Don't Waste God's Money

I. INTRODUCTION

• One current issue in our government that is related to corruption is the filing of impeachment case against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
• The allegation is that she is using government fund in luxurious way.
• Very expensive travel expenses
• Luxurious car

• Like any other politicians, she is accused for wasting of money of the citizens.

• The message today has something to do with wasting of money in one of Jesus' parables.

II.  BODY

Background

• Chapter 15 of Luke is the chapter of the Lost because of three consecutive parables (lost sheep, coin, and son)

• The last parable, The Lost Son, there is a transition from the younger to older brother.

• The older brother who represents the religious leaders, justifies himself.
• He accuses his brother of squandering the wealth of his father
• He stays with his father unlike his younger brother

• But the question is, does he really loves the Father? Does he really care about the properties of his father?

• These questions lead to another parable - The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

Title: DON'T WASTE GOD'S MONEY

Plot

Scene 1 - The Retribution (vv1-2)

• The Crime
• The Richman has a manager
• He found out that this manager is wasting his possession

• The Retribution
• He terminates the manager
• He called him to turn in the account because he will be no longer a manager

Scene 2 - The Reflection (v3)

• The manager reflects on the decision of his master to terminate him

• Reflection
• He is jobless
• He is not into works that more on physical strength is needed
• He is ashamed to beg
• "What must I do?"

Scene 3 - The Resolution (vv4-7)

• He got a solution and intention (to be received by people into their houses)

• He lessens the debts of his master's debtors
• He summoned them one by one
• He asked their debts one at a time
• He reduced the amount of their debts
•  

Scene 4 - The Recommendation (v8)

• The master commends the action of the manager before the termination.
• The recommendation is not the act of being dishonest but being shrewd
• Verse 1 and 2 shows the negative emotion of the master toward his manager, but in verse 8, he recommended him.
• The master got mad because his manager wasted his possessions.
• The master recommends the shrewdness of his manager by reducing the debts of his debtors

Was the master feel happy about what the manager embezzling the master's possession? I think he was because of the act of recommending.

Note: The story is open-ended. We do not know whether the manager was terminated or not.

Question: Why did the Master recommend the shrewdness of his manager since he (the manager) embezzled his

                 possessions?

a. Jesus' Conclusion (v8)

• Jesus compares the shrewdness in relation with their natures (unbelievers and believers)
• Unbelievers know how to use worldly wealth according to world's system
• For worldly pleasures pictures out by the wasteful manager
• Believers suppose to used the worldly wealth according to God's system, but many believers use worldly wealth like the unbelievers.

Ronald Ravenhill: "We live too much in time. We are too earthbound. We see as other man see. We think as other men think. We

                             invest our time as the world invests it. We invest our money. We supposed to be a different breed of people"

• That is how wiser the unbelievers than us in dealing unrighteous wealth.

• We are doing not the right thing to do with the possession entrusted by God.  

b. Jesus's Command (v9)

• Jesus gives the command of making friends using the unrighteous wealth.
• "make friends" - going back to what the manager had done after knowing that he will be removed from his job.
• To make other people our friends is to tell them who Christ is. 
• He did not get the discount for himself, but what he did get is the favor of the debtors.
• "when it fails" - pertains to worldly wealth, going back to his position as a manager, everything will be lost.
• Worldly wealth are all temporal, and they will gone.
• What we need is the eternal things.
• This echoes the teaching of Jesus about treasures in heaven over treasure of this world.
•  "may receive you into eternal dwellings" - it is the same idea in verse 4

• What are you going to do with your earthly possessions?

c. Jesus's Clarification (vv10-13)

      - Two different ways of dealing with the things received from God (vv10-11)

• Being Faithful

• Being Dishonest

• Two different riches,
• The entrusted riches
• The eternal riches
• Being unfaithful to the entrusted possessions like the manager, no one will give the unfaithful the things that supposed to be his.
• The only thing that we can own, is not our family, not our possessions, not our lives, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
• Who will give us the righteousness, the salvation we have, if we Christians are not faithful of the things that God has entrusted to us?

• Two different masters
• God and Money
• Nobody can serve both God and money.

CIT: WASTING GOD'S ENTRUSTED POSSESSION IS IDOLATRY

• When do we waste God's entrusted possessions?
• If our pleasures is wealth rather than personal God
• If our priority is wealth rather than plan of God

III. CONCLUSION

• I used to work in a popular fast food chain where a large amount of food is wasted.
• I have seen people buying things impulsively, and it is a waste of money

• All material things are provided by God both for unbelievers and believers.

• God does not expect the unbelievers to use God's material blessings for His glory.
• They are using material to gratify their desires, not for God glory, not for the advancement of the Kingdom of God

• However, God is expecting His people to use His provided material blessings such as money for His glory
• Because believers are concerned more of the spiritual rather than physical; eternal rather than temporal; God's Kingdom rather his own kingdom.

• The Entrusted Possession if  not used in godly way  will lead to idolatry.

• Let us not waste God's entrusted possession even a single cent.
• A single centavo may be used to proclaim the Gospel for the salvation of the lost.

• Try to reflect: How much God's money did you waste?

• Let us not squander God's money, less we fall to idolatry.

• use the God's entrusted possession for His glory; for His Kingdom; according to His will.

Sovereign Grace of Christ Christian Church

09/03/17