1 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 so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ 5 "So he 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. 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 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." (Lu 16:1-13).

           What an interesting parable.  For years I have had trouble understanding this until I read a commentary by John Nolland on this passage.  What he said made sense to me, but I will explain it in my own words.

           The manager in this story is losing his job.  He is being fired. People like him may be the reason so many businesses have security walk a man to his desk and clean it out and leave the building immediately. 

           This manager is to give an account, in other words, bring the books up to date and then leave the job.  He takes this small window of opportunity to prepare for his future unemployment.

           The manager doesn’t want to beg, so he comes up with a scheme that fits into the first century’s culture of hospitality.  If someone does a good turn for another, the culture of the day said that there should be reciprocal help.  If I lend you money, you would feel an obligation to lend me money.  If you let me borrow your car, I should let you borrow my car.  The scheme he plans plays into the sense of obligation to return a favor.

           There is some debate about what is going on here, but one idea is that the servant is asking the debtors to pay off the principle amount of a loan and eliminating the interest due.  The servant has power of attorney and can do this legally.  Once he signs the document, the manager’s signature is binding on the master.  The master will get the principle and the debtors will get in essence a no-interest loan.

           8 "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.  As a man who recognized dishonesty, but also was good at making money, he could not help but admire the shrewdness of the manager.  He could not take him to court because he did what he was legally able to do.  He could not fire him a second time because he was already fired.  And the manager now had a group of people who were more than willing to open their homes to him in return for the favor he showed.  The manger was not out on the street begging and might, in time, secure a job with one of these people.

           But, you say, isn’t Jesus promoting dishonesty?  No, Jesus is setting us up to be shrewd about how we invest our time, money and talents for a future return. 8 "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. 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.

           One would gather from these words that how we spend our money influences whether or not we get into heaven.  I believe that this is the opposite of what the Bible teaches.  The Bible teaches that those who trust in Jesus will spend their money differently than those who do not.  Notice the contrast between “the people of this world” and “the people of the light.”   In other words, how we spend our money indicates our true interests.  Remember, Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  This is dramatically illustrated in verses 19-31 in the story of the begger, Lazarus, who is in paradise and the rich man, unnamed, who is in hell. 

           When Jesus calls us to shrewdness, he is calling us to be people who live in light of the future, who live in light of eternity.  That is the reason I entitled this message, “Where is my vision?”  People of this world live in light of today.  People of God live in light of eternity.

In verse 9, when is the money gone?  It is gone at death. 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. We have a short time to spend before we will be called to glory.  Invest now in such a way that there will be people in heaven welcoming you because of your investment in them.

Gerald Stillman came to me a week ago with a story he heard that encouraged him.  He was ready to share it last week, but I asked him if he could share it this week because it fits in so well with the question, “Where is our vision.”

[Gerald share]

I asked the men at the men’s breakfast to help me. I proposed to them this question, “If the church were given three million dollars, what should we do with it?”  One of the first answers was to put it in the bank and live off the interest.  But then the question was proposed, what would we spend the principle or the interest on?  Here are some of the answers.

We might get new buildings so that the church could meet together in one place.

We might start a new church in a different location.

We might start a Christian school.

We might fully support our current missionaries and increase the number of missionaries we support.

We might buy a Greyhound bus to help our young people travel on missions trips or to do their puppet and singing ministries.

Here are some ideas I have:  Our purpose is to glorify God through worship, evangelism and edification.  I would love to have three staff pastors whose responsibility would be to oversee and develop those areas.

I would love to see Christians working to love the world to Christ.  I would love to see people equipped to witness to friends and relatives.  I would love to see these same people dip into their own pocket or into the resources of their small group or of the church to help those they are reaching for Christ.

I would love to be able to see the church provide counseling services from a Christian viewpoint to people struggling with life and relationships and to offer those services free or at a minimal cost.

I would love to see us do those things that would make unbelievers and skeptics say, “The people at Palermo Christian Church live the Christian life the way it ought to be lived.”

And so consider how you can use your wealth for the future.  I think there is a great importance to the testimony of the church as a group.  But I also think that there is an equal importance to your testimony as an individual.

It is my role, according to the Bible, to help prepare you for ministry.  So I challenge you.  Look around you.  Are there people you know who need a prayer?  Be the one who prays for them.  Is there someone around you who has spiritual questions?  Be the one who answers them as best you can.  Is there someone at work or in your family that is struggling financially?  Be the one who steps up to the plate as an individual.  Sponsor a child to go to a Christian camp like Fair Haven or Living Waters.  But a Christian book for an inquiring friend.  Purchase fuel oil as an act of grace and blessing.  Whatever you do, do in Jesus name. 

Wouldn’t it be something if, because of your own decision to help someone in need, or your giving through the church, or your care and compassion to others, the streets of heaven were lined with people welcoming you because you were a major influence in them coming to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior?