Season 3 - The Storyteller
Episode 07 - “The Parable of the Shrewd Manager”
Pastor Josh McPherson, November 10, 2019
Text: Luke 16:1-13
Intro: One of the most challenging & confusing parables of Jesus…
He’s not commending the manager’s dishonesty, he’s commending his “shrewdness”.
Shrewd: having sharp powers of judgment; astute.
He’s making the owner look good/gracious and preserving his own long-term future
What Jesus Wants You To KNOW:
1) You and I are STEWARDS, not owners.
Steward: One who is temporarily put in charge of another’s possessions
QUESTION: Am I a good or bad steward?
What Jesus Wants You To FEEL:
The privilege of RESPONSIBILITY
The weight of ACCOUNTABILITY
Jesus is not only a rabbi/teacher, but the PROPHET, PRIEST, and KING (perfectly fulfilling and embodying the anointed offices of the OT leaders of the people of God).
What KING Jesus Wants You To DO:
- Pay attention to your wealth as Shrewd Stewards (v.8)
The world pays more attention to temporal worldly wealth than those in the light… that ought not be. Leverage it all the best you can for the kingdom of God…for spiritual riches.
What PRIEST Jesus Wants You To DO:
2) Use your wealth to love people (v.9)
There are many incredible examples of the people of Grace City using what they have to bless and love others… Some recent examples: A used car was just given to a young married couple expecting their first child; a young School of Ministry student wanted to pay double tuition to provide a scholarship for someone else; the Little’s donating their shoe business & inventory to Anchored youth; numerous Building Home related stories of people donating time & money & skills and resources…
What PROPHET Jesus Wants You To DO:
3) Choose today who you will serve…Jesus or money (v.13)
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” - Jesus (Luke 16:13)
It’s a worship issue.
It’s not a rich/poor issue. It’s about what you do with what you have.
If you’re not a good steward with what you have now, you won’t be a good steward if/when you get more. If you’re not generous with what you have now, you won’t be generous if/when you have more.
Money is a gift because money is a DASHBOARD METRIC.
Money makes a wonderful servant and a lousy master.
3 Ways to Handle Money:
- Hoard it for yourself
- Waste it on yourself
- Invest it in others for the sake of the Kingdom
Why Pastors don’t like to talk about money but should…
Two errors:
1. Prosperity gospel…the false teaching that says following Jesus means you should be materially rich now… it makes God/Jesus a “genie” to give you what you want. (They have the wrong timing…God has amazing riches stored up for his people in heaven.)
2. Poverty gospel (asceticism)…just as false, it says the less you have the more pious and holy you are. Neither riches nor poverty gain you access to the Father… only faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone brings you to the Father.
Note: Jesus talked about money more than many of the great subjects of faith, love, etc.
“The happiest people I know are not the rich…and the richest people I know are generous.” - Pastor Josh
Testimony: Greg & Helen Little
Discussion Questions:
Getting to Know Me
Do you wake up every day thinking, “I’m a steward today”? Have you ever considered that everything you have is yours to steward rather than own?
How did Sunday’s sermon change or add to your definition of stewardship?
Why do you think the concept of being shrewd is not one that is normally taught in church?
Into the Bible
Read Matthew 25:14-30
What more can we learn about stewardship from these verses?
What can we learn about God from these verses?
Why do you think the servant who buried his master’s gold was dealt with so harshly?
Why is the principle about being faithful with the little things so that we can be given greater things important for us to understand as believers?
What do you think Jesus meant when he said, “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
Application
What was your main takeaway from Pastor Josh’s sermon? How were you impacted/encouraged? Did you have an “ah-ha” moment or realize something for the first time?
Stewardship is not an issue of portion - it’s about what you’re doing with what you have. How does this understanding help you to reevaluate how you can leverage everything you have been given for the kingdom?
In his sermon, Pastor Josh made the point that how you assess, prioritize and value your finances is a worship issue. What does this mean to you?
Pastor Josh made the point that money is a gift because it is a dashboard metric, revealing exactly where our hearts are at any given time. In what ways is the Holy Spirit revealing the status of your heart through the way you assess your financial state?
Between the two errors of either a prosperity gospel or a poverty gospel, which way do you tend to error? Why do you think that is?
What was your biggest takeaway from Greg & Helen Little’s testimony?
What is one thing God is asking you, one prayer God is calling you to pray or one action step God is inviting you to make as result of listening to this sermon?