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Sermon outline Living As Sons of Light Luke 16:1-14 September 26, 2010

Introduction: This is one of the strangest parables and passages from Jesus’ ministry. At first glance – we might have a difficult time understanding how Jesus could commend the ‘adikia’ (unrighteous, dishonest manager) to us or really why he would tell such a story at all. I think it is important for us to see this parable, and the application Jesus draws from it, in light of the foundation Jesus has already laid for us regarding ‘mammon’ (material wealth, possessions) throughout this Gospel. One pastor went through and pointed out that Jesus and Luke have something to say about possessions and wealth in every chapter of Luke’s gospel so far (Bob Deffinbaugh, Luke – Gospel of the Gentiles at www.bible.org). It has been noted that Jesus says more about money than he does about heaven and hell combined. What is important in noting this is that Jesus saw our attitude and heart perspective with regard to ‘mammon’ as directly related to where we will end up- heaven or hell! (This is certainly the truth behind the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus later in Luke 16) So, in light of the whole Gospel – Jesus wants his disciples to know that mammon is important in that it indicates the status, the nature, the attitude of your heart and its relationship to God. Matthew 6:24 “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. When Jesus speaks of our use of, attitude toward possessions – he is pointing us to the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” Exodus 20:3. Our attitude toward mammon becomes in this passage a gauge of the nature, or more basically, the existence of our ‘faith’. The one who has ‘faith’ will be faithful with mammon. The one who does not have ‘faith’ will be unfaithful. This parable is connected to the parable of the prodigal son. Luke 16:1 says, ‘he also said to the disciples…” indicating a direct link from the one parable to the other. Also, note the reality that Jesus still works with ‘the disciples’ of 16:1 and the ‘pharisees’ of 16:14 (like 15:1-2 where there are disciples, sinners, and Pharisees present). There is no mention of ‘sinners and tax collectors’and I think Luke is subtly saying, once the squandering sinner meets grace – what is the nature of life? The fundamental connection between the parable of the prodigal son and this parable is that the prodigal once squandered the wealth of the his father- and now, he lives as a son of light and such a life is a shrewd and strategic life of stewardship. If you are Christ’s disciple – you will move from the life of foolish squandering of the master’s wealth (whether through a life of squandering in sin, or a life of squandering in useless righteousness) to a life of shrewd and wise living looking to future (eternal) realities. Copyright © 2010 Erik Braun

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Let’s break this passage down: • 3 Solid Truths from a Strange Parable: vv. 1-9 • 2 Further Applications from Jesus: vv.10-13 • The Gospel: Are you a disciple/steward (v.1) or mocking, squandering Pharisee? (v.14)

1. Three Solid Truths from a Strange Parable: vv. 1-9 Solid Truth # 1 : If you are a disciple you are a steward. Jesus always and everywhere teaches the reality that those who have put their faith in God through Jesus are now brought into a kingdom in which they are stewards. The man in this story is a manager- a steward, one who guards and manages a trust. He forgot this reality and so was squandering, wasting, living like this was his stuff to do with what he wanted. In this story he goes from being a foolish squanderer to a shrewd steward. This is a worldview dynamic – no longer are things, possessions, people, money, talents, etc. to be used up for self, pleasure, or even the most noble of ‘human’ endeavors. They are a ‘stewardship’ a charge, a responsibility, a trust from God, the master and ruler of the universe. This is the story of the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation – God created it, He entrusted it to His creatures made in his image, he redeemed it through His Son – and He is coming back for it on the last day. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” Psalm 24:1 With a stewardship comes three things: position, possessions, and accountability. This manager suddenly realized that he had a position that he needed to leverage for the future. Everyone has a position of some sort- and God has given it to you as a ‘charge, a trust’. If you are a Father- that is a trust. If you are a husband- that is a trust. If you are a mother-that is a trust. If you are a wife-that is a trust. If you are a Man – that is a trust. If you are a woman- that is a trust. You have a position – you have something to leverage for the Kingdom. Are you doing that? Or are you squandering it? There were possessions at his disposal that he could leverage for the future- for his gain in another season. You have possessions- are you investing them into eternal realities? You have stuff! ((whenever I talk to someone about being a steward of possessions they immediately begin to ‘poor mouth’ – ‘I don’t have anything!’ – ‘I don’t have a job!’ – ‘I’m in debt’ – etc. and so on forever and ever, world without end, Amen. Built into the whole ‘stewardship worldview’ is the reality of accountability. See how the reality of accountability shaped up this manager’s attitude toward his future. Are you accountable to others for your stewardship in light of your accountability on the last day?

Copyright © 2010 Erik Braun

www.fouroakschurch.com | 2

Solid Truth #2: Shrewdness and Strategic Planning is Critical to Good Stewardship. A parable is a simple story with a single truth. The single truth that Jesus wants us to gain from his story is this: “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of the light.” (v.8b) Are you being ‘shrewd’? Definition: astute, sharp, discerning in practical matters. Two things I believe Jesus is calling us to take note of: • captains of industry, masters of finance, generals of the battlefield who are completely moronic when it comes to the spiritual stewardship of their lives. • The reality that many so called ‘secular’ folks are so much sharper at the practical, entrepreneurial realities of life than those who understand the urgencies of this present moment: the sons of light. This manager realized his predicament. His stewardship is going to ‘fail’. So he needed to utilize present position and possessions to impact the future. Present urgency and shrewdness in light of future realities! Are you seeing the urgency of leveraging your present situation for the impact of future and eternal realities? Solid Truth #3: “I tell you – make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when if fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings” (v.9) Remember – the manager was being very shrewd in his dealings, given the cultural context. These debtors that he forgave such a great amount of debt would then be indebted to him. We can fully understand this – ingratiate people to you, so they will have to pay the favor back when you are in need. The spiritual parallel is clear – use your stuff for ‘eternal friendships’. There will be a day when all your stuff ‘runs out’ – it is gone, or useless, or meaningless. Will you have invested in an eternal reward awaiting you? Illustration: the pastor who spoke of two men in the same ICU room. One very wealthy, with all the wealth gone and all his possessions in a hospital bedroom drawer and no one present at his dying hour (and presumably no eternal reward awaiting him). The other, relatively poor, but surrounded by family, physical and spiritual, awaiting to usher him into his eternal dwellings.

2. Living as Sons of Light – Jesus’ Application: vv. 10-13 Jesus gives us two real direct applications of his parable in vv. 10-13. Let’s consider both of them in turn. The first directive is found in vv.10-12. Let’s look at what Jesus is telling us here.

Copyright © 2010 Erik Braun

www.fouroakschurch.com | 3

There is a very plain meaning to this application. If you are faithful in little, you can then be entrusted with more. It is a sort of plain reality in life and it has plain application in the spiritual realm. It is the way to climb the ladder of success. If you can’t bag groceries- then you can’t ring them up, stock them on the shelf, or anything else beyond the basics. And this plain truth is in effect in Christ’s Kingdom. Don’t tell me that you’ll be a good Elder if you can’t show up on time to do nursery. So, be a good steward of whatever God has put on your plate and then let God sovereignly and graciously provide and usher you to the next level of stewardship. But consider the way Jesus puts his words in this application of the parable. He says ‘one who is faithful in little will be faithful in much; one who is dishonest in little will be dishonest in much” v.10. Let’s see the way Jesus calls us to look at ‘mammon’ or possessions. In v. 11 he says, “if you have not been faithful in unrighteous wealth (material possessions) who will entrust you with the true riches”. Do you see how he turns the worldly view of riches, possessions upside down? He compares material possessions to ‘that which is least’ or ‘what is little’. What the world sees as so huge, so important, so valuable – Jesus calls it ‘the least’ or ‘what is little’ – it is nothing in comparison to the eternal realities at stake. But- the way you deal with these possessions is key to the realities of your heart and your attitudes. In this sense you can be a sinful and faithless NON TITHER and a sinful and faithless TITHER. Let me show you. If you are saying – this 10 % is so huge there is no way I can give that to the local church for the advancement of the kingdom. It is too much! It is too costly! You will be full of regret at the last day. You are not seeing things from God’s perspective. You are not being faithful. If you are saying- I gave 10% ! Look how important that is! Look how huge my gift is! Aren’t I holy? Aren’t I the bomb? You will be full of regret at the last day. You have treated what is really little as if it were great. And what is truly ‘great’? The nature of your heart. The transformed and repentant sinner who entrusts everything to Christ- who sees ALL as God’s—who doesn’t prize his gifts or commitments as significant in comparison to the greatness of the Good News and the sacrifice of Jesus. The second directive is as simple as the first. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and Mammon. “It is a delusion to think that you can own money- that is not an option. Either God owns you, including your money; or your money owns you. Those are your only choices.” “They say it is better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable. But couldn’t something be worked out- such as being moderately wealthy and just a little bit moody?” Story of Bishop Sadoleto visiting Geneva to get a glimpse of this John Calvin for himself. He came to a simple, modest home and couldn’t believe that the father of the continental reformation lived in such a place. He knocked on the door and Calvin himself opened the door, Copyright © 2010 Erik Braun

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no servants! At Calvin’s death Pope Pius IV said, ‘The strength of that heretic was that money was nothing to him.” We should have one master. And it is him we serve. If we have wealth it is a stewardship, a trust of the master, not ours. If we are poor, it is because the master has a design in it for us. If we have one master and it is to him we are devoted –then we can be owned by no other.

Conclusion: Are you a disciple or a Pharisee? As you hear these truths are you one who recognizes that you must submit as a steward to the gracious and loving master? Or, are you like the Pharisees of v.14 who ‘were lovers of money…and ridiculed him’. Do you see through the sham of this age, these possessions, this position- and recognize that apart from God these are fleeting and will fail? Or do you put your hope in them? Do you put your life in them, hoping they will pay off in the long run? God sent his Son to pay for the sins of you and me. God sent his Son to redeem your life, your stuff, your position for a greater glory. The Good News is this – you don’t have to trust in empty, vain, and temporal things. You can put your trust in Jesus Christ – the good master, the gracious Lord- the one who gives eternal meaning to all of life. Have you done that?

Copyright © 2010 Erik Braun

www.fouroakschurch.com | 5