Sermon Series: Getting to Know God 

Shrewd Managers 

Luke 16:1-13 

PSBC 8/26/01 ~ AM

In a nutshell: God gives us money to use for eternal purposes. He expects us to be shrewd with it. (My thanks to Rev. Lee Ecolov, a friend and fellow shepherd, who helped me understand the core of this parable.)

I. Introduction

A. Shrewd postmaster

Where we used to live in Missouri, in rural St. Charles county, we had the smallest, stand-alone, full service post office in the country, with it's very own full-time postmaster. It was something the citizens of our area were very proud of, because it had grown out of years of previous postmasters trying to juggle both their small business and their job as postmaster.

A lot of stories were told about the difficulty of trying to run a business and trying to serve the people of that area and their postal needs. One of them that I especially liked was about a gas station owner, who was also the community's postmaster.

This man had no helper at his service station, so when he had to leave his store to meet the mail truck, he was consumed by thoughts of people stopping for gas, or soft drinks, or candy, but finding him gone and his store closed. So, one day he hit upon a very shrewd solution. He printed a sign in bold letters that solved his problem during those required absences. The sign read: Back in 15 minutes--Already been gone 10.

B. Definition

I like that word shrewd. It's one of those words that almost sounds sinister, but it really isn't. The word is used 5 times in the entire Bible. Three times in the Hebrew of the Old Testament and twice in the Greek of the New Testament.

In Hebrew the word shrewd means: having showed that you wrestled with something. In other words, it means that you are encouraged to think things through, look at the pros and cons, then choose the best choice.

In Greek the word shrewd means wise, intelligent, prudent, savvy, mindful of what's best.

You put the two ideas together and you come up with the concept that a shrewd person is someone who has looked at the options and decides upon the wisest and best choice.

C. Transition to the parable

Now I tell you all that to get you thinking about the key concept of the parable we are looking at this morning.

Our chaplain of the United States Senate, Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, calls the parables, "The Autobiography of God." And I believe that's a pretty good assessment. Everyone of these stories and word pictures that Jesus taught, tells us something about God. And the interesting thing, is that each one tells us just one thing about God. I think this is so we don't get confused trying to figure out the vastness of the God we serve. Parables are our bite-sized chunks of theology, to help us digest God, rather than try to eat the whole burrito of who He is, all at once.

And I hope that you're beginning to understand that if you can grab hold of that single concept of God in a particular parable, then you can understand the parable and apply it to many areas of your life. But if you try to interpret a parable without understanding that single concept of God that's taught in it, then you wind up with inaccurate interpretations, faulty application, and a general theological mess.

And I believe that this is particularly true of the parable we'll be looking at today. I have more stuff in my files and more books on my shelves that try to interpret this parable, than just about any other parable Jesus taught. But a lot of these sources miss the mark, because they try to unravel this theological ball of yarn from the middle and not the beginning.

So let's not make that mistake this morning. Let's start at the beginning by stating that the parable we are going to look at teaches this one thing about God-God values our shrewd use of His resources. If you remember that, you'll understand the parable of The Shrewd Manager, found in Luke 16. If you have your Bibles, please turn with me there, and we'll begin at the first verse…

Luke 16:1-13 1 Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 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.' 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- 4 I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.' 5 "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 6 "'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.' 7 "Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' "'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. "He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.' 8 "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 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. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? 13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

II. Things About Money

As we begin our study, I want to first look at three things that are implied or taught about money in this parable.

A. The only money we have belongs to the Master

The first is that the only money we have belongs to the Master. There is nothing hidden away under your mattress, or tucked away in a retirement account, or invested in a mutual fund that isn't the Master's money. The Bible is very clear on this point. Everything we have belongs to God, and is merely entrusted to us to manage for Him for the period of time that is our life.

At the beginning of this parable, the problem was that the manager wasn't doing a very good job of managing his master's money. And that's a risk God takes with each one of us.

Illustration: Wayne Watts has written a book called, The Gift of Giving. In it he tells the story of a man who had assets in oil fields. One day he hit a gusher, and suddenly he was worth twice as much as before.

A couple of days later, a friend asked, "What's it like to wake up one morning and have twice as much as you had the day before?"

The man, who happened to be a Christian replied, "My assets haven't changed. I didn't own the first money, so I own the same amount now as before, which is zero. I feel added responsibility to God to manage this new asset well."

Friends, this is a foundational understanding you must realize…the only money any of us have, is the Master's money.

B. We won't have the wealth we have very long, so use it now

Another foundational element in this parable is that since we won't have the wealth we have for very long, we need to use it now.

Now, I know that in Proverbs and other places in Scripture God commends prudent savings. I'm not speaking against that. But this parable gives another angle on our use of money right now. One of the things it teaches is that money is going to be cut off, eventually. In other words, you can't take it with you.

Revelation 18 tells us about the future fall of Babylon-this is a specific reference to the collapse of the whole world economic system.

Revelation 18:11 11 "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over (Babylon) because no one buys their cargoes any more-

The verses that follow mention a whole list of the things included in these "cargoes"-and it ends with the bodies and souls of men. Then it picks up in verse 15…

Revelation 18:15-17a 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! 17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!'

One day, friends, the markets will crash and not recover. One day the stores will close. One day currency will be worthless. And one of the points of the parable of the Shrewd Manager is that we must use what we have wisely and with savvy, while it is still worth something-because someday it's not going to be worth anything!

C. Use your resources to reduce people's financial debts to debts of gratitude

Here's a third thing about money that's taught in this parable… use your resources to reduce people's financial debts to debts of gratitude. Think about it…that's exactly what the shrewd manager did, and that's the only thing his master commended him for.

Folks, there are many things money can't buy, but there are some things that money can buy that have eternal significance. Money can buy Bibles, Sunday School materials, it can support missionaries and pay pastors' salaries. Money can build buildings for ministry. Money can support evangelists, it can feed the poor and pay electric bills for those that are without jobs. Money can be used to host a barbeque to get to know your neighbors, put gas in a motorcycle tank to go to on a ride and talk to non-Christians about Jesus, and it can be used to pay the lease on a video projector that helps people understand the teaching of God's Word.

A wise, savvy and shrewd investment of God's resources is when we put what has been entrusted to us toward things that help others come to know and love Jesus Christ.

-Jim and others in our church are involved with the Gideons. They are placing Bibles in hotel rooms, hospital rooms, in the hands of high school students, and so on, so that when people really need the truth of God, it will be there for them.

-Some of us are involved in supporting missionaries who are going places and ministering to people we could never help. But through their work, that we've underwritten by our giving, people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ in parts of the world we will never personally visit.

-Others of you are investing in Christian schools that are integrating God's truth with the various subject matter of human thought. Your investment in these colleges and seminaries are allowing these schools to adequately prepare the next generation of leaders to advance the Kingdom of God.

-Most of us are investing in Palm Springs Baptist Church. We are turning a corner in our history where we are intentionally becoming a trained army of people whose objective is to come against the gates of Hell that surround the residents of the Coachella Valley and the people who visit here, and introduce them to Jesus Christ. More than 50 people from around this area, this country and the world have come to know Jesus Christ at our services and through our web site so far in 2001.

Un-shrewd Christians ask things like, "So how much do I have to give?" While the shrewd Christian asks, "How much of the Lord's money can I invest in future friends?"

On the front of your WIG's this morning are Jim Elliot's famous words, which summarizes this third foundational point, "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose."

III. The Payoff

A statement my dad used to make to me when I questioned his authority was, "Because I'm your father, that's why!" And that's exactly what Jesus could say to us regarding our use of His money…"Because I'm your God, that's why!" But He doesn't . Instead, in this parable, He tells us that there is something in it for us when we shrewdly make use of His resources. And that something isn't just one thing, it's three things…

A. We will be welcomed into eternal dwellings

First of all, when we use the Master's resources shrewdly, we will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

When many of us think about dying, we have this image of stepping into heaven, and immediately seeing family who have gone on before us. And that's a legitimate idea that scripture teaches. But think about the others who will greet you because they want to thank you for reducing their debt to a debt of gratitude.

-When you enter heaven, wouldn't you like to be greeted by those in whom you've invested? What would it be worth to you to have someone grab you by the hand and say, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here."?

-What would it be worth to have someone introduce you throughout eternity as, "This is the man or woman who gave money to support AWANA, or Takin' It to the Streets, or they bought a box of crayons and a pair of scissors for Sunday School. And that's where I came to know Jesus."?

-What would it be worth to have an Indonesian national come up to you and say, "Because of your support of the Humble family, they were able minister in my village, and I and my entire family came to know Jesus."?

-What would it be like to have someone excitedly explain how your gift, when they were broke or broken, taught them of Jesus' love for them?

Friends, that's what I'm going to do! Illustration: When I had to resign from Scottsdale Bible church's pastoral staff, because of a sin issue in my life, I was without work and a paycheck for about a month. A retired couple in the church, whom I had never met, sent us a check for the exact amount of my paycheck to cover what we didn't have. That investment in my life gave me hope for the future, hope in God's providential care, and hope that I was handling things rightly, and someday I would be restored as a pastor. Friends, when I get to heaven, those are some of the first two people I'm going to seek out and thank for their generosity and the hope they gave back to me. And I'm going to tell everyone I see, "These folks invested in me."

And, wouldn't it be great to welcome into heaven people who are there in part, because of your investment of the Master's money? Friends, it doesn't cost you anything. It's God's money, but you get the benefit. That's the first way being a shrewd manager pays off.

B. When you are shrewd, you are trusted with more

For the next area of pay off, take a look again at verses 10-12…

Luke 16:10-12 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. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?

Here's the next area of payoff… When you invest shrewdly, you are trusted with more.

These verses remind me of stories I've heard, of parents who purposely leave money lying around, just to see what their kids will do with it. It becomes a test of integrity.

And that's in essence what God does with the money He initially entrusts to us-He is testing our integrity. He is seeing what we will do with it. And if we use it shrewdly, He will give us more to manage. That's part of the payoff.

But also, notice something else in these three verses. Wasting money isn't just seen as immaturity or irresponsibility; it's seen as dishonesty. To waste God's resources is being dishonest. But when we invest in people and Kingdom work, we are trustworthy.

C. Deepening Relationship With God

For the third pay-off, let me re-read verse 13 and attach 14 and 15 on to it…

Luke 16:13-15 13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to 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.

Illustration: This reminds me of Jack Benny. Jack was the comedian who was always 39 and always a miser. In one of his television shows, he is accosted by a robber who points a gun at him and says, "Your money or your life." And Jack Benny just freezes. Again, the robber says, "Come on, come on, your money or your life." And Jack Benny says, "I'm thinking, I'm thinking!"

And that's what Jesus is saying to all of us this morning, "Your money or me." And I think many of us are saying, "I'm thinking, I'm thinking." This is a hard decision to make. Because right now, not many of us are as shrewd as God wants us to be.

But here's the third payoff… If you become shrewd like God wants you to be shrewd, your love for God will deepen as you give money away. In fact the more you give away, the closer you will grow in your relationship with Him. But until we learn to invest in God's Kingdom economy, over our own economy, we will always be torn between two masters.

We live in a world that revolves around money. Don't kid yourself, money is never neutral. It is either the master or it is the servant.

Here's a simple test: Look at your checkbook and expenditures. What are you spending that money on? If the money you have isn't serving God, then you are serving the money. That's what verse 13 says, beyond a shadow of a doubt. You cannot serve two masters. Either you will serve one and despise the other or vice versa.

IV. Conclusion

A paragraph in a U.S. News and Report article a few years ago, titled, "The Junk Mail Deluge" caught my attention: "The people who fill your mailbox with 34 pounds of junk [mail] each year know what you paid for your moose-hide slippers and whether you paid by credit card or check. They know how much you owe on your house, whether your hobbies are fly-fishing or fiddling, whether you buy used golf balls, whether you are most likely straight or gay; they may even know what chronic illness you have. They know all this, simply, because it is their business to know. Whatever it is--amusing nuisance, trash-can stuffer, or welcome bedtime read--direct mail is a booming industry because it targets us with scientific precision" [December 8, 1997, page 40].

Now friends, that grabs me! Not only are there people out there paid to track my spending habits, they can use that data to determine my likes and dislikes and the types of things I might be tempted to purchase!

Do you realize that the junk mail industry has discovered what Jesus teaches in this passage and what He also taught during His Sermon on the Mount, when He said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."? (Mt 6:21).

Here it is: the way we invest money (as evidenced by the thousands of transactions we make each year by check, cash, or credit cards) gives the best evidence for the things we value and cherish the most.

So, let me ask you church, do your expenditures indicate that you are being shrewd managers of what belongs to God? Because remember the single point of this parable, God values our shrewd use of His resources Amen.