Luke 16—A Response to Urgency—The Shrewd Manager!
9/13/15
The parable is not about condoning dishonesty—it is about recognizing the end is coming
and being shrewd! It is about being smart with our time, talent, and treasure.
I.
Be Aware: Recognize time is short
1. The dishonest manager recognized that he was going to get fired so he
acted knowing what was going to happen.
2. We too need to act as though we will give an account of our lives here on
earth because we will!
II.
Be Shrewd (1-9)
1. Use money as a tool to gain eternal treasures
2. Use money to make eternal friends: i.e. use worldly wealth as a tool to
create eternal differences.
3. Use your gifts, talents, and treasure with a purpose to fulfill God’s
kingdom.
4. Ephesians 5:8; Luke 12:21;33.
III.
Be faithful—we are only stewards:(10-12)
1. Matthew 6:24
2. We often ask can we trust God (Malachi 3) but the real question is can
God trust us? All of our time, talent, and treasure is God’s. God is
faithful and trustworthy but are we?
3. Be trustworthy with worldly wealth and God will bless you with true
wealth!
IV.
Be devoted: There is not room for 2 God’s (13-15)
1. You cannot serve both God and money
2. Where your treasure is there your heart is!
3. Divided focus is a divided heart
4. Let us continue to learn to be all about God’s business
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Manuscript—Luke 16—A Response to urgency: A Shrewd Manager
How many of you have ever had that maintenance required light pop up in your
car? You know that little red flashing light that has a picture of the engine, and
sometimes the words maintenance required pops up. Recently, in my car I just had that
light pop up. All it says is maintenance required. I have no idea exactly what it means, I
assume it means I need to change my oil or get a tune up. I checked the oil and it seems
to be still really good so I am not sure what the problem is. Anyways, I don’t really have
the money or want to spend the money to take it in so I “Youtubed” how to turn off the
warning sign and that way I can ignore the warning (lol). I figure at least I wont have to
see the warning then it won’t be so bad. I know that is terrible, but isn’t that what most
people do. We figure that the warning sign is just a “warning” sign and that if we are
careful we do not really need to pay attention to it or at least not right away. It will be
something we can pay attention to later when it gets worse or when it is more convenient.
The problem is that it is never convenient and once things get really bad it is often too
late. And when it is too late we often end up paying 3X as much to fix the problem
because one problem led to another. Anyways, the warning signs on cars are simply a
reflection of our approach to life. Our natural tendency is to take care of the fires that are
burning the biggest and this makes sense. All other problems will just have to take a
back seat to the more immediate problems. Just as most people take this approach to life
in general they also take this approach to spiritual matters as well. Meaning, most
Christians are willing to weekly put gas in the car by going to church but often ignore the
maintenance required light and never see the sense of urgency around them. Today, I
want to talk about how we live in urgent times and how we need to live with a sense of
urgency for time is short. There is a warning light going on in the spiritual world and we
cannot simply press reset and ignore the problem. If we choose to ignore the problem it
will not go away but only get worse and we will end up paying the price one way or
another.
Read Matthew 24:36-51. Here we see that Jesus warns us that no one knows the
day or the hour that Jesus will return, only the Father. Nevertheless, we need to be
diligent and have a sense of urgency about our work because we know that the day will
come. It is not a question if but when the day will come where we will be asked to give
an account of our work before God. I always like to remind people that even if Jesus
does not return in our lifetime you are still going to stand before Him within the next few
years. No matter how old you are the truth of the matter is that time is short so we must
live with a sense of urgency recognizing that time is short. We do not want to want to be
lazy or foolish servants who neglect the warning that God is going to return and that we
will stand before God to give an account of our lives and how we lived them…for
ourselves or for His kingdom. Remember, Jesus warns us that there will be wicked
servants who live for themselves and mistreat God’s people and for them is a place assign
with the hypocrites a place of hell. But that is not what we are or what we want to be.
No we want to live with a sense of urgency taking advantage of every opportunity
recognizing we are on a business trip not a cruise trip. We are not on vacation but we are
soldiers in Christ’s army given specific duties that we may fight the good fight and make
an impact for God’s kingdom. So, how do we live with a sense of urgency? What does
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that look like? To explore this I want to read a parable of Jesus found in Luke 16, this is
the parable of the shrewd manager. Read with me Luke 16:1-9.
This parable of the shrewd manager is great parable but one often misunderstood.
Many people are confused on this parable because it appears that Jesus is commending
dishonesty. But that is not what Jesus is doing at all! Instead, what Jesus is doing is
teaching His people how to live with a sense of urgency. Jesus never commends the
servant for being dishonest, rather we read in Luke 16:8, that Jesus commends the
dishonest servant for being shrewd. It was not the stealing that Jesus commends but the
recognition and acting upon the urgency of the time. When the parable is finished, Jesus
then goes on to give a commentary on the parable and states that the people of this world
are more shrewd than the people of the light. So what is Jesus saying, what does that
mean? Jesus is saying that the people of this world are more focused on building their
kingdoms then the people of the light are on building God’s kingdom! We are not to be
dishonest, that is not at all what God wants, but we are to be wise and shrewd due to the
sense of urgency that faces us. As Jesus says in Matthew 10:16, “I am sending you out
like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
We are out amongst wolves. The world is not an easy place. There are many
distractions, temptations, and evils that would seek to distract us and overcome our
identity and purpose in life. Thus, we must be shrewd servants while remaining innocent
as doves.
The first thing that we can glean from this parable is the necessity to constantly be
aware of the fact that time is short and to live with a sense of urgency. Yesterday, I
performed a memorial service for our sister in Christ Marilyn who passed away early last
month. And a few weeks before that I did a memorial service for my father in law. Each
of these are reminders that time is short. All around us are constant reminders that this
life is temporary and goes very fast. And this is also what God’s word teaches us. But
too often we learn from God’s word that time is short, we see friends and loved ones and
acquaintances die as yet another reminder that time is short, nonetheless, too many
people continue to live without a sense of urgency.
In the parable, the wicked servant did not ignore the “warning light” but he acted
on the fact that his job was up, he was going to get fired and would be out of a job. He
had to do something and he had to do something fast. Time was urgent, so the wicked
servant acted shrewdly. But in order for him to act shrewdly he had to recognize the
urgency of the situation. In the same way if we are going to be shrewd we must also first
recognize the sense of urgency around us. Again, this is extremely challenging because
we live in an environment that overall accepts cultural Christianity and it is easy to go
along and forget our sense of urgency and the fact that we are here with a kingdom
purpose! In addition, we live with a false promise that most of us will live relatively long
lives and we are always lured into the idea that there will always be time in the future to
be about God’s business but now is the time for “our” business. But this is one of the
greatest lies that we can buy into. The church universal needs to wake up from it’s
slumber and recognize that people are dying everyday without knowing Jesus. And even
though a few of us may have 50 or 60 years or more, the point is that for those who are
dying today or tomorrow their time is done and thus there is a dire sense of urgency for
us to be the lights of Christ and share the good news will all people because we never
know when someone’s time is up. Does that make sense? None of us know when our
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time is up, but just as important none of us know when someone else’s time is up. And
our mission in life is to be a light to the lost and share Jesus’s love. But if we do not
know when our time is up or when someone else’s time is up we must live everyday as
though it may be our last, because it may be. That does not mean we go out and sell all
of our possessions and act like a fool but it does mean we have attitude of urgency with a
focus on God’s kingdom and not our own.
Imagine the impact we could make if we saw every opportunity to share the love
of Christ with a sense of urgency recognizing that it may be ours or the other persons last
opportunity to hear about Jesus. If we as a people understood the sense of urgency and
responded with a sense of urgency we would truly reach thousands and impact millions
for the kingdom of God.
So we need to be aware but we also need to be shrewd and act upon that which
God has revealed to us. First, what does it mean to be shrewd? When I think of being
shrewd I think of being cut throat, or ruthless. The term shrewd reminds me of someone
who is willing to do anything to get their way. In this parable the shrewd manager used
his influence and his master’s worldly wealth to establish friends so that when his job
was finished he would be able to have an alternative support system. Again, God
commended the dishonest servant not because he was dishonest but because he was
shrewd. When the dishonest servant knew that he was going to have to give an account
for his actions and be fired, he understood the inevitable and took action based on the
inevitable and did whatever he had to insure his survival. The specific action was not
commendable, but the shrewdness was. The servant resolved to do whatever it takes to
reach his goal. Think about that whatever it takes attitude. Is it not those people who go
all in that are the ones who make the biggest impact both in this life and in eternal life?
Jesus is the ultimate example of going all in. He was completely innocent and lived in
heaven, but to save the world, He left heaven and went all in, and bore the sins of the
world to save you and I. It didn’t matter that He was beaten, tortured,
humiliated…nothing was going to stop Jesus from accomplishing His mission. Jesus was
as shrewd as a serpent but as innocent as a dove. But is that what Jesus sees in His
church? Are we, are you shrewd for God’s kingdom? Perhaps that is to colloquial to
really understand what I am asking, so let me ask it this way. Are you willing to do
anything to make an impact for God’s kingdom? Anything? That is what Jesus was
commending the dishonest servant for…that all in attitude.
Jesus goes on in Luke 16:8-9 and tells us to use our worldly wealth to gain
friends for ourselves that we may be welcomed into eternal dwellings. This is not a verse
that is stating we can buy salvation, but it is reminding us of the inevitable and to use our
worldly wealth for what truly counts: eternity! Jesus is saying we need to be wise and
shrewd in using our money so the end result will be seeing people in heaven. Money is
meant to be a tool that ultimately supports our main purpose in life: building God’s
kingdom. This is a consistent message of Jesus when it comes to money. Jesus never
taught money was evil or bad, but rather it was a tool and that it should be used to bless
others and further the kingdom of God and not our own kingdoms here on earth. And
you know what...I believe that many believers do believe that money is a tool and even a
tool that should be used for God’s kingdom. But that is not the heart of this passage.
Again, Jesus is not simply talking about the tool but that attitude and willingness to use
the tool. Jesus rebukes us, that is His church, because the church does not have the same
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shrewdness that the world has. In other words, we don’t have that same commitment to
whatever it takes to get the goal accomplished that the people of the world have. Ouch!!!
That stings. But is it true? I would have to say yes, first simply because Jesus said it
was, but also because I have seen it. We approach God’s kingdom as a secondary
kingdom behind our kingdom here so we are not as shrewd about God’s kingdom as we
are as shrewd for this earthly kingdom. Lets just be honest. God tells us to give tithes
and offerings with a good attitude, with an attitude of whatever it takes, but we say we
simply do not have enough. That is lie. God does not tell us to give what we do not
have, but to give generously with again an attitude of whatever it takes from what we do
have. The problem is that we don’t have any or much left to give after we have paid for
our expensive car payment, over priced mortgage, our cable bill, credit card bill and are
of course are Starbucks expense. I am just giving examples to illustrate that we are not
really that shrewd with our money when it comes to God’s kingdom. Shrewdness
regarding our money would be having an attitude that you give whatever it will take to
accomplish the vision that God has given us. Do you see the difference? One attitude
says, I will give from my left overs if I have anything left over and the other shrewd
attitude says I will give everything if that is what it takes because nothing is more
important because time is short. I will live more simply and be a better steward so that I
can invest more in what counts and make that difference. God is not looking for a
specific amount from you but rather a specific heart attitude from you. He wants to be
first and foremost in your life and He wants His kingdom to be first and foremost in your
life. Think about that…maybe some of you are giving 20% but are you being shrewd?
Do you have a whatever it takes attitude?
And this principle is not just seen with money but all of our resources. In addition
to treasure, time is one of the next most valuable resources we have. But are we being
shrewd with our time for God’s kingdom? Are we? Do you have an attitude that says “I
will spend whatever time it takes to answer God’s call upon our church and lives?” Or is
your attitude similar to money where you will give your time as it is available and left
over from my other responsibilities? It is sad, but don’t we often decline getting involved
in service or life groups or ministry opportunities because we rather watch TV or sleep,
or go out and hang out with our friends. Now understand, watching TV, spending time
with friends, and especially sleeping are all essential parts of life, but if we are living with
a deep sense of urgency even those necessary parts of life become secondary to meeting
our primary goal of furthering God’s kingdom. And all other things must be secondary if
we are going to live with a sense of urgency. If it is not urgent then lets keep ignoring the
warning signs and living for ourselves. But if God is telling the truth and time is
desperately urgent then how shrewd are you willing to be to make it a priority to further
God’s kingdom? The wicked servant was willing to be shrewd as a thief to protect his
interest. God does not want us to be thieves but He wants us to be shrewd and wise so
that we can make an impact. This is radical! This is not spiritual milk but spiritual meat.
Our impact that affects millions is not going to happen if we do everything based on
convenience. We must have a willingness to do whatever is necessary to further God’s
kingdom. We are called to be purpose driven not fun driven or convenience driven. The
wicked servant was willing to do anything, including steal, to meet his worldly goals, he
was shrewd, it was this attitude that Christ commends.
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Imagine the impact and breakthrough we could have in this city and in the lives of
those around us if we became acutely aware of the urgency of the times we live in.
Imagine the impact we could have if we decided as a church to become not just
committed with our resources but shrewd with our resources, totally committed to the call
of God upon our lives. We would truly make an impact that would rock this city and the
world. Because we have a heart that is completely surrendered and devoted to God and
that is exactly what God is asking from us. Continue reading with me Luke 16:10-15.
So, after Jesus gives the radical message of the need for His followers to not just
be lukewarm followers but to be shrewd disciples of Christ He then explains why it is
necessary for us as His followers to make the sacrifice to be so shrewd. And it is a
sacrifice to live shrewd lives for God’s kingdom. But Jesus tells us why it is necessary.
He says for two reasons. The first we read that we are called to be shrewd with our lives
and resources because we are mere stewards of God’s. What that means is that it not our
time or treasure in the first place but it is God’s. We need to understand that we are
merely stewards of everything that we have and we are called to be faithful stewards
because it all belongs to God. Every good gift that we have is from God as it states in
James 1:16-17. Even our very life is a gift from God, thus all of our time is actually
God’s time, for not only did He create us but He also purchased us with His very blood.
The principle of this challenge is our faithfulness to God based on His ownership. Jesus
is specifically targeting this principle to money. He lets us know that if we cannot be
faithful to God with His money, (I know we like to see it as our money but in reality it is
His), then God will not be able to trust us with true riches. But again, the issue of
faithfulness can be applicable to all applications of life. For we are called to be shrewd
in every area of our life for everything thing we have is a gift from God. If we don’t
recognize this then we will constantly struggle to surrender all that we have because we
will feel as though we have a right to it. The truth is that we have no rights to anything
because all is Christ and for Christ. Again, this is not a message of spiritual milk but of
meat. It is this understanding that is going to enable us to live shrewd lives.
In addition, Jesus explains that if we can be trusted with worldly wealth then we
will be trusted with true treasure. The point is that this world is not the real treasure and
it is not what is really important. So if we cannot be trusted with that which is not as
valuable as eternal treasure then how can we expect to be trusted with true treasure. Then
Jesus goes on to finish the parable with the statement that you cannot serve both God and
money.
Again, Jesus is explaining that for us to live shrewd lives and respond to the state
of urgency then we not only need to be faithful servants but devoted servants. We cannot
have two masters; we cannot serve both God and money. Again, this principle can be
applied in several areas of our lives, but Jesus specifically ties it in with money. Since,
the love of money is one of humanities biggest temptation Jesus leaves no wiggle room—
we cannot serve both God and money. I love what Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, where
your treasure is there heart shall be also! In other words where you invest your treasures
there you invest your heart! What are you investing your time, talent and treasures in? Is
it in your kingdom, the world, or God’s kingdom? Christ says a kingdom divided will
not stand. If our hearts our divided towards God then we will not be able to grow
ourselves or God’s kingdom. The last statement really upset the Pharisees since they
loved money. Jesus knew this and reminded them that it is God who sees what is in the
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heart and what the world values and sees as urgent God sees as detestable. Think about
that…what the world values, what are society and culture values highly God sees as
detestable. That is how backwards this world is. What people think is the best and most
important God sees as detestable. Is that not crazy? Let me ask you, is what you value
the same thing that God values? Are your goals aligned up with God’s goals?
We are living in urgent times. It is urgent because our time is short and God is
coming soon! The kingdom of God is advancing and with power. If we are to respond to
this urgency we must be shrewd and wise with our time, talent and treasure. We must be
faithful to God with all that He has given us—to fulfill His purpose and ours as well.
And we must be single minded and devoted to Christ and Christ alone! The shrewd
manager knew he was facing a deadline; he formulated a plan, and he acted before the
opportunity was gone. We are also facing a deadline. Do you have a plan to influence
your world before that deadline? Are you letting opportunities pass by? Are you
investing your time, talent, and treasure in that which is urgent? We must change our
attitude to giving the bare minimum to learning to sacrifice whatever it takes—that is
being shrewd. Time is urgent—the Kingdom of God is at hand we have been given a
purpose to fulfill. Church, we need a sense of urgency in us! We need to understand that
time is short, even if you live a 90+ years time is short. Life is but a breath of air, here
today and gone tomorrow and then we will stand before God and have to give an account
of what we have done with our time, talent, and treasure!
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