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September 7, 2003 |
"The Joy of Giving" Series |
Pastor Brian Shimer
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"THE JOY OF GIVING -- AS A STEWARD"
Luke 16: 1-15
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Rich Kennedy just retired from teaching English at Wilsonville High School in June. In his last year of teaching he gave an assignment that had his 20 seniors exiting his room hooting and hollering. One Student, Greg West, said: "I was like: this is a joke". What Kennedy had done was hand out envelopes. In each envelope there was a $50 bill and a note asking the receiver to use the money to "do something good" and then to report about their experience in an essay that was due three weeks later.
These students became stewards of his money by the assignment.
They had various reactions. One student took the money and never returned to class. Three wasted the money and "came clean" in their essays, another returned the money thanking Kennedy for his generosity but said he "didn't feel right taking it." But the majority discovered joy -- they used the money as gifts to charities, as a means to bless an impoverished friend with a special event, as a way to do random acts of kindness. For many it was the first time they had given $50 to any cause. One student wrote: "This is by far the best assignment I have gotten in my four years at Wilsonville High School… it really made me think."
(by Aimee Green, the Oregonian, June 6, 2003)
And stewardship makes us think as well. For like these students we will need to give account for what we have done with all that we have been given. Only we will not be writing an essay for Rich Kennedy, we will be conversing with Almighty God.
From the very beginning of the parable, Jesus lets us know the
steward in this story was wasting the master's possessions. He was "squandering" them. It is the word used of the younger son in the previous chapter where it says "he squandered his wealth in wild living." Another meaning is to scatter something about-- perhaps for this steward, it meant to scatter the master's wealth into his own pockets!
In using the same term as he used in the previous parable, Jesus connects the younger son to this manager or steward in our story. Both come to the end of their resources: the younger son because of his wild living, this rascal because he got caught in his deceit.
The previous parable ends with the lost son returning home to the resources and love of His father. This parable, however, ends quite differently.
The rich man calls his manager into his office: "You're fired!" he tells the man, "Give me an accounting of all you have been doing!" He was asking for his essay!
The Manager is a bit panicked by getting caught. He says to himself:
"What shall I do? I am too weak to do manual labor and too ashamed to beg." Then he comes upon an idea.
He calls in those owing his master money, lowers their bills by various percentages up to as much as half and sends them away. We are not told that they paid at that point in time, but we do notice two things about them: They are just as dishonest as this manager -- they do not mind lowering their bills; and apparently, they are happy to deceive the landowner, from whom they most likely rented land. It was common practice for a large landowner to rent out parts of his estate, and also common that rent would be paid in produce from that acreage.
The surprise comes at the end when this landowner, the master, commends this dishonest rascal's actions, because "He had acted shrewdly," he knew how to look after himself. Jesus says to those who are not crooked like this manager: "I want you to be smart in the same way-- but for what is right." You look at verse 9 and see that how we use worldly wealth, has eternal results. And he goes on to explain this more. So his single message?
Take Heed! You are also a Steward! You may not have been given a $50 bill in an envelope, and you may not have a rich man breathing down your neck, but you are called to be wise and faithful with what you have.
Listen to Jesus (verse 10): "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." Our manager falls into the second category!
And then hear verses 11 and 12. God is looking for stewards who prove faithful -- trustworthy, the text says -- with what they have been given. God owns everything on earth. Everything -- what do you have? (have them shout out….) ** cash, purses, clothes, homes, cars, boats, property, trees, bodies. We may call these "ours" but actually it is all God's, we are just stewards. God is the owner and he has said to you and to me: "Child, manage this money and property while you live on earth."
Then after this life, we will be given what Jesus calls true riches and property that is our own, forever!
The steward in the story was UNFAITHFUL to that calling as he squandered his master's wealth. He had a rival master and that master was his love for money. Jesus says "You cannot 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."
The religious leaders in Jesus' day, the Pharisees, were unjust stewards like this deceitful manager. They pretended to serve God as their master, but were enslaved to money. "They loved money" it says in verse 14 and therefore sneer at Jesus. So Jesus tells them: "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight" (Luke 16:15). Do you see this statement illustrated in the parable? The debtors and the master are thrilled with the steward's actions -- would God be pleased?
So, is the love of money encroaching upon your heart? How can you know?
Scripture gives us three questions we can ask to find out. Ask yourselves:
1. Am I eager for money -- do I want more and more?
(Do I frequently buy a lottery ticket?)
This comes from 1 Timothy 6:10. This was true of the steward and the Pharisees in this passage-- they were eager for wealth.
2. Am I holding onto lots of stuff? Do my belongings give me my identity? In Matthew 6:19 and following, Jesus warns us against storing up things on earth that can waste away. This question seeks to find what grabs our attention. "Whatever has your attention has you," an evangelist used to say. If my heart is concerned with all my stuff, it is not thinking about serving God.
Am I eager for Money? Am I holding onto lots of stuff?
These two questions tie into our first two cultural myths on the handout:
Our culture believes and propagates "Things bring happiness"
And we tend to fall into this belief too. This is spread about in the market place. The mission of good business is to create dissatisfied consumers confronting us with daily messages to eat me, buy me, wear me, drive me and you will find happiness. Yet, in our nation, we have more things than other nations, yet we are not happier because of the things. Our rates of divorce, depression, crime and imprisonment are among the highest in the world.
The other cultural myth is the second listed on your sheet, that debt is expected and unavoidable. We rationalize our need for more stuff, because everyone is in debt anyway. Debt is expected. But is it really unavoidable? How many credit card applications to you receive every week? Each with their own gimmick! Get cash back! Get free miles! Get points to buy more stuff!
Ask our older members of the congregation, and they will tell you slow down. You don't need everything you think you need. "I did without this or that for a long, long time," they'll say. Debt is expected in our culture, but it is avoidable.
Finally the last question:
3. Do I believe I don't have enough money?
Ecclesiastes 5:10 says: "Whoever loves money never has money
enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income."
Have you ever thought that? If I only had… this much more? Here is an area from which I have often repented.
The third cultural myth falls in this place. One study was done which interviewed people in income brackets between 20K and 250K per year and asked what it would take to make ends meet. Everyone one of them said "I need just about 10% more…"
What is the real need? Do we need more? Hardly, scripture says that is a sure sign we are struggling with a love of money.
Instead, we simply need to learn to live within the parameters God has given us, to spend beneath our incomes.
How about you? Did you answer yes to any of the questions? Have any of these tripped you up before? Take a moment and share with a neighbor to which one you have fallen prey.
(share)
We are pulled between faithfulness and foolishness,
Between serving God or serving money.
This parable calls us to follow after God -- wisely, shrewdly, with our all in order to experience the joy of giving.
If there is something hindering your ability to follow God, then as we move to confession use that time to lift it up to God as you have shared it with one another.
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THE JOY OF GIVING... AS A STEWARD
Luke 16:1-15
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| I. |
A parable has one message - a single focus.
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| This one is no exception. Can you summarize that message?
In this parable how is the manager being dishonest?
Why is the master impressed with his actions?
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| II. |
The manager, or steward, in this parable had fallen prey to what problem?
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A. Is it possible to serve two masters? Jesus says no, several times. First here in Luke 16:1-15 and also Matthew 6: 11-34.
Tell your neighbor: When have you fallen prey to such concerns?
B. What are some cultural beliefs about money?
1. Things bring ______________ True?
2. Debt is ______________ & ________________
True?
3. If I just had ___% more, I could make ends meet...
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| III. |
What does Jesus suggest here?
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