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How can we use our money wisely? Jesus tells us in the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward. We are to invest our money in the right things (our eternal and future, and others eternal future), and we are to invest our money in the right way (faithfully, hopefully, lovingly).
The Wise Use of Money
Luke 16:1-13
“Once there was a Christian – He had a pious look – His consecration was complete – Except his pocketbook – He’d put a nickel on the plate – and then, with might and main – He’d sing “When we asunder part – It gives me inward pain.” Now, you might think that little poem is a little silly, but truly, there are many who have a very difficult time giving their money to the Lord’s work. Hugh Martin, the 19th century Scottish preacher once said, “If a man’s religion does not affect his use of money, that man’s religion is vain!” D. L. Moody said, “I can tell more about a man’s devotion to Christ by reading his checkbook than by reading his prayer book!” You know, I believe those men are absolutely right. I think I can state on the authority of God’s Word that if your faith doesn’t cause you to value Christ and His kingdom more than money, you have believed in vain.
The theme that threads itself all the way through Luke chapter 16, is that of money and wealth (16:9,11,13,14,19). The parable at the beginning of the chapter was given to teach Jesus’ disciples how to wisely manage God’s money. The middle section tells us that the Pharisees were lovers of money, and they scoffed at Jesus’ radical teaching on money management. In the third and final section, Jesus tells a story about a rich man and a poor man. When the rich man died, he found himself in a place of torment, while the poor man found himself in Abraham’s bosom, a place of comfort.
Perhaps the central verse that ties the chapter together is verse 15, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.” The Pharisees justified their love of money in the sight of men, but they couldn’t fool God. He knew their hearts. This love of money that they so highly esteemed, was actually detestable in the sight of God.
Notice who Jesus is speaking to. Verse 1 says, “Now He was also saying to the disciples.” This parable about the unrighteous manager was spoken to the disciples. Jesus has shifted gears. In Luke 15, Jesus was speaking primarily to the scribes and Pharisees, in order to show them that their heart was diametrically opposed to God’s heart. God loves the lost, and rejoices when they repent and come home to Him. The Pharisees despise the lost, and avoid them at all cost. But here, Jesus wants His own disciples to learn some very valuable lessons on how they are to manage money. However, it shouldn’t escape our notice that the Pharisees were listening in on the teaching. Verse 14 says, “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him.” So, Jesus is instructing His disciples, knowing that the Pharisees were all the while listening in to His message.
This parable has been a great source of confusion to believers throughout church history. I remember early in my Christian life, reading this parable, and being extremely puzzled. The puzzling thing was why this dishonest, crooked manager would be praised by his master (16:8). But did you notice why the master praised the manager? It wasn’t because he was unrighteous. It was because he was shrewd. This word means “practical wisdom.” It is talking about the man who is clever or cunning or ingenious in solving practical problems. So, really, this section of Scripture answers the question, “How do we use money wisely?”
Jesus gives two answers to that question. He says that we use money wisely by investing in the right things, and investing in the right ways.
1. Investing In The Right Things
Your Own Eternal Future
Verse 8 says, “And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.” Now, what is that saying? Simply this – unbelievers are wiser in obtaining temporary riches than believers are in securing eternal riches. Unbelievers have figured out how to set themselves up for the future. They have their IRAs, and their savings, their stocks and bonds, and their retirement plans. They have planned for their financial future in their old age when they are no longer able to provide for themselves. However, many Christians are not doing the same thing. They are not storing up for themselves eternal riches in heaven. Often worldly people are much more diligent concerning the things of time, than Christians are about the things of eternity. They put us to shame. They improve their opportunities, while we squander ours. They redeem their time, while we waste ours. They seize the moment in order to increase their riches. We live as though we expect to be here on earth forever and there is no eternity that we are hastening toward.
That is the main message that this parable teaches. The truly wise person, uses his present situation so set himself up for the future.
In this parable the rich master called in his money manager and told him he was fired because he had learned that he was squandering the master’s money. He told him he must give an account of what he had been doing, and where the money had been going. Well, the manager, knew his number was up, and soon he was going to be out of a job. He thinks to himself that he’s not strong enough to dig ditches, and he’s too ashamed to beg. What can he do to provide for himself in the future? Then, he hits on a brilliant idea. He will go to all the master’s clients, ask them how much they owe the master, and then reduce their bills. If someone owes the master 100 measures of olive oil, he will erase the 100, and write in “50”. If someone owes the master 100 measures of wheat, he will erase the 100, and write in “80”. Now, how will that benefit this manager? Simple! In the future, if he has no income, and has no place to live, he will always be able to count on the charity of those customers that he helped out, by reducing their bills.
Now, Jesus gives the application in verse 9, “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.” The unrighteous manager acted shrewdly. He used his present situation to provide for his future. So too, Jesus says, a wise believer will use his present situation in this life, to secure eternal riches. He will be received into the eternal dwellings.
The truth is that God is going to consider everything we do in this life, when He gives us our eternal rewards. And one of the things He is going to consider is the way we have used our money. Do you believe that? Do you really believe that the way you use your money now, is going to secure you eternal riches? Do you really believe that when your money fails in this life (when you die), that friends in heaven will receive you into eternal dwellings? Here’s the truth – you can be absolutely sure that you will lose all the money you accumulate on this earth. However, you can also be absolutely sure that you will keep all the riches you lay up in heaven through giving. It was the missionary martyr Jim Elliot who said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” What is it that you cannot keep? The money and possessions you accumulate in this life. What is it that you cannot lose? All the heavenly riches you that gain by using your money for eternity.
So, what is the wise way to use your money? Invest it now in your eternal future. Instead of spending it all on yourself now in this life, spend it on others to secure their eternal future! And that brings us to the second way we can use our money wisely. Not only should we use our money for our own eternal future. We should use our money for others’ eternal future.
Others Eternal Future
Notice what Jesus says in verse 9, “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Just as this manager made friends now, so that they would receive him into their homes, Jesus says we should do the same thing. We should be making spiritual friends now, so that when we die and our money fails, those spiritual friends will receive us into eternal dwellings. Who is Jesus talking about? He’s talking about those people who come to Christ and are saved as a result of our financial giving. He’s talking about using our money to finance evangelism and missions, so that when you die and arrive in heaven, there will be a long line of friends there to greet you, and all of them will be thanking you for giving money so that they could be saved. There will be those people in unreached villages in India and South America, and Africa who will thank you for giving money every month to support missionaries who walked or rode bicycles into their villages, and passed out tracts, and preached in the open square, and witnessed from house to house, and eventually led them to Christ. Brothers and sisters, when you die will you have any friends who will receive you into the eternal dwellings? Will there be any people in heaven, who are there because you helped get the gospel to them, by giving your money? If you don’t give your money for the purpose of evangelism and missions you can be absolutely sure that you will have have made no friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness! I exhort you to begin giving a portion of your salary, no matter how big or how little it is, to the spread of the gospel throughout the world! Even if you can only set aside $10 per month, that’s far better than giving nothing! If the Lord has blessed you, perhaps you need to be giving $500 or $1,000 or $2,500 per month.
I am so excited to be able to report to you, that just last week we made out two checks for over $9,000 each, and sent one to Gospel For Asia, and another to Heartcry Missionary Society! Not bad for a church that can fit into someone’s living room, huh?! This money will be going to help finance native missionaries, who are reaching people around the world for Jesus Christ! As we give to these missions agencies, we are laying up treasure in heaven, and we are making friends who will receive us into the eternal dwellings one day!
I want to exhort you this morning. My friends, if you are not giving, you are not investing your eternal future and you are not investing in the eternal future of others. You are robbing yourself of eternal riches which will never pass away, and you are investing everything in those things that shall all be burned up! Some of you never give anything to the work of the Lord here at The Bridge. How can I say this kindly? My friends, you are being unfaithful to the Lord. And what’s more, you are being unwise! You are investing everything in worldly concerns which will all burn, and you are not laying up treasures for yourself which will never pass away. Does that sound wise?! Even the poorest of you could give something if you had a mind to. Consider this matter of your giving this morning, and ask yourself if you are using your money wisely.
2. Investing In The Right Ways
Faithfully
Verse 10 says, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” Notice a couple of thing in this verse.
- The opposite of being faithful is to be unrighteous. We would have thought Jesus would say “and he who is unfaithful in a very little thing.” The opposite of faithfulness is not unfaithfulness, but unrighteousness. Did you know that if you are not faithful in giving, you are acting unrighteously?
- Wealth is referred to as a very little thing (10). Isn’t that interesting?! We wouldn’t call it that. We would call it a very big thing! To us, money is a big deal. It has been a big enough deal to start wars over! But to Jesus, it’s a very little thing. Do you think we might have our priorities a little wrong?
- Wealth is referred to as that which is another’s. Did you realize your money is another’s? Who owns your money? You say, “I do!” Think again. Jesus said the wealth you manage is “that which is another’s.” Just as the manager in this parable simply administered his master’s wealth, so too, you and I simply manage the money the Lord has entrusted to us. And just as this manager had to give an account of how he had managed his master’s wealth, so will you and I. How would you feel if you paid someone to manage your money for you, and then later found out that he was taking out large amounts and using it to go on all expense vacations to Hawaii? Until you really understand and believe that everything you have is the Lord’s, and you are merely His money manager, you will never be faithful in the use of your money. A lot of pastors preach that you should give a tithe to the church. A tithe is 10% of your income. Well, the New Testament never gives a percentage. I think there is a danger to teaching tithing. The danger is that people think that once they have given the tithe, that is all they should give. The truth is that God owns everything we have, and we are responsible to give what He wants us to give. After all, it is His money. If we use His money in the way He wants it used, we are faithful. If we don’t use His money in the way He wants it used, we are unfaithful. It’s as simple as that.
Hopefully
Now, why do I say that you should give hopefully? Well, because Jesus implies in verse 11-12, that if we are faithful in managing the Lord’s money, He will give us the true riches. Listen to His words, “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteousness wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” Isn’t that great? Not only does Jesus describe what we will receive as “true riches”, but He goes on to say it will be that which is our own! Instead of managing the Lord’s wealth, we will have true riches of our own to enjoy. Now, I confess that I don’t understand what those true riches are that will be our own. However, I know they will be wonderful, and I know we will be glad that we invested the Lord’s money faithfully in that day. I believe that these “true riches” hint of heavenly rewards that the Lord will give to His faithful followers on Judgment Day.
My friends, are you giving hopefully? Do you give, knowing that the Lord will reward you openly one day with far greater riches than you ever gave? Do you give with an eye on the true riches He will reward to you?
Lovingly
Jesus said in verse 13, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Now notice that Jesus did not say you should not serve God and wealth. He said, “you cannot serve God and wealth.” When you or I are serving wealth, it is impossible for us to serve God. A master is the one who has supreme authority over your life. That’s why you can’t serve two different masters at the same time. You can’t have two different supreme authorities at the same time. Jesus says here that you will hate the one and love the other. He is calling us to make the choice of surrendering to Jesus as our Master. He is calling us to surrender out of love. We are to love Christ, and hate wealth. That is to say, we are to prefer Christ over wealth. Out of love to Jesus, we are to obey His commands and follow His ways, even when it means we must give up wealth to do it.
So, brothers and sisters, are you investing your money lovingly? Are you spending your money the way the Lord wants you to, because you love Him and want to please Him? The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Oh church, demonstrate your love to Christ in how you manage His money.
Now, isn’t that interesting? The Lord teaches us that if we are to be wise money managers, we must give faithfully, hopefully, and lovingly – the same three qualities that will remain according to 1 Corinthians 13:13, “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Conclusion
Dr. D. James Kennedy, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, was once speaking to a New Member’s class, and they were discussing the topic of giving. At one point, Dr. Kennedy gave his own testimony of giving. He told the group that when he was a young man, he determined to give 10% of his income to the Lord. Well, during that year, He found the Lord to be faithful, and his income was increased. So, he determined this next year to increase it by 5%, and give 15% to the Lord. Well, again the Lord was faithful, and his income increased. So, each year, he increased his giving by 5%. Then he told the class, that he had been doing this for many years, and at that point in time, he was giving well over 100% to the Lord. Now you might ask how anyone could give more than 100%? It was because over the years he had written some books, and other sources of income began to flow in, until he no longer needed to rely on his salary as a pastor. He could give it all away, and much more besides! Folks, I challenge you to faithfulness in your giving! Use your present circumstances to provide for yourself in eternity. Make spiritual friends who will welcome you into the eternal dwellings! Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth does not destroy, and where thieves do not break in or steal.
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