“Work Like Who?”

4. “Work Like Who?” Weekend of September21/22, 2013

5. Dan Miller in “No More Dreaded Mondays” • Farmer in a village in India who owed a large sum of money to an old and ugly moneylender. • The moneylender offered to forgive the debt, if he could marry the farmer’s beautiful daughter. • The farmer and daughter were horrified. • The money lender suggested they let God decide; he would put a white and a black pebble in a bag and let the daughter pick one.

6. Dan Miller in “No More Dreaded Mondays” • Pick the black pebble: and the daughter would become his wife and the father’s debt would be forgiven. • Pick the white pebble: and she would not have marry the man and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. • Refuse to pick a pebble: and her father would go to jail until the debt was paid.

7. Dan Miller in “No More Dreaded Mondays” • The moneylender picked up two pebbles, placed them in the bag and then ask the girl to pick one. • The sharp-eyed daughter saw that the man had pick up two black pebbles. • NOW! If you had to advise her, what would you say?

8. You probably already see the three possibilities? • The girl could refuse to take a pebble, but her father would then go to jail; • The girl could pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father; • The girl could pull out both black pebbles and expose the moneylender as a cheat and likely incite his immediate revenge.

9. Here’s What She Did! • She reached into the bag and pulled out a pebble, but without looking at it, she fumbled it and let it fall to the ground, mixing with the others. • “Oh how clumsy of me,” she said. “But never mind, all you have to do is look in the bag and see the pebble that’s left to know which one I dropped.”

10. LOVE Don’t you just that ending? • We love it when the “good guys or gales” use their wit and cunning to defeat a villain. • It disturbs us when a villain uses his wit and cunning to out-fox the poor and unsuspecting. • But Jesus tells a story in our text, this morning, about a dishonest man who did just that.

11. Jesus’s Story Luke 16:1-131 Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.' 3 "The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg-- 4 I know what I'll do… 5 "So he

12. Jesus’s Story called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 6 "'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.' 7 "Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' "'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. "He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.' 8 "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly…

13. Jesus’s Story For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true …

14. Jesus’s Story riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? 13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

15. We First Need toUnderstand Parables ONE • Most parables of Jesus have but point. • These stories were designed to get people to think “outside the box,” to extend or push their natural way of thinking. • We all get into a habit of relating to life in certain ways – we get ourselves into ruts of doing things the same way.

16. Details of the Story • A guy has been caught being “loose” with his boss’ money. • So the boss decides to give the man “a pink slip,” we would say today. • In Jesus’ story, the boss doesn’t fire the guy all at once, but gives him a little time, i.e. “two week notice.” • In corporate America that doesn’t happen any more. • Employees could do lasting damage to the company.

17. Details of the Story • That’s exactly what the man in Jesus’ story did. • He called in customers who still owed his boss some debts. • One owed 900 gallons of olive oil: • Another owed 1,000 bushels of wheat; • This unscrupulous manager was being dishonest but he was also insuring he would have friends who would be indebted to him when he was out of work. 450 800 Smart! Right?

18. Jesus’ Shocking Conclusion • Jesus said the man’s boss praised him because he acted so shrewdly. • Many people are puzzled over this conclusion. • Is Jesus approving of shady and dishonest dealings? • Jesus points to the fact that “people of this world are more shrewd in life’s dealings than are the children of light.” • Jesus was not praising dishonesty but the man’s ingenuity and initiative. Hardly!

19. Jesus’ Shocking Conclusion • The man took hold of his life and worked himself out of a tight situation. • Jesus has little sympathy for people who lazily expect God to do things that they are perfectly capable of handling themselves. • Nice people are good and well, but Jesus needs more than just nice people. • He needs people who will get out and make a difference in this world for Jesus. • Do you know the expression, “work like the dickens?” Dickens = Devil

20. Jesus’ Shocking Conclusion • Jesus is saying He needs people who go beyond nice and work like the devil to bring His kingdom into being. • We are to be like the manager in Jesus’ story, who is to pursuing a goal – that’s what Christ needs from us. • Jesus wants us to be sold out to righteousness, justice, love and peace. • Jesus needs us to be sold out to changing the world on His behalf. Sold Out

21. Jesus Continues Teaching Luke 16:10-1410 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

22. Jesus Continues Teaching 13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.

23. Jesus and Money • Jesus had more to say about our handling of money than any other topic, especially in the Gospel of Luke. • As Jesus teaches this, Luke tells us, “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.”

24. Jesus and Money • It seems today, that money is our number one obsession. • Everyone wants more money and will do just about anything to get it; • Everyone wants more of what money can buy and even dreams of the day when money will not be an issue; • How many divorces, family heartache and desertions happen because of money issues? • But should money be our number one obsession?

25. Jesus and Money • Jesus clearly warns us that we cannot serve two masters – Money? or God? • They are mutually exclusive – we can serve one or the other, but NOT both. • Money is necessary for life – no question about it. • But when this life ends, what good will money do then?

26. Paul’s Instruction on the Use of Money 1 Timothy 6:9-10 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

27. Jesus and Money • In Matthew 19:2323 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. • Do you really want to be rich, having untold wealth and riches? • Does it make sense to have a life of ease here only to sacrifice eternity? • The very next story in Luke 16 is…

28. The Rich Man & Lazarus That will be our study for NextSunday! • Our Jesus served ONLY one Master, His Father. • He did so to redeem us from mistakenly trying to serve Two Masters. • You can’t juggle the two; So, give up trying! • Serve Only the True God!