Introduction: In our text Christ told His disciples the story of a rich man who had a steward or what would be comparable today to a business manager accused of squandering his employer’s property. The employer called his manager on the carpet saying, "What’s this I hear about your stealing from me? I need to see your books. It’s obvious that you can no longer be trusted to manage my property." At this point the manager thought, ’What am I going to do? I am going to be fired. I don’t have the strength to do manual labor, and I certainly don’t want to beg. He came up with a scheme. He thought I know what will work so that I will have lots of people who will take care of me when I’ve lost this job.’ So, the manager called on each one of the rich man’s debtors. He asked the first, ’How much do you owe my employer?’ "The man replied, ’Eight hundred gallons of olive oil.’ The manager told him, ’Tear up that bill and write another one for four hundred gallons. He did correspondingly with each of those indebted to his employer and in so doing ingratiated himself with these debtors. These men now would be indebted to him and take care of him when he was removed from his position as the rich man’s chief steward or manager. When the rich man became aware of his manager’s scheme, he admired and commended the dishonest manager for being so perceptive or shrewd. Commenting on this account Christ states that worldly people are shrewder than Christians when it comes to dealing with people and possessions." Christ did not condone the evil action of this unjust steward but pointed to a lesson for all believers. In order to understand this lesson, we need to look at the principles of stewardship, the distinction between shrewdness and wisdom, and the necessity for wisdom and prudence.
I. Principles of Stewardship
A. This man was a steward - so are we.
1. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? [20] For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s."
2. Psalms 24:1 "A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD’S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein."
B. This man was entrusted with wealth and property of his master - so are we.
1. 1 Corinthians 4:2 "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."
2. John Wesley. "When the Possessor of heaven and earth brought you into being and placed you in this world, He placed you here not as an owner but as a steward. As such, He entrusted you for a season with goods of various kinds--but the sole property of these still rests in Him, nor can ever be alienated from Him. As you are not your own but His, such is likewise all you enjoy."
3. Matthew 25:15 "And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey."
4. 1 Peter 4:10 "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
C. This man was called to give an account of his stewardship - so shall we.
1. Romans 14:12 "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
2. Life is like a cash register in that every account, every thought, every deed, like every sale, is registered and recorded.
3. I Corinthians 3:8 "Now he that plants and he that waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor."
4. Luke 12:48 "But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."
D. This man sought to be received into an earthly home - we to an eternal home.
1. I Corinthians 9:25 "And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."
2. For the vast majority of the world today, the essence of life is not having - it has become having to have. We live in an age that seeks self-gratification.
3. II Corinthians 5:9-10 "Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. [10] For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
II. Shrewdness vs. Wisdom
A. Luke 16:8b "...the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light."
B. German theologian Richard Lenski commenting on this passage wrote, "As the steward was shrewd in a worldly way in dealing with mammon, so are we to be shrewd in a spiritual way; instead of the weltliche Klugheit (worldly shrewdness) we are to have and use the geistliche Klugheit (spiritual wisdom).
C. Shrewdness
1. The worldly are more astute in their pursuit of material things than God’s people are in their pursuit of spiritual things.
2. They use their initiative and energy to get things.
3. Painstakingly skillful in working for perishable things.
4. The children of the world use every means at their disposal for their own interests to strengthen their own positions in life.
5. Luke 12:29-30 "And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. [30] For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knows that ye have need of these things."
D. Wisdom
1. John 6:27 "Labor not for the meat, which perishes, but for that meat which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."
2. One day the department store manager left all the windows open and a great windstorm blew all the price makers around the store causing them to land in total disarray. The next day, the shoppers delighted to see socks for $149.95, suits for $1.19, shoes for 5 cents and a scarf for $1,299.99! This is how worldly Christians live every day. The put low value on spiritual things and high value on things with none. Stop living your life as though the price tags got mixed up!
3. Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
4. Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
5. Choose that employment or calling in which you may be most serviceable to God. Choose not that in which you may be most rich or honorable in the world; but that in which you may do most good and best escape sinning.
6. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. To know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.
7. Proverbs 11:30 "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise."
8. A wise steward is one who sees things (wealth and possessions) as tools to be used to win others to Christ and help them along the way. He is an investor in the kingdom of God.
9. Matthew 25:40 "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
III. A Call to Faithfulness
A. Due diligence demanded
1. Luke 16:10 "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much."
2. 2 Peter 1:10-11 "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: [11] For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
3. Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) If God is diligent, surely we ought to be diligent in doing our duty to him. Think how patient and how diligent God has been with us!
B. The wisdom and reward of fidelity.
1. Luke 16:11-13 "If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? [12] And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? [13] No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
2. "God rewards not success but faithfulness."
3. Luke 19:17 "And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities."
4. Luke 19:26 "For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him."
5. The good we do is not always appreciated nor always rewarded in this life. But Jesus assures us that even a cup of cold water does not go unrewarded in the world that is to come.
6. Hebrews 6:10-11 "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. [11] And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:"
