “fail” in the Greek it is ekleipo (ek-li'-po) it’s where we get our word eclipse from. That when you are eclipsed, when your light is gone out), He says, “[That] they may receive you into everlasting habitations.” Here is the principle; He said use your money to make friends, to forgive debts, {oh, you’ve got to catch this}. The Lord’s Prayer says, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Take your money; use your money to make friends, to win friends, to forgive debt, to get souls, so that when you die, you will have a welcoming party in heaven. That’s when it’s all over they will welcome you into heaven. Here’s what He is saying! You see, even now; places that I go, people say you helped me so much! But I don’t remember you! I know you don’t, but you preached a sermon somewhere and I got saved, and I just want to say thank you. You see, there will be people in heaven that will walk up to you in heaven… {I want you to get something here!} You see, if I take my money and use it and invest it in ministry… {See, let me tell you something!} Jesus said, “Go ye therefore into all the world...” {Now, you may not leave your neighborhood, so how can you fulfill this?} I know somebody who travels quite a bit, preaches all over… He says if I invest in; take my money, use it; {you see God has a wonderful plan} every time I invest in ministry, and when he goes out and preaches and somebody is blessed and saved… Now heaven has a great accountant… Heaven doesn’t forget anything… Every time pastor ____________ goes and preach God writes it down on his account, but every time I invest in his ministry… Guess what? God also writes it down on my account; I share! {Are you listing to me?} He says, there will be people in heaven, who will be greeting you saying my brother. And you will say, I don’t know you; and they will say I know you don’t, but you invested in the ministry, and as a result, I’m in here in heaven because of you. And I just want to welcome you. He says use your money!

Lesson two; I’ve got to hurry. This is for disciples, this is not for everybody. Now here’s the kicker! Jesus says, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much…” He says if you’re not doing anything with what He has given you now… Boy this is a real indictment! Some say I want a big church; what are you doing with the little one. I want a big house; what are you doing with the little one. I want more money; what are you doing with what you have now. Listen, if you are not faithful, if you are not a good steward with what He has given you now; He says He can’t give you much. {Watch the text!} He says, “and [if you’re] unjust in the least [you’re] unjust also in much.” If you won’t tithe off of an hundred, why should he give you a thousand? If you’re unjust with what he has given you now; you’ll just become a bigger thief. Somebody says what would you do if you had a million dollars? Just what you’re doing now! {I’m closing. Watch the text!}

He says {now let me show you something}, (v. 11) “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon (which is money; if you are unfaithful with this), [how can I trust you with this (the bible)? If you can’t handle this, why should I trust you with the true riches? You know, there are some folks who say I want some deep spiritual truth. He says, “No, I can’t give that to you. You stay on the surface; because you can’t handle this. If you pervert this; you’ll pervert this.” {Still with me; I’m closing}. He says, “And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?” I mean, honestly, if you can’t take care of your apartment; why should I give you a house? You see, what we don’t understand is that every step of life is stewardship. It’s managing what ever God has entrusted you with. {…Still with me? Now let me close!}

Third principle! “No servant can serve two masters…” Now keep in mind, He’s not talking about us working two or three jobs; (this is Bible days), He’s talking about slaves; no slave can have two masters. “No servant can serve two masters…” Watch this! You can’t serve God and money. {Here’s the text}, I know God is a master, but the insight here, is that money is also a master. And money will make you serve it. {Are you listing to me?} Money will make you serve it; money is a cruel master. Have you noticed how money dogs you? Money makes believers lie in church! Money is a terrible master. We sing, O how I love Jesus, and then, money some how, will make us, lie on the envelopes. What I’m trying to say to you is that money is a terrible master. And-a! Money, money, money… Money will make friends fall out! Um! Have you ever noticed what happens when friends owe you money? Um! They can see you coming, and because they owe you, they turn the other way. Um! Money will make you work overtime, and double shifts. Um! Even, when you don’t feel like it! I’ve heard people say I really, really don’t feel like going to work, but because I have to make a living… {What I trying to tell you is that money is a terrible master}. And-a, notice, money will make you lose your integrity. I’ve heard women say, you know the man is ugly; but I don’t mind, because he has plenty of money. {What I trying to tell you is that money is a terrible master}. You know families worship together; but let someone in the family die and-a leave a little money. I’ve seen families divided; where one side of the family sits on this side of the church, and-a—the other side of the family sits on the other side. {What I trying to tell you is that money is a terrible master}. Money will make grown men sell dope to children! Money! Money will keep you up late at night, and won’t let you sleep, worrying over bills. Money will tear churches up… {Yes it will}; deacons against pastor. Money will come between you and your lover… {Yes it will}. {Money is a terrible master!} Yes it is… Touch somebody and say, money is a terrible master! Money! I said money will cause folk to shoot you; folk will take your life over money; folk will sell you out over money; your best friend will leave you over money. But I’m glad… I said I’m glad that money is not my master. I’m glad; do you know my master? Early this morning, my master woke me up! Early this morning, my master started me on my way! Early this morning, my master told me everything would be alright! Early this morning, my master told me fret not thy self because of evil doers; for they will soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herbs. {Ain’t God alright?} Do you know my master? What I have; my master gave it to me. What I know; my master taught it to me. Where I go; my master is going to take me. Uh! Do you know Him?  I said do you know Him? Grab your neighbor by the hand, and tell them neighbor, neighbor, neighbor I’m not bragging, but I know my master; I know my master. My master healed my body. My master put shoes on my feet. My master put clothes on my back. My master, uh my master! Can I call His name? Every time I call His name, I don’t know, but something happens every time I call His name. Jesus—Jesus—Jesus—Jesus—Uhhhhhh, Jesus!