Luke 16:1-13 "Put Your Money to Work" (Bexley North 10am)

Thanks for reading. Well, this is a very interesting parable, so it's going to be good to get into it with you. As we begin, I wonder what your best investment has been. I've had some that have panned out well and some that have not gone that great. I won't start going through the best performing stocks in the S&P 500 over the last decade.

That'd be a bit boring. But maybe you bought a Beanie Baby. Not a, not a baby with a beanie, but the actual Beanie Baby toys. These were like this big thing. It was kind of before my time, but apparently people were buying them up and they were hoping they were going to be the next big investment.

You could buy one of these things for a few dollars and then they were selling for thousands. And so people bought kind of rooms full of these stuffed toys hoping to retire on the investment. But sadly it just didn't pan out at all. Economists call it the great Beanie Baby bubble. There's a book written about says mass delusion and the dark side of cute.

And of course today they're only worth a couple dollars each. So that investment did not pay off. But if you had spent 10 cents on one of the first Atomic comics in 1938, while the top sale price for one in 2024 was 8 million, it was one that was owned by Nicolas Cage. 10 cents to 8 million easily outperforms even the best stock pick. But you actually don't have to pick a winner.

If you invested $400 in the 1950s in the S&P 500, that is like just the US share market. Essentially $400 1950s now would be worth a million dollars. And anyone could have done that. And many people have and have done very well. That's just how investing works.

Time and money is investing 101. My parents. How do I know this? My parents were keen for us to understand this. So as we were growing up, they got us to read and actually lots of investment books.

They're a little bit materialistic perhaps, but one of them memorable one was Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It was a best seller. Robert Kiyosaki, you might have heard of it. In a nutshell, he says, invest in the future by saving today and always get your money to work for you. Always get your money to work for you.

And it's good advice. Our parents though might have just read us Luke 16 this parable today from Jesus Christ, because his parable is essentially saying the same thing. Put your money to work. Get your money working for You. But what we see from our passage as a whole is that Jesus is offering more than just investment advice.

He's something much bigger in mind than getting rich. For it turns out our money today has even greater power than Robert Kiyosaki could have imagined. Jesus, in our verses today gives us such unexpected investment advice. As verse 9 says, I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of worldly wealth. Use your wealth to make friends, eternal friends.

And for Christians who have the ultimate rich dad, he says, come and hear my investment strategies. So let's hear God's investment strategy from Luke 16 together. I'll give you a bit of context, though, as we're jumping into Luke 16. We've had a few sermons in Luke as we've picked up this series in chapter 15. Jesus has been revealing God's heart for the lost, hasn't he?

We had the lost sheep, we had the lost coin, we had the lost son last week, the prodigal son. And Jesus himself has been reaching out to sinners and tax collectors to the lost. But this has resulted in grumbling from the Pharisees and scribes. We hear Jesus focus on saving sinners into the eternal kingdom has clashed with the Pharisees and scribes focus, we're told in 16, 16, 14, it says that the Pharisees were lovers of money. Ultimately, they were serving money, not God.

God is about gathering the lost, whereas the Pharisees were about gathering money for themselves. And so Jesus gives us this teaching today that we have in response to all of this. Let's have a look at our parable. Our first heading is investing. Now, and let me read verses one and two of chapter 16.

They say there was a rich man who received an accusation that his manager was squandering his possessions. So he called the manager in and asked, what is this I hear about you give an account of your management because you can no longer be my manager. So we have this parable. Jesus tells this parable of a rich manager. This guy was a steward put in charge.

Sorry, of a manager put in charge of a rich man's money, of his accounts, to run them for him. And this was what was done back then. Jesus parables, they often employ a similar scenario. Have you ever noticed this, how there's often a master and someone working for the master, and it's a common parable structure because we've all been entrusted by God with things to manage. And you know, the scribes and Pharisees in particular, they had been given the job of caring for God's people.

They had been entrusted by their master. So in this parable, the owner, the rich man, hears an accusation of mismanagement and so judgment comes. The manager has been squandering, wasting these funds somehow. And it's kind of a situation that could be straight out of the Sydney Morning Herald, which often reports on misappropriation of taxpayer dollars or extravagant dinners on company credit cards, or culpable neglect of duties. It's not hard to think of any number of modern parallels.

So unsurprisingly, the manager is called in and fired. Nothing suggests it was a polite conversation. The owner did not seem willing to reconsider. Now, I don't know if you've ever been in these shoes in a situation of getting fired, but it is not very fun at all. It's often a little bit traumatic, actually, and it is a real low point.

It's often a time of soul searching, especially because people often get fired, sometimes for good reasons, but often they don't really deserve to be. And then you get turfed out and you're feeling terrible and you didn't deserve it. But that's not quite the case here. This dishonorable manager in Jesus parable, he deserved it. We're told he was mismanaging, so he deserved to be fired.

Nevertheless, this man, he's doing a bit of soul searching. And as happens, when you get fired, you say, what am I going to do? What cards do I have left to play? And in verse three we get his internal monologue as he processes all that he's going to do. Now let me read verse three.

Then the manager said to himself, what will I do? Since my master is taking the management away from me, I'm not strong enough to dig, I'm ashamed to beg. So he's kind of stuck. He's out of options. What's he going to do?

What are his options? And we quickly learn that the guy is. He's a real fighter. He's a scrapper and he's resourceful and shrewd. In verse four, we have his eureka moment.

He says, I know what I'll do so that when I'm removed from management, people will welcome me into their homes. So he's thinking about it. How is he going to leverage his current position that he has now to ensure that in the future he'll still have friends and influence. And so he implements his plan in verse five.

So he summoned each one of his master's debtors. How much do you owe my master? He asked the first one. A hundred Measures of olive oil. He said, take your invoice.

He told him, sit down and quickly write 50. So he cuts it in half just like that.

Can you see what he's done? Somehow he's still got the account book, he's still got the company laptop, he still has the numbers of all the clients. I don't know what's happening here, that the non compete clause is somehow weak. Somehow he's able to pull off this feat and to contact these clients and to halve all of their bills or such. And this act, it costs his boss a lot of money, an eye watering amount, these huge debts being marked down.

So there's 1,000 liters of olive oil that are crossed off and the wheat cost that is reduced is a year or even two worth of wages. So these are massive markdowns of on these debts. And if this was given to you, you're not going to forget a favor like that, are you? All of this guarantees the dishonest manager still has friends to welcome him long after his job is lost.

This guy, he thought carefully about the cards that he had, about his situation, about what he had at his disposal. And like a cunning and shrewd operator, he found a way to ensure that he was set for the future.

It's a cracker of a story, isn't it? But it only gets better. Because what happens when the Master finds out, when the owner finds out, what do you think is going to happen? Well, he's going to rip him limb from limb, isn't he? It's not what happens.

Verse 8, we have the Master's response. It says the master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly. The Master says, well played sir. He has to hand it to the manager. He's played his hand very well and for that he is praised.

Sometimes it's hard not to admire the ingenuity of thieves, isn't it? Even if you wish they had employed their energy in a better way. And Jesus kind of seems to do that here, doesn't he? Well, what's the moral of the story? Is Jesus saying cheat to win friends and influence people?

No, clearly not. Jesus is. He's not complimentary in the way he describes the manager. He calls him unrighteous, worldly and dishonest. But nobody could deny that he was very shrewd.

He's commended for the shrewdness of his actions, not for the morality of them. And Jesus has noticed something here. He's noticed that the ungodly, the unrighteous, the Worldly people are cunning and shrewd, more so than Christians, he says here in the second half of verse eight, he says, for the children of this age are more shrewd than the children of the light in dealing with their own people. What an interesting observation. How come ungodly people are so hard working at their goals, but Christians can be lazy and sloppy when it comes to theirs?

If Christians love godliness as much as the world loves money, imagine how godly the church would be if we invested in the kingdom of God the way the world invests in their retirement. Imagine the kingdom riches that would be made.

The point of the parable is verse nine, and we had read earlier at the start, verse nine says, and I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of worldly wealth, so that when it fails, they may welcome you into eternal dwellings. Worldly wealth just means the money we have in this world. And so what's the point? What is he saying? Well, let me point out three things that this dishonest manager does in this parable to show what Jesus wants us to take from it.

Firstly, the dishonest manager was resourceful. He was shrewd. He really thought about his options and what he had at his disposal.

And Jesus wants us to do that too. He wants us to think about what God's given us and then to put it to work. Are you rich? Well, what are you doing with your money? Are you smart?

What are you doing with your brains? Do you have time on your hands? How are you using it? Are you motivated? Well, what are you doing with your energy?

The shrewd manager was resourceful to the goal that he had. The second thing that he does that I think is good to draw out is that he used his money to influence people. It sounds like a crazy idea, but this is exactly what Jesus is teaching here. The dishonest manager ensured friendship, good standing, influence with people by using money at the end of his successful plan. The dishonest manager didn't have lots of money.

He had lots of friends. He had influenced people. And this is a feature of God's kingdom. God's kingdom is all about people. God wants us to use our money and resources to influence people, to tell them about Jesus and to grow them as disciples.

God's kingdom's all about people. If you think about everything in your house, everything around you, if you can imagine your life, there is all the stuff in your house, there is all the people in your neighborhood. And in the end, it is only the people that are eternal. All of the Other stuff does not last. All of it will fail us, as verse nine says.

Our career, our health, our nice house, our bank balance. They'll all fail us. They'll all be left behind, all of it. But that annoying person sitting beside you, they will still be there in eternity. It's perhaps a strange irony that my favorite piece of furniture that I love to sit at won't be around.

But the person I can't stand will be.

God is all about people. Like lost sheep, like the lost coin, like the lost son. God the Father runs out with open arms when a child of his is found.

And what our parable does in a fascinating and unavoidable way is link the use of money to influence people. Use your money, your time and your energy to influence people. Tell them about Jesus, to encourage them in the gospel so that on the final day they'll be there with you in heaven. It's not just about getting friends. It's about getting friends in heaven for eternity.

Nobody in heaven is going to care about our earthly careers or our nice houses on earth, but imagine how grateful they will be to to those that have read the Bible with them, that prayed for them, that discipled them into the eternal kingdom. Think about the debt that you owe to that person that was instrumental in you coming to know Jesus in getting you into heaven. Who was that? How much do you owe that person? If you haven't gone and given them a big hug and a kiss, you don't have to wait to heaven to do it.

Get in there now, plant a big sloppy one on them. Just give them who are they? Think about how much you owe that person.

Can you see Jesus point where to use our resources now, our worldly wealth and energy, that which will be left behind, where to use that to buy heavenly riches? You get this teaching very clearly put in 1 Timothy 6 from verse 17. He says, Instruct those who are rich in this present age to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share, storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the coming age so that they may take hold of what is truly life. It's the same teaching in our parable, isn't it?

If you're rich now in this present age, what are we to do with our riches? We're to use them to store up treasure for the coming age.

Well, the final thing then we see clearly the final point being made about the dishonest manager. The thing that he's commended for is that he acted now for his future. It's the same Thing we're seeing in one Timothy there in that verse, we're to use our money now to build a foundation for the future. The dishonest manager, he realized the future that was coming, and so he took action so that he was well prepared when it came. And that's what God wants us all to do as well.

Use what God has given you now for the future that you know is coming. Build wealth so that you will be prosperous in the new creation.

Well, how can you use your money and time and energy so in eternity you'll be looked upon? Well, well, as Robert Kiyosaki says, put your money to work. Put your money to work to change people for eternity. I was reflecting on another pithy investment saying, this one's attributed, although it's one of those ones that might be a little apocryphal attributed to Warren Buffett. If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.

So he's saying, you've got to find a way to build investments. And Jesus is saying that there is a way to put your money to work so that it works for us after we die. How incredible is that? Our money now can be used to ensure good standing even after death. I think it's one of the clear applications out of this parable for us as Jesus disciples.

I think it's clear that we should be giving financially to gospel ministry work. And there's lots of us here that do already. We have enough at snac, there's so many people that give generously. We have enough. We're not saying this because we need more money.

We genuinely don't need your money. But this is an important teaching for disciples of Jesus, for our hearts, that we are using our money for gospel ministry. So if that's not you, it's a time to think about that carefully. Think about how are you giving financially to gospel work? We each need to invest money and time to finding lost sheep, to the work of evangelism, to the work of discipling those in Christ.

If you're not using your money that way, if you're not acting now to invest in the eternal kingdom of God, you're missing a key part of being a disciple of Jesus. If we only spend our money on things that we want to buy that will pass away, shopping and fashion and cars and schooling and holidays. If we only spend our money on material things, it's like eating only candy. It will rot us from the inside out. We all need to be in the habit of giving generously to gospel work.

And we need to feel the strain of this giving. You know, we need to feel that moment where we say, actually I can't afford that thing that I'd like to get because I'm giving generously to gospel work in other areas. Dare we just give our spare change to the kingdom of God? What does that say about our values?

And of course, the same is a time for same is true for our time and energy. All of our resources should be poured into our eternal dwellings.

And for those of us that do give generously, take notice. See how the money that is given does produce real fruit for the eternal kingdom. Kingdom work costs real money, lots of it. But it does produce real eternal fruit. Eternal friends in heaven, as the language of our parable says.

If you think about Snack, Snack's got six full time employees, me included. And I'm paid, we're paid by the church, so we don't need to take another job. But that costs snack a lot of money. We've got a massive budget. You can find it there on the back of the outline.

All of these employees need housing and cars and so on. Costs a lot of money. But look at the good that it does, that this money that is given does. And just to point to a couple of ministries. I mean, look at Brendan who oversees the youth group and all of this.

Hundreds of teenagers hearing about Jesus growing as disciples. The money that is given to support that, to support Brendan is producing wonderful fruit. Or think of the life course which Marcus oversees. Again, think of all of the good that that is doing and how instrumental that is in real eternal fruit.

So can you see what I'm saying? We can use our money now so that people are with us in eternity, all by God's power to his glory. That's our little disclaimer to God's glory.

Well, let's, let's look briefly at our. We've got a couple more verses there. I don't know if you notice. There's a couple more verses there at the end. We'll finish them off briefly.

Jesus adds two more teaching points here off the back of this parable in verses 10 to 13. And they ask, how are we investing now? And what does that reveal? The first point that Jesus makes is that we have been entrusted with little now as a kind of test. So have a look there at verses 10 to 12 with me, verse 10.

Whoever is faithful in very little is also or also faithful in much. And whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. So if you've not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will trust you with what is genuine? And if you've not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? So it's an interesting teaching to come off the back of that parable, isn't it?

Jesus is asking, can we be trusted? Can we be trusted with what God has given us?

It's interesting the teaching in these verses, it reframes everything that we have been given. Now every resource that God has given us is described as very little. Because to God our million plus dollar house is very little. Because to God our amazing intellect is a very little amount of intellect. And for all of our energetic running around painfully, we cannot be in two places at once.

Unlike God, it's described as very little. And the question is asked, can we be trusted with the little that we have been given?

It does remind me of the way that we treat our kids when we give them a go, we trust them with a little and see how they go. Kids, they're so great, they always want to do more. They always look at something and they want to have a go. I want to have a go at driving the car or dad, can I have a go at the chainsaw? Maybe more for Sydney.

Dad, can I have a phone or something? I remember when I first had a go of a chainsaw as a teenager. It was thrilling.

And the question as a parent, you look at them and you're like, well, can I trust them with this? Here, try using this blunt butter knife first and then we'll talk about the chainsaw. We'll see how that goes. First.

I can remember my parents entrusting me with their car. It was their lovely troop carrier. We were on dirt roads in the southern highlands and we only had one car. And there I was on my old plates, one of my first drives and I'm ripping down this dirt road, Dad's beside me and we turned left into our side street. And I didn't really know you had to slow down when you take a dirt road turn.

I took it way too fast and the thing fishtail ended up in a ditch with a big ding down the side. I can still remember dad trying to hide his frustration. He did, he did a good job of hiding it, but.

Well, Jesus is teaching us in verses 10 to 12, God is our Father and he has entrusted us now with a little. With a little can he trust us? And so take a moment, do a little survey. What has God entrusted you with your Money, your time, your energy, your health. Each new day, the people that he puts under us and around us to care for, we've all been entrusted with a little.

Now we can't really stuff it up too much. We can't drive the car off the road. God is still firmly at the reins of history and his kingdom, but it's giving us a go with a little, entrusting us with some of what he has. And there will be a reckoning like this dishonest manager. We will be called to give an account.

Some will be fired as his managers, but to others he will say, well done, good and faithful servant.

Interesting verses. Our final verse. Then just quickly, verse 13, it ends kind of tying it up together and making maybe the sharpest of points. Yet verse 13, it shows us that how we use our money is very revealing. Verse 13 says, no servant can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and money. You know, there are so many things I love about Sydney, about our culture. It's such a wonderful place. But there is no denying that we are driven by money. Not everybody, but as a society, that is what matters most at the end of the day.

And you can see it in so many different ways. We're driven by money above all else.

And money's important. It's actually important to think well about how we use our money and can't just leave it lying around in suitcases. We need to invest it wisely. We need to make sure we have enough money to provide for our families so we can afford houses and cars and schools. That's just part of caring for those people around us.

So money is important. But if somebody looked at our lives, if someone looked at your life, would they say that you are driven by money, or are you driven by serving God? Jesus is putting this sharp dichotomy, one or the other, money or God. What are you driven by? What are you serving?

And, you know, think about your life. What things are you really going hard at? What are you pushing yourself to achieve? Are they about money and success, or are they about God? Who do you really serve, God or money?

Because one day all in this world will fail us. As verse 9 said, Only the treasures we store up in heaven will be waiting at the end.

Let's pray. Why don't we ask God to help us in all these matters?

Heavenly Father, please give us eyes to see the world for what it is. Give us your eyes. To see all that you've entrusted us with now and give us your heart to love the people around us and to do all that we can to tell them about Jesus, that they would be with us in heaven. In his name we pray. Amen.