May 2, 2021 Sunday Morning Service

As we? Get underway today with our lesson, we continue in a series coming from The Book of Luke series of Parables that our Lord and Savior. Jesus told that aren't found in any other gospel account. so, as we think about our particular Parable today, Which comes from The Book of Luke chapter 16. Reminded of a story of two old man, and I should say to older men, to older men. And they've gone golfing on the golf course. And Suddenly, this beautiful attractive, woman comes up and kisses one of the old men. And she walks away saying, I'll see you at the pool after you're done. And the other guy says, is that your wife? Eastern. Or is that your daughter? He says. No, that's that's my wife. He says your wife. How did you marry her? We said I lied about my. Well, what did you say? How old are you? He said 77. He said well what did you tell her? You said I did you say you were 57? He said, no, I said it was 97. So

Well, he got what he got, good, because of his actions. And that's what we're dealing with here this morning. As we consider the parable of the unjust Steward. Now, Jesus actually told similar story here with that particular parabol and he's talking about this man that we just read it, but we're going to get into the different translation. I think kind of brings it out a little bit better for us, but as we consider the the parable, what we're looking at is, this guy is a manager, he's the steward of the whole dealings and Corporation of this rich, man. Rich man represents God. This guy we all know who you represents. We don't know if he's good bad or ugly. That's what's interesting about this particular story, but as we go through it, I think you'll realize that the just exactly who this man is

Here's our, here's our story, the Jesus told this story to his disciples so he's talking to his disciples but they're so they're they're listening in on what he's telling his disciples. He says there was a certain rich man who had a manager handling, his Affairs. One day report came to him from from the manager was washing, his who was watching his employees money. So the employer call him in and said, what's this? I hear what's this? I hear about you, get your report in order because you are going to be fired. Anybody here ever had that kind of experience. I did. I was working for Coca-Cola and I was living all these back then. Head bottles bottles plastic stuff. So, when it's 35 degrees out and you're driving them trucks, and they're shaking all the Seltzer bottles and all that stuff. They, every time you try to pick up a bottle explodes, funny how it was the last day that I was working there, and the store guy had saw me. Bring the truck into the loading dock and I unload it all, all the product and But I left it, I use all the cards, all those cards for all the sodas and or as some people say, all the coax, right? So what? So, I use all those cards, and all these other people are coming in, like the bread people in the host of people, and all the other people and there's no carts reviews the mall. So store manager, got mad, he called Coca-Cola and said I was doing a terrible job because I used all the karts but I use what I had my disposal right? No told me otherwise so that's what I did was I didn't like it. So they said you're fired. I didn't care anyway. It was my last my last day I was getting ready to leave. Anyhow and if so someone else had to come in and do my work for me? I told Jesus was telling a story about a similar. Actually, we don't know if this guy was morally corrupt, we don't know if he did things on purpose, it just said that he wasted this guy's money. And do it has, he's wasting this guy's money, the rich man hears. This report about what's going on and so he says, clean out your lockers, you're going to be fired and so will continue reading. It says, the manager thought to himself. Now, what my boss is fired me. I don't have the strength to dig, ditches and Not on, Too Proud to Beg. I know how to ensure that I'll have plenty of friends, who will give me a home when I am fired. So, he invited each person who owed money to his employee to come out and discuss the situation he asked the first one. How much do you owe him? The man replied, I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil so the manager told him take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons. And how much do you owe my employer? He asked me that the next man, I owe him. One thousand bushels of wheat was the reply, the manager said, take the bill and change it to 500, the rich man had to admire the dishonest Rascal for being so screwed. And that's what we're talking about today, one, shrewd, dude, right, we got to find out if this guy is good, bad or ugly. It is true that the children of this world are more shrewd and dealing with the world around them. Then are the children of the LIE. Here's the lesson, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. If you are faithful little things, you will be faithful in large ones, but if you are dishonest and little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy, about your worldly wealth, Who will trust you with the true Riches of heaven and if you are not faithful with other people's things, why should you be trusted with the things of your own? No one can serve. Two masters for you all hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and being slave to money. Now, you heard the expression Mammon, God and Mammon. Well, that's the idea. Mammon was simply a word, a Syrian word Aramaic word. That means money or well. Eventually came to be used for an evil influence, but back in the day and the original usage, it's simply meant money or well and and so it is here that he's talking about money. So when he's talking about man and he's talking about money, And they were, he's warning against being enslaved to money. But notice what he says about the Pharisees says the Pharisees, who clearly love their money, heard all this and Scott that him. But then he said to them, you like to appear righteous in public but God knows your heart. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God So when they heard you was talking about this matter to things, they despised about what Jesus taught. They despise the idea of sin, they despise the idea of being a sinner and so they looked upon themselves as not being sinners. How dare you talk about us in that way? We are not Sinners and I used Jonathan Edwards, 1747, sermon title. Sinners in the hands of an Angry God, which is Play the Revival, the New England area in 1747, which, by the way, Jonathan Edwards, and his group, they believe that you couldn't understand God's word without some direct Supernatural intervention, that somehow infused into your mind Supernatural understanding. So that you would understand the word of God. Now, you think about that and life of John Edwards preaching, Revival around New England, to try to win people to the gospel. Think about that has a contradiction if it takes the Holy Spirit to make you understand, why is Jonathan Edwards going around preaching, right? What's his preaching going to do nothing? Not until there's some reckless despise, the idea of being Sinners. But they also despise what he had to say about men about money. Show me the money movie, Jerry Maguire, show me the money, living for money, and they did everything. And at all cost to gain power to gain influence, and above all to have money. And so this is exactly what the holy spirit says here is that they clearly enjoyed their money. And so Jesus comes back and he says, you know, you guys are enslaved to your money, you're a slave to your item. Now although men and means money and the context is dealing with wealth. We can also say that it's an idol. Do not respect. We can generalize, ER, whatever in your life is an idol to you is something that you go after, in your life, something that you put first in your life, something that is far above and beyond Your service to God that is it comes first before. God he says you have become a slave to. That's what Paul says here. In. Romans chapter 6 he says therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body. Now she don't, don't you feel the pressure Paul there. Now, God speaking through Paul God's telling you and me when you become Christians you got a chain. You gotta try not to sit now. The robbers didn't quite understand that they thought well we've been baptized into Christ so we can just have him and I did. And so Paul asked the question at the very beginning of the chapter, he says, shall we continue in sin that Grace May abound, you know what his answer rhetorical response? God forbid. He says, for as many of them, baptized into Christ have died to sin.

and so, what he says here, that you are not to let sin reign in your mortal body, That you should obey it and it's lust and do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to send, but present yourselves to God, as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God for sin, shall not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace, Well, he's not talking about any law, but he's talking about the law of Moses, which he's been writing about. The law that we are under has lost faith or the law of Christ, The Gospel. And in that law or told things that we must do and things that we are to avoid or not do. And so, that was in itself. Puts us under water, remember what sin sin is the transgression of the law. So, whatever we send were violating law. We are under law, and so he continues to tell him about this predicament. He says, What, then shall we sin? Because we are under not under the law but under grace there's a second question. The second time he asked that question. Certainly not, do you not know that yourself slaves to obey? You are that one slaves, whom you obey weather of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked, that do you were slaves of sin yet? You obeyed from the heart. That Form of Doctrine switch you to, which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. so, as weed, Have become converted to Jesus Christ. And we have been, we have put Jesus Christ on in baptism and now we have activated the blood of Jesus Christ in our lives that would continually cleanses us from our sin. What he says. Well, that's true. And that's Grace. You can't find yourselves running after sin. You can't really go after CID. You can't obey unrighteous if you can't obey your lusts you can't obey your sinful desires. He says, but rather you are to be slaves to who The Christ often we find ourselves slaves to ourselves. That is our, our desires, our appetites, our lusts. And so it is, he says that cannot be. But why should that not be a part of our Lives? Well, he says, because you were baptized into Christ. You were buried with him and then you were raised to walk in newness of life. We're New Creation in Christ Jesus. Paul says in Colossians 3 that the old man has died and now we have a new man to live by He says put to death the old members, put to death the old man, put to death the old ways of sin. That's why it's necessary for us to check. Otherwise our conversion is absolutely useless because of the willingness our willingness to sin rather than to curtail it. So he says I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh or just as you presented, your members, as slaves, of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness. So now, present your members as slaves of righteousness for Holiness. So basically, we have been set free to become slaves. Slaves to Jesus slaves, to righteousness slaves, to his way of life, and really slaves to one another slaves, to others. That's our goal. That's our purpose. That's that's our responsibility. And so it is here that Jesus is really pointing this out. In this Parable the factors of sectors to aspects to our stewardship. There's an intentional aspect and there's a missional aspect. The intentional is that we actually intend we understand the purpose and therefore we're going to go all out. With that intent. Just like this man was doing now. He, he was, he was actually taking or stealing if you will from the rich, man, because he went out. And he asked those people that owed him money, you said, well, if you owe him this much, cut it down to half. It'll make you look good. It'll make me look good. But above all. What was his motive? What was his intent? Well, he knew he was going to get fired. So he made plans by befriending these folks by with them that they would remember him when he was down and out and they would take care of it. But they would help him out. Jesus is not here, condoning the bad actions, he's in, he's condoning.

What do they call that the Ingenuity? If you will, the guy's idea of trying to do the best you can, with what he has. And so that's why he says concerning he makes the contrast. He says, those in the world, they go all out and try to make a dollar. They go out for a plan and a purpose and they try to do what's best for themselves. He says but when it comes to Christians, when it comes to the children of why we're not like that we we kind of we trying to back off and we're not as aggressive in trying to help our future. It's all the whole point is, is that we are to be industrious. We are to be creative. We are to have some Ingenuity with what we had. The point is we're Stewart and we have to take care of that, which God has given us now hear, it's talking about the money talking about wealth, it would. But generally speaking, we are stewards of everything. God has given us all good gifts, come from the father of lights, right? We have been given good, guess we are to be stewards of those gifts, and then, of course, the money. The money that we have is also to be taken care of. It's not our money. His money, we need to understand that it's not, it's not my money, it's his money, and he wants me to use that money. To befriend others to help others. Now we we did that couple years ago. Did we not? We had a big old flood down the road and we provided those people with assistance. Both food some monetary button, also Henry storing, what they lost with furniture and other items. I can't say we made a lot of inroads gospel wise, but certainly it's on the minds of those individuals. That who knows what the future, because of the influence of the impact that we had on those folks. Remember, it's about God's timing. Not our timing. We like, we like things to take after, you know, that happened now. But we're working on God's clock. Now are so consider be intentional. We also have the missional. The mission was this. God has given us money to help others. God has given us money to help one another God has given us money to help with the work of the Kingdom. That's what our money ought to be used for the lawn to be intentional. It ought to be missional. Remember what we were talking about? Last time was the fact that we are to seek? What? First Seek the kingdom of God first and his righteousness. And then, all these things will be added unto you. Do you believe that?

The song he sang set aside budget, budget your money. Budget your time, budget, your wife. Because when you do that, you're creating a larger bank account in heaven. Write your Treasures in Heaven, right? So every time you do something good for somebody, we call that good works for somebody. You just added to that bank account, that treasure in heaven. When you worship God from the heart, every Lord's Day, you've added to that account. When you live a life of avoiding Temptation and avoiding sin, you've added to that bank account, that's what he's talking about. Talking about that bank account, that's spiritual bank account. That's so important, and so necessary. And so the missional aspect is to serve God first, with what we have again that includes money, but it also includes time, it also includes service, it also includes Our Lives. Right? He doesn't want part of us. He wants all of us. He says that we are to offer our bodies a Living Sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. So that goes well, with what we studied a couple weeks ago, with loving God, with what, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind with all your strength, your whole body, everything, everything that you have God wants. That's the mission elastic. What are the three principles we want to talk about here as we closed? The principal comes from verse 9. He says there's a lesson. Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then we know when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. Remember your actions influence so many? and, There's people that go about in our congregation that you don't know about to do, things like that, on a daily basis or weekly basis, we do individuals who go to different areas and they leave money for people. People who need it. And there are not amiss with it. The amazing thing to behold the love that people have for The Souls of others, but that good is going to have its reward that good will have its place. And so, as we go to principal number to you says, if you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones, but if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities. Now, Jesus is not obvious, he's making a distinction here, he's not again, praising the guy for his Wicked actions but he's praising the guy for his ethic of trying to come about with a solution. With an answer to get something done. That's what he's departing. The guy for he says and if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth who will trust you with the true Riches of heaven. So there you go. There is worldly wealth that we all kind of think about we all wish we had more of But he says, now you got to trust the true riches. That tells me that true will Is a spiritual. Well, and that all this otherworldly stuff. Like money is not. It's false. That's why it's called Mamon. That's why I called it's named after an evil God from Syrian culture, but it again, with emphasis on money with emphasis on, well,

And if you are not faithful with other people's things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? There's principal number to that, we take away from this storm, no one can serve two masters for. You will hate one and love the other, or you will devote be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve, God, and man, or be Enslaved, the money according to, this particular translation. So it is the third principal from the story. And then we called clothes out with what Paul says in 1st Timothy Chapter 6, he says teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in your money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God.

Now, going back because their trust should be in God. Now that we go back to what Jesus said in our texts. We says for God, or for man should not serve Mammon, right? He didn't say that. He didn't say should not. You said cannot tena.

Their trust should not should be in God who richly gives us all. We need for our enjoyment, tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in. Good works. And generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this, they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. Paul just summarize entire story. In this paragraph. She got to do good works. Now if you're wealthy and you have money, that's great. You can do more. Good works with that money and so Jesus saying, don't don't say save yourself. Well, I can still do some works even though I have a lot of money. Now, he's saying since you have been blessed with a lot of money, you should be doing Greater Works more works with that money, that God has blessed, you learn to share, learning to give it to others. Learn to

Freely and joyfully share it with those who desperately need it. And when we consider the spiritual aspect of that, isn't that what Jesus did himself?

We have here, the richest person. You can imagine. He left his home in glory. To come to a cesspool.

To become poor. To become despised to become hated. To be beaten as our brother talked about. The communion thought to be crucified all because of his love for you. And for me, And so he gave he gave a bun, deadly. We ought to be thankful for that and he says, that's the example. That's the example, weather wealthy weather, poor. We give with all that we can give money time self to others, just as Jesus did. And then upon doing that. Jesus said this, if you believe that and you believe in me, I want you to be baptized for the remission of your sins. Says right repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved your subject to that invitation of Jesus Christ. This morning. Once you come forward as together, we stand in Spain,