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LOJ #165: ‘Robbing God’
Andover Baptist Church-November 18th, 2012
Opening
A. Text for today is Luke 16:1-9 and our sermon is titled
Robbing God
B. Scripture NET:
“1 Jesus also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations that his manager was wasting his assets. 2 So he called the manager in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in the account of your administration, because you can no longer be my manager.’ 3 Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m too ashamed to beg. 4 I know what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.’5 So he contacted his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 The man replied, ‘A hundred measures of olive oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ The second man replied, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’8 The master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries than the people of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, so that when it runs out you will be welcomed into the eternal homes.”
C. Children’s Sermon (NO SLIDES) Lauren’s Baptism
D. Introduction
1. We are going to be dealing for a few weeks on the
proper use of our financial blessings
2. The parable we are going to look at today is found only
in the Gospel of Luke
3. Some commentators see it as one of the toughest to
interpret of all the parables, I guess I'm so simple that it
made sense to me (I hope you find it to be as well by
the end)
4. Who is this parable for? It is for everyone who wishes
to be a follower of Jesus Christ
a. It's about using your money, your possessions for
things that really matter.
b. It's about using your money to make eternal
friends and eternal wealth
c. Primarily it’s about not embezzling, yes you
heard me (that is when you take that which is not
yours and use it for your own from someone who
trusts you with their accounts)
5. There has been some huge cases of embezzlement over
the years in our country (here is the top 5)
a. $65.6 million ($69 million in 2010), Culprit:
Ausaf Umar Siddiqui
b. $61 million ($72.3 million in 2010), Culprit: Jack
Doorly
c $66 million ($88.3 million in 2010), Culprit:
Ricardo Carrasco
d. $7.7 million ($100 million in 2010), Culprit:
Gilbert H. Beesemyer (1930)
e. $90 million ($132 million in 2010), Culprit:
Yasuyoshi Kato
6. But there is something even worse than embezzling
from an earthly boss
a. This parable is about what is the worst form of
embezzling: it's about embezzling from God
b. And you and I have done it likely more times
than we can count
c. Everything we have in this life, is not truly ours,
it’s Christ’s and He has simply allowed us to
manage it
d. When we use it for our own ends, well that is a
crime that we must be very careful of not doing
e. For one day, like our manager friend today, the
books will be opened
Sermon
READ: Luke 16:1-2
“1 Jesus also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations that his manager was wasting his assets. 2 So he called the manager in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in the account of your administration, because you can no longer be my manager.”
A. 'Jesus also said to the disciples'
1. When reading accounts in the Gospel, is important to
discover to whom Jesus is speaking
2. This parable is being told primarily to His disciples
3. He had been talking directly to the Pharisees, and while
we will see next week by their snide comments they
were listening, this is not just a criticism of them
4. If you are a disciple of Jesus this than is for you
B. ‘There was a rich man'
1. Our first character is introduced
2. He is a wealthy business man with many assets to be
managed
C. We find that this rich man has over his wealth and assets a
steward (i.e. a manager)
1. This steward had unparalled access to his employer’s
home and finances
a. Imagine if you would a modern day financial
planner, trustee or CFO
b. This steward would act as a broker between his
employer and the employer’s customers
c. You see our rich friend was a banker of sorts and
being that those who loan money and those who
borrow money are different social scales this
steward would be a go between
d. The steward is to look out for the master's benefit
2. The most important trait of a steward, according to the
Apostle Paul is faithfulness (1 Corinthians 4:2)
“Now what is sought in stewards is that one be found faithful”.
a. We see examples of faithful stewards throughout
the Bible
b. Abraham had a manager by the name of Eliezer
of Damascus (Gen. 15:2)
c. Joseph was such a manager and eventually had
one of his own (Genesis 43:19)
d. King David had a steward that was over all of his
possessions and even took care of his children
e. In Luke 8:3 we find Joanna, a supporter of Jesus’
ministry, is married to Cuza the manager of
Herod’s household
3. Unfortunately for this rich man his steward is not quite
so faithful
a. It appears that the man he employs to be in
charge of protecting and growing his wealth has
been doing quite the opposite
b. In fact it has been brought to his attentions that
this manager or steward has been ‘wasting his
assets’ (as the Prodigal Son wasted the
inheritance given to him by his father)
c. The steward was acting as if he were owner of
what he was simply put in charge of to manage
4. The rich man is furious
D. 'So he called the manager in and said to him, ‘What is this I
hear about you? Turn in the account of your administration,
because you can no longer be my manager.’
1. The accusations must have been based upon
unquestionable evidence
2. So the owner orders an audit of the books after which
the steward is to hand them over
3. Volunteer Youth Ministry (years ago, at another church)
: Previous youth director used the youth checkbook to
float herself loans, an audit of the books showed this
4. Once the audit is done, the steward is done (aka canned)
E. What was being called into question? The stewards
stewardship, the oversight of his employer’s assets
1. One day you and I will give an account of our
stewardship
2. Eventually death will remove us from stewardship of
life
3. And we need to be ready for that day when the accounts
of our lives are opened by Christ Jesus
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NET) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil.”
4. We are called to be good stewards of the grace God has
given us
1 Peter 4:10 (NET) “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God.”
5. If God were to do an audit this very day on that which
he has made you a steward (your home, your family,
your gifts, your jobs, your money) would he find us a
faithful steward or one wasting His assets?
READ: Luke 16:3-4
“3 Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m too ashamed to beg. 4 I know what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.’
A. The steward knew that his job was going to be outsourced, that
he was going to be fired, etc.
B. The steward faced some employment difficulties ahead of him
1. If he loses his job as a manager, word would get around
and who would want to hire him for that?
2. He can’t do manual labor
a. It might be age
b. It might be laziness
c. One commentator said that he has soft hands
1. He hadn’t done manual labor, he’d only
had a desk job
2. If he slapped you in the face you’d say oh
how nice do it again
3. Have you shaken hands with Marv? If he
slapped you in the face you’d go crying
to your momma
3. He can’t beg because he’s too prideful (oddly he doesn’t
mind stealing)
4. Either way he goes it looks as if the steward would face
public shame
C. When all hope looks lost, the steward suddenly comes up with
a cleverly, underhanded scheme to cook the books
READ: Luke 16:5-7
“5 So he contacted his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 The man replied, ‘A hundred measures of olive oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ The second man replied, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’”
A. ' So he contacted his master’s debtors one by one'
1. The rich man had a number of individuals who owed
him money and this man goes down the list
a. It appears as these customers leased land from the
rich man (tenant farmers)
b. They likely had fixed amounts of crops they
owed him on an annual basis, during harvest
time
2. He had done business with them and they knew him
3. And while he still has temporary authority he uses it
deceitfully and quickly before the game is up
B. The first tenant
1. In a hurry because his time is running out, he has the
first man slash his bill from 100 measures of oil to 50
2. That’s a deep, deep discount
a. The original bill would equal 850 gallons of olive
oil
b. That would take the complete crop of 150 trees
c. The original cost would be 1000 denarii (about
that many days’ worth of pay for a common
worker)
d. He cuts their bill by 425 gallons at a cost of 500
days pay to his rich soon to be former employer
C. The second tenant
1. This man owed 100 measures of wheat which equated to
approximately 1000 bushels
2. He tells this tenant take 20% of what he owes off
a. It would take 100 acres to grow this much wheat
b. At that time a crop like that would have cost 2500
denarii (2500 days of pay)
c. A 20% cut would have taken 500 denarii off the
bill
d. This is the same fiscal amount he gave the first
one
D. Why did the steward do this? Future planning to take care of
himself!
1. They paid up then at a steep discount to their benefit and
to the detriment of the rich man
2. He had cost his rich employer 1000 days of pay (or
roughly in today’s money $125,000 dollars)
3. This made the tenants indebted to the steward
a. To owe someone a debt was a serious matter in
the eyes of the ancient world
b. These people, while not up to the standard of the
rich man they leased from, were wealthy in their
own right
c. They would be indebted to him for quite awhile
READ: Luke 16:8-9 (Scripture slide)
“8 The master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries than the people of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, so that when it runs out you will be welcomed into the eternal homes.”
A. 'The master commended the dishonest manager because he
acted shrewdly'
1. Irony at the end here
2. What the steward has done here gets him labeled as
‘dishonest’
3. Yet the worldly rich man, while surely furious, admires
the craftiness of the unfaithful steward
4. Given the same circumstances he would have done the
same thing to turn the events to his favor
5. I mean this stewards financial career was about to be
shattered and he effectively deflected the blow by
making worldly friends at his boss’ expense
6. He had effectively planned ahead
7. But some of you may say, ‘How come the rich guy let
him get away with it?’
a. It was not an uncommon practice for an
individual who was wealthy to give a break to
those who owed them money in order to be seen
as benevolent
b. The steward may have used this line with the
people who owed his former employer
c. It’s likely that news about this benevolence has
spread and the rich man is being praised
d. If he demands the rest of the money or punishes
the steward it would be a cultural disaster for him
e. Therefore the rich man tells him, ‘Nice play’
B. Jesus uses this example to point out the difference that should
be seen in His followers and those who follow the pattern of
this world (lit. ‘sons of this age’)
1. People of the world are better at making worldly wealth
in worldly ways than children of light
2. The rich man love of money, the shrewdness of the
manager and the complicity of the debtors are the way
the children of this world do business
3. Like the rich man we are sometimes caught off guard by
the shear shrewdness of worldly business (like my
pastor friend who signed a car title over to a woman on
agreement she would make payments, she left town with
it costing him over $6,000)
4. The children of light are not to be like anybody in this
parable in their pursuit of things in this world
5. In a dog eat dog world, we must expect to get bitten but
never to bite
6. Christians we have this to remember: Yes we can live
like the world in business practices and make more
money, but you cannot please your Master and do such
Ephesians 5:8 (NET) “for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light”
1 Thessalonians 5:5–8 (NET) “5 For you all are sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. 6 So then we must not sleep as the rest, but must stay alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, we must stay sober by putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet our hope for salvation.”
7. While we are not to follow their example there is a
valuable lesson that we can take from it
C. What is that lesson? Use worldly wealth to make eternal friends
1. The world is diligent in their pursuit of financial reward
in this world. How much more should believers pursue
their eternal reward knowing the true value of things?
2. This is such an important point that Jesus says, ‘And I
tell you this’ meaning ‘Pay attention!’
3. We are to use our 'worldly wealth' (meaning money and
property) to plan ahead spiritually
a. We are not to focus it on this world, but on the
things to come, the things of God
b. Not to gain earthly favor, but eternal favor
c. Use your wealth to create real friendships, the
only ones that matter, eternal friendships (I’ve
already decided the first million years or so in
heaven I'm going to hang out with Dale)
d. We should use our money to win people to
Christ, into the kingdom
e. We are to make friends with the poor, with those
in need of the Gospel, with the ones who cannot
repay you in this life, but who can bless you in
the next
Matthew 6:19–20 (NET) “19 Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.”
1 Timothy 6:17–19 (NET) “17 Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others.19 In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life.”
4. Christ Jesus has made us stewards of our lives and we
owe it to Him
5. Are you faithful?
Application
A. We are entering a week that we celebrate our thankfulness for
the blessings in our life
B. Many people sit around a table and have the tradition of saying
what they are thankful for
C. That's nice, but real thankfulness has to go beyond just words
D. Are you thankful for what God has given you? Good! But the
question really is does your life show it by being a good
steward of all that He has given you?
E. One day we will all stand before Him, are you ready for that
moment?
Invitation
Let us sing our last song # ,
[pic]
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