We Serve a Master Who is Gracious and Generous based on Luke 16:1-15

I. Some passages in the Bible are difficult to understand.

II. The heart of the problem is love of money.

III. Read Luke 16:1-3 and comment. Luke 16:1-3 “He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.”

IV. The manager’s plan in Luke 16:5-7. Luke 16:5-7 “So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’”

V. Read Luke 16:8-9 and comment. Luke 16:8-9 “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”

VI. The best use of unrighteous money and story about man with $250,000.

VII. Using money and possessions to point to salvation in Jesus is best.

VIII. We serve a gracious and generous master.

IX. We are forgiven and heavenly treasures await us.

X. Conclude with two stanzas of “We give Thee but Thine Own.”

1 We give thee but thine own, whate'er the gift may be; all that we have is thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from thee.

2 May we thy bounties thus as stewards true receive and gladly, as thou blessest us, to thee our first fruits give. Amen.