The Secret To Being A Blessing To Others

Passage: Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:1-15

Main Idea: God grants the people of God material and earthly resources to be a spiritual blessing to others.

Message Goal: Develop the right relationships and opportunities to leverage your material resources for spiritual blessings

Introduction: Defining and Understanding Mammon

When God Gets Left Out:

A LITTLE girl one day was given two dollars by her mother. The mother said, “Dar- ling, one dollar is for church and one dollar is for candy after church” The little girl started on her way to church. It was a windy day, and after a bit, she tripped and the dollars fell out of her hand. The wind took both of them, but she was able to catch one. The other one flew away. She said, “Well, God, there goes Your dollar.” Isn’t it interesting that it’s always God’s dollar that flies away? Isn’t it interesting that when you have to cut, you always cut God but not anybody else? God watches that and He weighs it.⁶¹⁵

A MAN had two prize-winning calves. These calves would win thousands of dollars. The man came to his wife and said, “Honey, this is something. The Lord done blessed us with two prize-winning calves. I’m going to honor the Lord. One calf is ours. The other calf is the Lord’s. Whatever the Lord’s calf brings in, we will give it to Him. Whatever our calf brings in, we are going to keep it for ourselves.” The man came home a week later, depressed and downhearted. His wife said, “Honey, what’s wrong?” He said, “Honey, the Lord’s calf just died.” Have you ever noticed it’s always the Lord’s calf that dies? Have you noticed that when things get tight, it’s always the Lord’s money that gets left out?⁶¹⁶

All of our lives we have been taught to give to God. However, we have not been taught how to earn so we can give to God. This is what I want to talk to you about today. I want you to learn how to earn in a way that will make you a blessing to all the nations of the earth.

Therefore, we have taught a bunch of non-earning Christians to give, which is not only impossible but in-compassionate.

It is important that we understand the following things:

Why do we give?

How do we give?

Where do we give?

Mammon: An abundance of material possessions and resources.

The Question:

What does it mean to serve God and mammon?

Understanding Luke 16:1-15

Luke 16:1- The manager of the rich man is accused of squandering [distributing money loosely].

The implication is that the steward was doing something with the rich man’s money that was not responsible. This is the context of the entire chapter that we don’t get in Matthew’s gospel. In Matthew’s gospel we receive the conclusion. However, the details of the lesson Jesus intends to teach goes into a discussion on how the children of God are often too incompetent and ignorant in the things of the world that they hardly have a opportunity to serve the things of Christ.

Luke 16:4-8- The manager understands he has nothing to lose, because he is getting fired. Therefore, he takes an opportunity to secure himself a promising future thought he is losing his job. Here are a few lessons we can learn about stewardship:

The number one rule that this manager invoked was: I am going to take care of others as a means of taking care of myself. That is, do for others so others can do for you.

Luke 16:8- The steward is referred to as being unjust or unrighteous. The term suggests that he has a moral issue—he fails to adhere to moral principles, commands, and laws. The critical mistake of this manager is his moral failing in the realm of giving. It is not that he does not give, but that he gave recklessly.

Luke 16:9- Eternal homes in the heavens.

How does one inherit eternal homes in heaven? Jesus has this idea of leaving everything to gain everything.

Matthew 19:27–30 CSB

27 Then Peter responded to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you. So what will there be for us?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Sermon Points

Why do we give?

Matthew 26:6–11 CSB

6 While Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman approached him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw it, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This might have been sold for a great deal and given to the poor.” 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a noble thing for me. 11 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.

Luke 6:38 CSB

38 Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

How do we give?

2 Corinthians 9:6–7 CSB

6 The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.

Where do we give?

Luke 10:25–37 CSB

25 Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.” 28 “You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus took up the question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. 34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”