Created For Significance pt 5
Created For Significance • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewYou were created for eternal significance! You were created to do... to be... more than you are right now! But... How do we step into that calling? Jesus gives us the answer in Luke 16. Our time... Our talents... Our wealth... is meant to be used to create eternal significance... Let's walk together in discovering what that means....
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever been teaching a group of people something, and as you reach the conclusion, you realize that there is another group in the room, and this is an opportunity for you to teach them something as well?
I do that… I’ll be teaching, or discussing something with a person, and realize that there is a lesson for someone else who is there, and can’t help but take the opportunity — the “teaching moment”— to share with them…
This is what is happening with Jesus in Luke 16!!!
We have spent the last 5 weeks looking at Jesus’s teaching the “highly trained”, “highly confident”, and “Highly Religious” group of people who have surrounded Him…
It began at a party, and continues to this moment!
Jesus has spoken about who to invite to the party… and how to act at the party…
He’s faced criticism from the Pharisees over teaching “sinners”… Which sparked a response of three back-to-back parables about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son!
It has been an amazing moment, amen!!!
But, Jesus isn’t done… Look at Luke 16.
Jesus has just finished telling the third parable to the Pharisees, and He realizes… “There’s another group of people here… Another group listening… Another group that needs to hear Truth!”
So… (I love this!!!!)
Without missing a beat! Without even stopping to take a breath… and without explaining any of the parables… Jesus turns to them!!!
Luke 16:1-13, let’s read it together… (If you have your Bibles, or Bible app… read this with me, because we NEED to hear this!)
1 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property.
2 So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’
3 Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
4 I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’
5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’
7 Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’
8 And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.
9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
10 “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.
11 If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
I have to confess… This is one of those passages that I have ALWAYS struggled with.
It seems controversial… It seems to contradict other teachings in Scripture, even from what He just taught…
When we think of the word “shrewd”, we think of someone who is harsh… cruel maybe… at least, someone who would manipulate us for their own personal benefit…
It seems like Jesus is telling us to handle our money — our finances — like the world does, but… Does that “Jive” with the rest of scripture?
NO!!!
It doesn’t even fit with verse 13!
13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
So… What is Jesus trying to tell them? And us?!?!
That’s what we are going to discover today…
Let me remind you: “You were created for significance! You were created for so much more than you are right now! You were created to impact eternity!”
And this passage tells us how!
This passage has confounded logical, rational, Western Biblical Scholars for years! Why would Jesus — God if you will — praise someone who seems to be exercising unethical business practices?!?
Doesn’t scripture condemn that?! I mean, didn’t even Jesus’s words at the party, and the parables He just told say that?!
These are the questions that have led to a multitude of theories about what Jesus was trying to teach here…
I think that as we break this down today, you are going to find a whole new understanding of this parable....
Again, we are going to break this down in four scenes so that we can “hear” what Jesus is trying to teach…
Scene one: The Master’s Office.
1 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property.
2 So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’
There are 3 characters presented in this story:
The Master. He’s a wealthy landowner… Jesus calls him “a rich man”… It’s obvious that the people in the land respect him deeply, because they take the time to tell him that his property manager is cheating him… Luke 16:1
1 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property.
Now… the verb-tense of the accusation means that this has been, and is continuing to go on… It wasn’t a one-time misuse of the master’s property…
So, the master calls him to his office and asks the manager about it…
2 So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’
I want you to notice something.... How did the master address the manager? How did he talk to him?
Calmly. He spoke to him calmly and graciously. He didn’t yell… He didn’t berate him… He didn’t threaten him… He didn’t even scold him!
He could have done all that! (Any of us would have!) He could have demanded repayment… or worse… He could have put the manager in jail!
But he doesn’t! He doesn’t “brow-beat” him about the finances… He simple tells him “You’re fired.” Calm, cool, collected… no drama, no anger… just a simple termination…
That’s impressive, amen?
How would you describe the master? (Gracious - Merciful)
2. The Manager. He’s the master’s agent… the middle-man… the property manager.... He’s the man who makes the decisions… who takes care of all the master’s property and assets…
The Greek word here is oikonomos it means “manager of the household”
That’s who he was… He’s an educated man… He’s probably spent his life working with people, contracts, and records… He’s an experienced negotiator… He’s been hired to administer the land for the master.
His job was to negotiate the contracts between the master, and the common people who worked the land.
Here’s an example of how this worked:
In the 1500’s, the Ottoman Turks conquered the area and divided the land amongst themselves… Then they “rented” the land back to the people in exchange for a percentage of the crops.
The people hated the landowners, first of all, because it was their land… But these guys were exploiting them… They bled them dry… taking the vast majority of what they grew, and leaving them very little…
Even worse, they didn’t even live there! They were absentee landlords, who didn’t even care about local affairs!
The local managers would take the master’s portion, and then take more for their own personal gain!
Kenneth Bailey lived and studied in the area for 15 years, here’s what he says:
“The Turkish landowner… is vividly remembered as corrupt, ruthless, and indifferent to any suffering his steward might cause his renters. [BUT] this scene is quite different from the one in the parable… Someone cares enough about the welfare of the master to report the actions of the dishonest steward. The master is clearly a part of the community. The wealthy, distant, foreign, ruthless landowner is unknown in this parable.”
Are you getting a bigger idea of who the Master really is?
3. The People. They aren’t present physically, but Jesus includes them… They are the renters… the farmers… the sharecroppers…
They are the ones who have to renegotiate the rent with the manager every year… They exchange the right to farm a certain amount of land, for a share of the crop with the master…
They’ve blown the whistle…
That’s the “set-up” for the action… The entire action takes place in two sentences…
2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
The master calls the manager in, and asks, “What’s this I’m hearing about you?”
— He doesn’t tell the manager what he knows… He chooses his words carefully… He doesn’t say, “I hear you’ve been cheating me...”
— No! He wants to know everything the man has done… He gives him an opportunity to confess… so he says, “What’s this I hear about you?”
Everyone hearing the story expects an answer, amen? We would expect it, right?!
What does he get? Silence.
The manager doesn’t say a word…
— He doesn’t know how much the master knows, so he stays quiet…
Then…
2. “You can no longer be manager.”
Translation: “You’re done. You’re fired. You’re gone. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out...”
We would expect a response at this point, right? A defense… A claim of ignorance… Blame casting… Something?!
But what do we get? Silence.
Silence is significant here… It’s like the manager is admitting:
“I’m guilty.”
“The master knows I’m guilty.”
“He expects obedience; disobedience brings judgment.”
“Excuses are not going to get my job back.”
But… This shrewd manager doesn’t dwell on saving his job… He sets his eyes on the future…
He knows he can’t get his job back… He knows he’s unemployed… As he leaves the master’s office, he thinks to himself, “What do I do now?”
“The Law requires that I pay for any loss that I am responsible for… and I have been cheating Him!”
“But… He didn’t ask for repayment. He didn’t even scold me! He could have thrown me in prison, but … He just… released… me…”
“He was merciful.”
Are you seeing what he saw?
Scene Two: Getting the books.
The master said:
Luke 16:2 (NRSV)
2 So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’
What does that mean?
— “Get the books.”
Now… In Middle Eastern culture (just like here), when a person is fired, they’re fired “on the spot.” There is no severance pay… no sixty days notice… This guy was terminated!
He is now powerless… friendless… and jobless… The only thing left for him to do is turn in the books.
So on his way to his office, his mind is turning… He needs a plan…
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—
His thinking goes like this: “I’ve been manipulating the master’s money for years… Everyone knows that. I’m too weak to do manual labor, and to proud to beg… so, what do I do?”
His problem: “Who will hire me?”
His answer: “No one.”
They all know his reputation… Nobody likes him… Nobody trusts him… There’s no way anyone will hire him in his current state of popularity…
What will he do?
Look at Luke 16:4
4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
He comes up with a plan…
Let me tell you, the plan he hatches is not based in his reputation… it is based 100% on the master’s reputation.
His solution? Trust the Master’s mercy!
I mean, after all, this man was so kind that he didn’t even reprimand the manager… He didn’t demand repayment… He didn’t make a fuss!
He was merciful!
He was generous!
So, he says, “I know what I’ll do… I’ll stake my entire future on the master’s reputation!”
Scene three: The Books.
This plan has everything to do with the master, and nothing to do with the manager… If not, it wouldn’t work!
But… He has to move fast! His future depends on changing the people’s perception of him…
He has to change their minds, and he has to do it before they find out he’s been fired…
Everything is based on two assumptions:
The belief that the manager still has authority.
They must believe that the master has approved this debt reduction.
So… as soon as he gets to his office, he gets to work. He grabs a servant and commands, “Summon all my master’s debtors.”
5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’
7 Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’
The actual monetary value reduced of both of these debts is the same: 500 denarii.
Some scholars say that this was actually just the amount of “extra” the manager was collecting for himself… and that he was just reducing it back to what the master was already getting…
It might have been, but the significance is in this… That amount was equal to a full years wages!
It might have been insignificant to the master, but it was huge for the people!
Regardless, the manager was “betting the farm”… He was risking everything on what he knew about the master!
If he is wrong… then it’s definitely “off to prison!”
You see… reducing debt was not unheard of, but it was NEVER initiated by the landlord…
That’s why this still seems so scandalous!
How do you think the villagers felt?
Amazing, right?!!
Think about it… You just bought a car and a few days later, you bump into your salesman… He asks you, “Did you get the check?”
“What check?”
“The check from the dealership. I convinced the owner to give you $5000 back, no reason, I’m just a good guy like that...”
Who just became your best friend?!?
That’s what the manager did!
Then, he takes the books and heads back to the master’s office…
Scene Four: back in the master’s office.
This is where everything becomes clear…
When the manager reaches the master’s office, the ink is still wet on the contracts…
The master can see what happened… He can hear it!
It’s already all over the streets! The people are partying in the name of the master… He can hear the “Hip hip horrahs!”
Never before in history has there been a man as wonderful… as kind… as generous… as deserving os loyalty and praise as the master!
He’s done something that no one else has ever done!
Are you catching the significance?
The master now has a choice… He can either honor the contracts… or he can tell them what the manager did…
But… If he tells them they are still liable, his name goes from “Wonderful” to “Mud” in a matter of seconds…
So, what does he do?
8 And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.
Do you see what happened?
Middle Easterners today still tell the story of the convicted murderer who demanded to see the Sultan.
Upon being granted an audience, he fell at the Sultan’s feet and cried out, “O’ most gracious Sultan, my sins are great, but the mercy of the Sultan is greater.”
He was released.
In a modern version of the same tale, the wife of a convicted spy who had been arrested by the Jordanian government, threw herself in front of the King Hussein’s car…
She didn’t plead for her husband’s innocence, but for the King’s mercy.
The Jordanian King knew how a noble king was supposed to act, and the spy was released…
No American President would do that, amen?
1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
Middle Easterners believe that.
Do you see how this story “nets out”?
It’s about a master who is generous and merciful. Sound familiar?
It’s about a man who has assets that are at his disposal for a short time. He doesn’t control his own destiny, AND HE KNOWS IT!!!
His life is completely in the master’s hands.
The question is: What will he do? Will he squander what he has, or will he use it for the master’s benefit?
Jesus is saying, “The shrewd move is to trust in the master!”
The shrewd move is to “bet the farm” on His generosity and mercy.
“What are you going to do with your one and only life, that will last for eternity?”
You were created for eternal significance.
This parable is about how we step into that…
What are you going to do with the one asset you have?
9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
Translation: “You only have one life. Use it to enhance your future. Use it to build friendships with people that will last for eternity.”
9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
Church… That verse will change your life!
I can’t help but think what would happen if we began building this church around that verse: “use your worldly wealth to gain friends for eternity, so that when its gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”
— That doesn’t mean that we “bribe” people into the Kingdom… It means that we use the resources that God has given us… We use our time, our talents, and our wealth… everything in our ability to care for others… in the hopes that some of them will come to know Christ!
10 “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.
11 If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
We like to separate this, but it is part of the same story…
Our time, Our talents, Our finances… MUST be completely entrusted to God!
We cannot pursue our own worldly financial future… our own personal “nest egg”… our “fall back”… and pursue God at the same time!
Look at verse 10-13 again…
10 “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.
11 If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
What do you want entrusted to you?
The better we invest in the kingdom, the more will be entrusted to us!
Look at verse 13…
Let me ask you: “Can you invest your life in two places at once?”
The answer is NO!!!! You cannot serve two masters!
Let me tell you… I’ve been praying about something personal… Something I’m struggling with.... And God has given me the answer…
We cannot serve ourselves and serve Him!
When we are trying to serve our “plan B”… When we’re trying to build our “back up plan”… We cannot serve God too!
We will literally hate one or the other!
And we will be miserable in the process....
We MUST choose!
That is Jesus’s point…
We must give ALL that we have… ALL of our time.... ALL of our wealth… ALL of our abilities to the purposes of the master!
33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Just like the shrewd manager learned, we must entrust our future to the One who promises that future…
This is a tough lesson! Most of us… If we’re honest… Have to admit that when we hear a message like this we think, “NO! That’s not what God wants! I give my tithe… That’s enough! That’s me doing my part… That’s me serving the kingdom....”
Honestly, that’s why so many people will tell you that the Church is just after our money…
But this is straight from scripture… Not ME!
I want you to hear this....
God wants us to trust Him, not just with the tithe, but with ALL of our finances… ALL of our skills and abilities… ALL of our time…
Church this is the ONLY area where God makes us a promise!
10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.
We cannot out give God!!!
A couple of weeks ago, I challenged you to begin praying a very simple prayer… (prayer card)
“God, I don’t ask you for much today. I just ask that you give me your heart for lost people.”
I want to challenge you to pray one more thing this week…
“How do You want me to invest my one and only life?”
Listen, this is critical… Then, shut up and listen!
Let God speak to you.
Then, when God answers you… When you’ve heard from Him… Call me and share…
I want to pray with you about it… I want to stand beside you … to support you…
Now… We are almost done this morning… In just a few minutes, we are going to go through those doors, and back into the chaotic world around us…
But right now, we are here… We are in God’s presence… Let’s take just a few minutes to talk to Him about what we are feeling… about what we’ve heard… about His plan for us....
Father, We are here for You… We need to hear from You… Surround us with Your Spirit… Turn Your ear to us… Lord, speak to our hearts this morning and share with us what You want us to do…
Take a moment to talk with Him....
(prayer)
Father, many of us in this room this morning are struggling… We have many concerns… many worries… many needs… We are wondering where You are in all this…
Some of us are wondering, Are you truly generous and merciful? Can I trust You?
Father, will You speak to our heats today? Will You give us comfort? Peace? Direction?
Some of us are struggling with letting go… With letting You have it ALL… Do we dare to serve You, instead of chasing our own plans? Do we dare to give it all to you… to let you have it… to trust that You will take care of us?
Lord, We’ve heard your answer today… We’ve read the story… We have heard your call to invest our one and only lives into Your kingdom…
Lord, speak to us about what that looks like…
Father, thank you for the reminder of Your generosity and mercy… Thank you for Your patience with us…
Father, I pray that as the week goes on… You will speak clearly to Your people about what You would have us do. And then, Give us the Strength, the Faith, the Willingness to do it, no matter how difficult it is…
Amen.