Reference

Luke 16:8-14

The Stressed Out Steward pt. 2

Luke 16:8 (NLT), “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light.”

Luke 16:8b begins the application of the parable.

Pt. 1 - REVIEW

  1. God owns it all! I am His steward.
  2. God holds His stewards accountable.
  3. God praises wise (shrewd) stewardship.

• Jesus seems to saying that His people have so much light, that there is no reason why they should not come up with better plans to further Christ’s agenda and secure a better future for our families, for the church, and for eternity.

Luke 16:9 (NLT), “Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. 10 If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? 13 No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

  1. Money Do’s and Don’ts

DO – Use money as a tool to benefit others and populate heaven. DON’T – Put your trust in temporal things.

“Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.” - Luke 16:9 (NLT)

• Use your money to make spiritual, eternal friends that will welcome you when you get to heaven. • Who will meet you in heaven because of your eternal investment?

  1. Money Do’s and Don’ts

DO – Ask God to make you more trustworthy. DON’T – Ask God for more riches.

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?” - Luke 16:10-12 (NLT)

• Stewardship demands a triple-trust: 1. Trust in little things v10, 2. Trust with earthly things v11, and 3. Trust with other’s things, v12. • God is looking for people He can trust with more of His resources.
• Benjamin Keach, “If we are not faithful in the least, it may stop the hand of Christ from giving the greater things to us.”

“Don’t pray for more, pray God would find us trustworthy to handle more.”- Anthony Coppedge

  1. Money Do’s and Don’ts

DO – Love God and be generous. DON’T – Be enslaved to money.

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” - Luke 16:13 (NLT)

• It’s God or Greed… that’s the choice.
• Money is neutral. It is a tool for good or for evil. But when money is loved more than God, money becomes Mammon. It takes on a power, it acts like a demon, it can destroy your faith and your life. • 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” • When we are greedy, we open ourselves up to all kinds of evil. • When we love God and give like God, we become more like Christ and break the power of greed. “A strange species we are. We can stand anything God and nature can throw at us save only plenty. If I wanted to destroy a nation, I would give it too much and would have it on its knees, miserable, greedy and sick.” - John Steinbeck

Six Lessons from the Stressed Out Steward:

  1. God owns it all! I am His steward. v1
  2. God holds His stewards accountable. v2
  3. God praises wise (shrewd) stewardship plans. v4
  4. Use money as a tool to populate heaven. v9
  5. Ask God to make you more trustworthy. v11
  6. Love God and be generous. v13

CONCLUSION

Not only were the disciples in the audience, but also the Pharisees. The Pharisees were unfaithful stewards of God’s Word and God’s Son. Their God was greed!

Luke 16:14 (NLT), “The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. 15 Then he said to them, ‘You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.’”

Luke 12:15 (NLT), “Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”