The Shrewd Manager

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager 1 Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. 2 So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’ 3 “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4 Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager 5 “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ 6 The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’ 7 “ ‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager 8 “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. 9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager 8 “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. 9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE ARE MANAGERS OF GOD’S MATERIAL RESOURCES

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE ARE MANAGERS OF GOD’S MATERIAL RESOURCES OUR CULTURE: “My money & stuff are mine exclusively, to do with as I please” 1 Corinthians 4:7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager OUR MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY WILL END SOON

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager OUR MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY WILL END SOON OUR CULTURE: “This life is all that matters”

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager OUR MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY WILL END SOON OUR CULTURE: “This life is all that matters” JESUS: “This life is the staging ground for eternity”

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager OUR MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY WILL END SOON “On the one hand is the assumption that . . . eating, sleeping, growing, learning, breeding, and the rest, constitute the sum total of things . . . On the other hand is the . . . belief that the thoughts and actions of every hour are molding a soul which is on its way to eternity.” Harry Blamires, The Christian Mind (Servant Books, 1973), pp. 75,76.

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager OUR MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY WILL END SOON Philippians 3:18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many . . . 19 (who) are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite . . . and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior . . . 4:1 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord.

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW 16:9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW SCHLITZ: “You only go around once in life, so grab for all the gusto you can!”

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW SCHLITZ: “You only go around once in life, so grab for all the gusto you can!” JESUS: “You only go around once in life, so use your material resources to make all the eternal friends you can!”

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW 1 Timothy 6:18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW By regular financial giving to the local church, church- planters & ministries to the poor

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW By regular financial giving to the local church, church- planters & ministries to the poor By practicing hospitality

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW By regular financial giving to the local church, church- planters & ministries to the poor By practicing hospitality By helping others in practical ways

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW By regular financial giving to the local church, church-planters & ministries to the poor By practicing hospitality By helping others in practical ways By giving money to meet specific one-time needs & opportunities

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW “God won’t provide for me if I start being generous” Philippians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW “Unless I can give a lot, it’s not worth starting” Luke 16:10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones . . . 12 But if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own (i.e., reward in heaven)?

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW “I might go overboard on this & become financially irresponsible”

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW “Generosity may lead to eternal reward, but I will miss out in this life” Acts 20:35 “I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more fulfilling to give than to receive.’”

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW “Generosity may lead to eternal reward, but I will miss out in this life” 1 Timothy 6:9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 . . . Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager “Vast numbers of us have been seduced into believing that having more wealth and material possessions is essential to the good life . . . (But a) formidable body of research highlights what for most of us is a quite counter-intuitive fact: even when people obtain more money and material goods, they do not become more satisfied with their lives, or more psychologically healthy because of it . . .

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager “More specifically, once people are above poverty levels of income, gains in wealth have little to no incremental payoff in terms of happiness or well-being. (Moreover) merely aspiring to have greater wealth or more material possessions is likely to be associated with increased personal unhappiness . . .

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager “People with strong materialistic values and desires report more symptoms of anxiety, are at greater risk for depression . . . use more alcohol and drugs, and have more impoverished personal relationships . . . Thus, insofar as people have adopted the ‘American dream’ of stuffing their pockets, they seem to that extent be emptier of self and soul.” (pp. x,xi)

Luke 16:1-12 The Shrewd Manager WE CAN ENJOY HEAVEN MORE BY BEING GENEROUS NOW Decide to trust God’s promises & take a specific step toward generosity today!!

Questions? Comments?