Gracepointe Church (Dover, OH)
Gracepointe Church (Dover, OH)
Lessons from a dishonest manager
-
Good morning. There are a lot of people here this morning what you're learning on the top. So it's been a long time since we've been here and I know it's been a few weeks, but it's been a long time. I have a good feeling. But that's my question is how are you all doing? It's been a long time. It's been a long time.
Speaker 1:I know a lot of us saw each other in the last meeting to inquire if we could place other winners. We also discussed how to put a plan in place, to set a plan in place to put John in the required position, which I'm tired to do and I know I would be very interested in that. I don't want that to be a small story, but I think it would be a good way to draw on that. So I haven't had one in so long. I used one or two Christmas trees and then we rocked it up and it was all kind of very, very nice and that's where we had to be in the background and that's all. That's all. I don't know what else is going on. I don't think anything else is going on. Please place your hands, thank you.
Speaker 2:Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. All thank you. A work trip, of course we did in August, so we're really excited to do this now. On the screen here you can see an invitation to a presentation on staying with your fellow. He was in the Corps for four years but an idol had a big envelope underneath it, one of the two lines. So this is very near Isla's heart for a lot of you, for a lot of you know, but these can be very open to 6 and 7. And it's going to be a presentation or four of his role-playing pictures.
Speaker 2:Isla has a whole. So each year I mean this is our Friday evening, saturday the 4th and the 12th, and it's probably the continuation of Saturday morning, but it's probably the evening. So if you're coming to this one, you have to go back to this house and they need to go. They need to go. I don't know what his name is right now, but he did a lot of writing in Israel and I'm pretty sure that he's a member of the United States, so I believe he's a. He does a lot of education yeah, I'm learning to understand what his experience is I've been a bully in Israel for the last four years and also of learning history from Africa and he makes people with experiences from listening online, but he really is an avid speaker of speech and learning and I love his work.
Speaker 1:So Stan actually was born in South Africa, so he's like little house as well. But he has a lot of knowledge from his journalism experience and he was a journalist as well, so he's got a lot of knowledge and understanding for the church.
Speaker 2:Thank you. The music team has 16 spots for the double flyers. That is the age of 12.
Speaker 1:And I've practiced with a very young group of people who are very, very good at music.
Speaker 1:So we've had to make the flow travel really light up, seeing that some of us are still in college, but to have to sort of run the fire in the back. But you know all of that. All right, I'll just read out. The new husbands here in the world we are planning to have a new headhunter next Sunday. We're going to have a new headhunter. We're going to have a meeting at the next Sunday. We are going to have a meeting at this Sunday. We are going to have a meeting at this Sunday. We are going to have a meeting at this Sunday. We are going to have a meeting at this Sunday. Also, we are planning to study in the members class in July. We have a request for the members' class and we are going to use the four classes. We are going to put this out there and we're going to go with two classes instead of four classes. So if Victor and somebody who has been coming for a while and would like to join the members' class, we would love to ask them to come and we would love to have the community members' pastors that are on this pastor's note and we will have that with you as well. The only study, the main study, is the first Sunday of July, but that can't be changed. It's a very, very good study. And then also next Sunday evening, the 8th of April, we'll be presenting the class of Athletes' the History of the Army. I believe this is hosted by the West Country and not by the Kona, but we all invite you to take a look at it as well and I hope you're able to watch it so it gets to the top.
Speaker 1:I did notice that one of the members had not in this formula, but she did not do the last one. She did not do the last one, she did not send it back, so it could be some mostly post-tax messages to the world. She did not have to do that, so she does do some. All right, I think that's all I have as far as announcements. Maybe that's a transition interview. With some of this, let's run into what's situated down at the bottom All the flesh on me, spirit of the living God, all the flesh on me Melting only on me, melody, only fill me. You speak. Spirit of the living I on the and the living God, all the flesh on the earth.
Speaker 1:The study of several parables that we've been looking at and some of the less. This morning I'd like to look at a parable that I have often looked at as probably one of the more confusing parables. I've wondered what exactly is a meaningless parable, and you could almost call it a little bit of a strange parable, strange interaction. I like to look at the parable of the Texas Broker of Luke 16, 1 through 3, and this morning we had four people here that I also encourage at Girlfriends.
Speaker 1:We have my daughter, kate. She's an accountant, she spends the money at Girlfriends, she spends the most money at Girlfriends, she pays the bills. And we have John. He is manager of all the sectors for the structures department. We have Mike who is in charge of production at Golden Green Steel and we have Conrad who is in charge of the office and also of the customer service. But this honest manager I have never had to. Fortunately, I have never had to have the conversation that we're going to read about this morning. I think I had to have that with a few other people who are going to be here this morning that were here last June to each other to people who are in the same period of time that we are Now.
Speaker 1:Kate, I have not recently checked with that guy to see if he's developing any response. Right now I haven't checked the result. I trust and have the full confidence that she's not. She is not in charge of many, many people, but her job is probably one of the most important things and that is making sure that those are all safe and honest in that way. The other three Robert, john and Mike they are all in charge of specific duties and they all want to be there and you might not want to be there all at the same time and you might not like the role of being a homemaker.
Speaker 1:As I studied this prayer for this morning, there was a lot of thoughts going through my mind of putting myself in the shoes of this family and also putting myself in the shoes of that Jesus called his master. So this morning, as we read through this parable and when it comes to the end of the sermon this morning, I'd like to give us a couple of points for all of us. And actually, what would Jesus do by sharing this parable, using a dishonest hand to bring out a point that does all of us a debt. I hope you can agree to that point. As we proceed on to this parable, a little bit of common context of leading up to this parable. So when we're receiving three parables, jesus is talking about a loss that has to come.
Speaker 1:In chapter 15, we actually have a few parables. We have the parable of the lost sheep, we have the parable of the lost horse and then, lastly, we have that very committed par political which we know by the title of the Bible, the parable of the son that, as one of his inheritance, he left home wasted. All came back, was received by his father, had a mad brother because of the commotion that was behind the scenes of the loss of his father. But chapter 15 ends like this it was fitting to celebrate that he who had a desperate brother, was dead and he was alive. He was lost and was found.
Speaker 1:And then the first words of chapter 16 are this he also said to his disciples now I'd like to pose a question who was the crowd that Jesus was talking to in chapter 15 leading up to 16? So in chapter 15, at the beginning of chapter 15, luke says this Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawn near to him and the Pharisees and the scribes were run away. So we see that he has an audience of the disciples. He has an audience of the tax collectors, of these people that he labels as sinners and then also Pharisees, I believe in chapter 15, I would like to say that the disciples were kind of the wrong person again. But then in chapter 16, he directly addresses the disciples and kind of has a point flip to where the Pharisees are now listening in as he's addressing the disciples.
Speaker 1:But one thing that I'd really like to point out is in this 14th chapter 16, this is the first record after the parable of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what Luke says the Pharisees, who were the lovers of money. The Pharisees were lovers of money. I'm hoping hearing our quote down right on the Pharisees, I'm not going to ask a great fan, but I do ask the question how many of us are also a believer? I'm afraid I will have to. A few months ago somebody challenged me with a question that was very bothering. I was going to do this, but it was just a little bit of a cycle. Nothing to do with the text, but in asking or in looking at this and seeing that Luke specifically says what this is. We want to be able to learn it.
Speaker 1:The question that was asked to me was if you would have to give up one of these four, what would you give up? Power, prestige, pleasure or money? Which would be the hardest thing to give up? Which would be the easiest thing to give up? Power, controlling things, pleasure it would be easiest to not get out of power and control things. Pleasure, lacking that. Pleasure. Prestige, lacking what you're known for. And then just being kind, because you and I must resolve to be the one I love the most. I love people. Is that it's been quite a few years. I don't know if you can hear me, I like money. Money allows us to do a lot of things. And if there's really a question that I really had to sit down and try to write about, so this morning, as we go through the parable of the dishonest man, it asks you to go out and make possessions, but it also asks you to partake in life. And when I read that verse right after the parable, how the parable says it all in one moment, it really comes to my mind that where am I? Where am I with possessions? Where am I with possessions? Where am I with managing what God is giving me? So with those thoughts, that's how I came to the parable.
Speaker 1:One thing I would like to say here is the first three parables in chapter 15,. The parable in chapter 16 is not about that. What is God calling the found to do after they've been found? What is God calling the found to do after they've been found? This morning, for us, coming to Christ is only the beginning. Coming to Christ and receiving Him as our Lord and Savior is not now. We're done now. It's done now. I have a question. Now I'm ready to go. It is only the beginning of the kingdom of God. It is only the beginning. Now we need to become a manager of God's possessions. So let's keep that in mind as we go through this prayer.
Speaker 1:Four thoughts to keep in mind before I leave the parable. First, again, I want to mention the parable song we're listening to on April of the money. The second thought to keep in mind is that Jesus seems to praise a dishonest man. Jesus seems to praise a dishonest man. Jesus seems to praise a dishonest man. Number three why would Jesus use a shared character to bring that into play? Why would Jesus use a shared character to bring out an example? And number four to keep in mind is Jesus is not praising dishonesty, but highlighting wisdom and foresight in handling resources, with our eternal future in mind. Again, jesus is not praising dishonesty, as we read this parable, but he is highlighting the shrewdness or the wisdom and foresight in handling resources. We are the class of God. We are the class of God. We are the class of God. We are the class of God. Amen. So that's what he said. Luke 16, 1-13. Jesus, luke speaking about Jesus.
Speaker 1:He also said to the disciples and here are Jesus' words there was a rich man who had a man and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called them and said to them what is this that I hear about? You Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager. And the manager said to himself what shall I do? Since my master is taking my management away from me, I am not strong enough to take it and I am ashamed to pay. I have decided what to do so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses. So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first how much do you owe my master? He said A hundred measures of oil. He said to him Take your bill and sit down quickly and write it. Then he said to another how much do you owe? He said A hundred measures of wheat. He said to him Take your bill and write eighty.
Speaker 1:A master can never give this office manager what he should, for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you again, jesus speaking, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that, when it fails, they may receive you in your need of allowance. One who is faithful in their world is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in their world is also dishonest in much. If, then, you have not been faithful in the unrighteous will, who will entrust you your true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is in others, who will entrust to you true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant will serve two masters, for neither he will give to one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God. Amen, that's right. I want to explain this to you. Look at the wisdom of Jesus. I ask the Father, you cannot serve God and you cannot do the best for him. I want to explain to you. As we look at the wither of Jesus and the creed of the United States, we can see a few things that are as old as the old years do the early 90s, and the early 90s I want to talk about is the crisis of this moment. So we know that he was accused of mismanagement and, in plain words, he was allowed to get fired. He was allowed to get fired. He was about to get fired.
Speaker 1:It's interesting to note that this accusation was brought by someone else. It says there was a rich man and a man who had a manager and charges were brought against them. So obviously this manager was being observed by his fellow co-workers, or it could have been. I don't know who it was. It doesn't say inside of the video, but by imagination they probably thought it was one of the co-workers. Maybe they were jealous co-workers, or maybe there was people that were just simply looking out for his master and holding their phone with their car door. I don't know who that is, but it's interesting that these charges were brought to the master.
Speaker 1:Now the next question. That begs the question so where was the master? Was he not a therapist? Was he not in business? Was he not in? Did he not have a relationship with his manager? Honestly, not a strong relationship with him, but this was brought to him before he realized anything was happening. Then he called him and gave the accusation. I'm not going to raise my hands. I'm not going to raise my hands. I'm not going to raise my hands.
Speaker 1:How many of you have ever been called into your name's box. I do know that that's not what it did, unfortunately. I've been on the other end of the way. I've had to call some of those meetings and one thing that I always try to do is, if it's a meeting that's going to be more of a negative consequence, I usually don't call those meetings, except maybe at the most 30 minutes before the meeting. Because when I go to an employee and ask them if they can stop in my office in 30 minutes, the next 30 minutes, if you don't give any hints on what it's going to be about, that's a clue that you're thinking about what it's going to be about. So I can imagine this is what was going to do this man in the client when the master either came out or turned in to text me somehow. Let him know that I need you in my office because we have something to talk about.
Speaker 1:So the master launches in and just says what is this that I hear about you? And he doesn't even ask many questions. It's not part of any press question recording. Remember this is not a food happening. This is a parable. This is a teaching going on in the temple. I am fascinated by the language that Jesus used in his parables, and I know Jesus was blind, but he was acting on his humanity here. So Jesus must have had an imagination that he could do that by just coming up with these parables like that and the language he and just the yeah, the language that was used to formulate the stories.
Speaker 1:It is very interesting that the master doesn't ask any questions. He just says well, he does ask one of the questions that I heard about and he says turn into the account of your manager, where you can no longer be manager. It is not recorded that the manager has any space to even try to convince his master that it is not so. But it is very interesting that it appears like the manager knew Mr Christopher was Either that or he was totally unaware of what was going on. One of the two. There doesn't seem to be a middle line here. It seems that because of his guilt, he is immediately ready to not defend himself but come up with a plan for his next stage of life. So it seems he's accepting that he's worried about it. So he's not even worried about trying to defend himself, but he's just going to play with everybody next. So he has to go down.
Speaker 1:All of us are accountable to someone. I don't care what your position is in your job or what your position is in life. All of us are accountable to someone. Yes, we're accountable to our families. We're accountable to God, if you're an employee of any rank, from God to someone.
Speaker 1:Someday, all of us will stand in front of the master and will be asked the question what have you done to your life? What is my answer this morning, as we look at what I'm going to call possessions or being stupid with God's resources, yes, money is the first thing that comes to mind, but it's a lot of money. What am I doing with my money? What am I doing with my money? What am I doing with my time? What am I doing with the palace I got to see? And what am I doing with my people? All of us, at some capacity, are involved with those four things Time, money, influence and love that the Lord is with you. The question of what am I doing with these things seems like a heavy question. I like to flip it on its head and encourage all of us that, with the money, the time, the talents and the influence that God's given to all of us, this is a golden opportunity to find the fulfillment in life that God has given to all of us. This is a golden opportunity to find a better life with what God has given us.
Speaker 1:Too often, when I think of being held accountable with the resources that God has given me. I look at it from a negative perspective and really keep myself open-headed by not doing the same thing, but I'd like to phase it, or I'd like to throw it out as the positive of everything that God has given me. We have so much opportunity to make a quest of what God has given us and not look at it as why are we doing wrong, but also look at it as how are we using those to promote God's goodness? Why are we doing wrong? Why are we using those to promote God's goodness? Why are we using them? Why are we using them? Everything we do can be filled with the need and eternal goodness. We don't have to live in a meaningless life. God has given us the right, and certainly God has given us the right to serve the God of the world.
Speaker 1:In this moment, take what he has given you and love the Father. And love the Father. Romans 14, 9-12. For to this end in Christ, for to this end Christ died, a virgin dead that he might be both born dead and alive. Why do you pass judgment on your brother or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, as I said, says the Lord every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God, so that each of us will get an account from God, so that each of us would have a panel coming inside to speak to God. This morning, as we do your teaching, I want to do a heart and heart study on the God-given spirit of communion. So that was a menace crisis. It was called imperative to not do well in the job at the new assembly.
Speaker 1:Now let's look at the man who was in the bus In the years where the federalists were a little bit in the coming up. Maybe he noticed. So the man who knew he was guilty. He approved of that, but he did not try to defend himself. He is guilt-polling with action. Our current society lives as if there is one who can know that we're guilty? We find that we are and know that. We're going to do that and we're trying to do that. If we look at our current society today, if we go out on the street in a big city and ask just ask a random question, and stop people in the crowd and ask would you be held accountable if somebody told you that you're doing the right thing after you're out on the street, are people even aware that they're living in a bad place? And what are we doing to get that word out? How about us?
Speaker 1:He hatched an idea that was not honest, but I must admit it was very good. So what this manager does? He says oh, I will start befriending the debtors that hold the master's money. How am I going to do that? I'm going to give him slash their debt by 50 cents on the dollar, 80 cents on the dollar. Those are the two examples that we have, and I have no idea how many of them. That is, jesus doesn't add more than he does. Jesus doesn't add more than he does do. But we see that his plan had not the greatest interest of his master in mind, that he was looking out for himself. He was using his current position to prepare for his next phase in life. Now, when I first I don't know whether to speak about that later, but then as I looked at what his plan was for himself and started seeing what Jesus' comments were, that is when I started thinking okay, what really is up here that I'm missing? Let's jump down to verse three. Actually, I'll just read verse 6 and 7 again.
Speaker 1:He said the Master commended the Vesatis manager for his truthness, for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of my life. I do wish, in this prayer, that Luke would have given us a little bit of an idea of who actually said those words. Was it the Master that said for the Son of God is more than worth you, or was it actually Jesus that said we don't have any implications? We don't have, and Jesus said this. Right after that, he said we have Jesus saying and I tell you which he's done and many occasions, but I wish we had a little bit of a clue on if the mask of the devil saved those people who were saved by Jesus Christ. To me it would make quite a difference. As far as the way that it is.
Speaker 1:However, there is a beautiful point in those words, recovering from the dead and I'll read those again, for the sons of this world are more to be given to the wrong generation than the sons of the right. Let me paraphrase that the people of this world do better at planning for their future, or their heaven, than the people of God do in planning for their heaven. Ouch, I think that is what Jesus said to them. Now, let's pretty long. Then Jesus says, and I tell you again, addressing these disciples make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous love, so that, when it fails, they may receive you into eternal life.
Speaker 1:What I'm thinking ining at at this point is Jesus is not condoning dishonesty, by the way, but Jesus is saying this guy was actually pretty shrewd in making preparation for Jesus. So for us as people of God and we have money, we have time, we have talents, we have influence how am I losing what God has given me in preparation for my future's life? Am I hoarding it all in a slot, or am I promoting God's kingdom and working in God's kingdom through the things that he has given me, that he has given me? I'll skip the book at verse 9. And I'll read it again and I tell you, make gladness of yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that whatever else they may receive you into, you can't help them.
Speaker 1:Unrighteous wealth. So in the Greek and I'm not going to try to even pronounce the Greek words for this phrase, but it could also be translated as unrighteous men or simply worldly wealth. It doesn't mean that wealth itself is necessarily obtained by doing all the needs. I would like to think that most of what we have has been gained through honest work, honesty, honest receiving. Unfortunately, a lot of the well-being and the work we make does come through unrighteousness. It belongs to a fallen world system. It is often associated with greed, corruption. It is often being disobstructed. It cannot be trusted. Wealth in itself, possessions in itself, folks cannot be trusted. It will not stand. It will not stand, it will pass away. So what does Jesus mean when he says make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous blood?
Speaker 1:I believe that Jesus is urging his followers, his disciples, to use worldly wealth wisely. Folks, this morning, it is not wrong to make money. We need money to live. What is wrong is the attitude, the balance of life when it comes to money, possessions and money. Am I using my influence to control so that I can be powerful? Am I using my talents to make a name for myself so that I can be the fruit? Am I using my money and possessions for myself or just for the love?
Speaker 2:of my money.
Speaker 1:That is the role of is of possessions and men. Jesus is here telling us it's not wrong to have these things, but what are you using them for? What are you using them for? Jesus is urging his followers to use world-involved life not for selfish gain, to use world-developed life not for selfish gain but to invest in what's important to God's people, to invest in people, to invest in making disciples and to help them all.
Speaker 1:Through the Old Testament, jesus and God put an emphasis on helping those in need. It is not for our own gain. The next part of it is not so that when it tickles, they may receive you into eternal wellness. Earthly wealth will fail. Death renders all useless. But if it is used to bless others, especially those in need, then support God's work. It will have eternal impact. The manager looking out for himself he cut his master's debt in half Didn't do anything, for the master actually hurt his business, but his shrewd idea of making preparation for himself by making friends with these people In a really strange way, I actually think of Jesus as a man. Why am I doing this today, with what Jesus is doing? Because I'm a prophet, so I'm less than you and I'm using it for personal gain, or I'm using it with my telephone in mind we are all investing people into human, not possessions.
Speaker 1:Then, in verse 10, jesus says Be faithful in your faith. This is a very interesting comment that Jesus is making, that we all stop at once. Really Small decisions about money reveal what's really going on. God tests us with these world things and I do believe that Jesus literally looked at the world as something biblical. All this world has something to deliver from the great bad Money, material possessions classified as very little in the way that it is. We need to use our present resources to make preparation for our eternal rebirth. And then Jesus goes into the changing of their master. Who do you respond to as a master? Jesus says we cannot serve God and money.
Speaker 1:Where is my love? It's gone. What people see me doing with my possessions, my influence, my talents, what people see me doing with her tells me, or tells you, where is your love destination? If I am not a faithful steward in everyday life, my corrects like witness will be none of this. He was a father. He had a daughter that he loved for years and unfortunately that's where he came to be. That's where he passed away. For a long time he was very upset and very worried against the kind of action that he was going to do, which was very unfortunate, probably kept him from becoming a Christian in the early years. So this morning, folks, where am I with my business in the Christmas tree, where am I with my Christmas tree? Is my witness? My everyday walk Does it show? It shows what my love is. Where is your love? What do your actions show about your love? For either God or possessions, choose your master.
Speaker 1:So I like to end this sermon with four questions, and I saw Chris and John. The main, the big question, is am I a faithful student? Four questions myself. Question number one does my spending reflect in the values? Question number two do I give regular or I believe as sacrificial, like, like my money, time and time? Thirdly, am I investing in what matters most to God people and disciples who God knows and needs? And fourthly, am I living with my authority in God, in money?
Speaker 1:As strange as it sounds, I fully believe this morning Jesus was not condoning the dishonesty that this man was calling to first, but he was making a point of think of your future, as this man is about his future, and think of what God is putting in your possession and are you using what God is giving you relative to the plans that you've received. What am I at this moment? Where am I at this moment? Our prophet, god, this morning, has given us this incredible prayer that I prayed for you and I want to share with you. I pray for you now. I want us to ask people. Ask people to look at what's in general, ask people to look at what's in the trustee, the amount to ship the plant, oil. It's all up and it should be in the United States. We'll have that for you which decides how I use my equipment. So what was funny is that we were able to get a lot of support and we did it well in the end, and that was fun.